| Subject: Re: Dyslexic school or public program |
Author:
philip r
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Date Posted: 13:16:56 10/19/11 Wed
In reply to:
David
's message, "Dyslexic school or public program" on 19:53:14 10/05/11 Wed
My son was tested and confirmed to have dyslexia when he was 7, he is now 18. His test results showed server deficiencies in reading fluency (specifically Orthographic dyslexia), problems with spelling and handwriting (specifically Dysgraphia ) and issues with math that are attributed to rapid retrieval differences.
Regarding whether or not to send your child to a private school consider what he is getting from staying in the public school. Ask if they ( teachers, administration) have an understanding of Dyslexia and the common difficulties it presents. You indicate they do not. In our case it seemed the public schools had little knowledge and understanding of what to do beyond making accommodations. Our school district does not even officially recognize dyslexia as a learning disability. Don't get me wrong, accommodations are necessary and important; they can also be just an adjustment for the teachers, so your child fits into their curriculum.
Good tutoring is essential and in my sons case he benefitted from having a tutor who was both a mentor and someone that helped him with skills and strategies. We were able to provide tutoring outside school to supplement the help he was getting in school. All this was good, it showed to our son how everyone was dedicated to him and the importance of a good education, but school work was hard, tedious and seemed like just busy work.
By seventh grade he went to a private school. Not a school for dyslexics but a school with a low teacher to student ratio. The teachers at this school were passionate about the subjects they taught and dedicated to their students success, my son was so excited, it seemed he grew wings.
It became clear to me, it's about content! not skills. Before it was like pounding your head against a wall trying to improve spelling and math facts and now it was about deep thinking and understanding of various subjects. So much more engaging and meaningful.
He was also learning how to write: sentences, paragraphs, use punctuation, outlines, bibliographies etc. spelling was left to the laptop spell checker and if spelling was still wrong it was never marked down, because it was about the content. He took his own notes by hand but when it came to turn stuff in it was with the aid of a computer. The many drafts that were required for each project is how he developed his writing skills not through rote learning. Math was about the concepts and less about how fast you could recite times tables - which he could never do and I think still can not do.
With a lot of hard work his high school years were great and through out he became an honor roll student. In grade school they told us he was likely to have difficulty with the work load in the higher grades. In truth, he really only needed the emphasis to be on meaningful content and less emphasis on his dyslexia to become a confident learner.
So... In my opinion.
*Yes I think your right about including all kids with learning difference in one class. I personally (dyslexic) was put in that situation in middle and high school and it was not good for me, at all.
*A good tutor preferably someone who is an accredited with the state. Then they can administer a comprehensive test that the school must except the results and you can then build a 504 plan or an IEP from. Someone who can be your advocate. If possible
*Get into the content with your kid not so much his output of it with written words.
*Most important follow your gut feeling on your school option and trust that you know what will work best for him.
* take a deep breath it will work out. Just stick to it.
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