New and Need help - Don't know where to turn

[Guest mommyof2monkeys+princess]

My DS is 8 yrs old and in 2nd grade. I knew something was different with him since he was little. I worked in daycare during my highschool years. I received a BA in Education. All my friends teased me b/c they came to me for advice on everything from what type of bottle to buy to discipling advice all before I had kids. Then God gave me my first son and I was very humbled. I have always known what to do and how to help a parent and now I am clueless. My son was diagnosed with SPD as a sensory seeker and ADHD in K5. Once he received OT session and was put on a sensory diet that was like a HUGE moment. My son would during circle time in preschool literally roll over all the kids. He thought that walking in a straight line was so you can bump the person in front and back of you. He had NO concept of personal space. I would actually joke that I needed to put a shock collar on him to zap him b/c he didn't have a personal space "zap" internally. All that to say Kindergarten was basically a wasted year as the school was like now we got a diagnoses lets see what happens next year. First grade the teacher was good but we did not get testing in MI. We moved to FL and started 2nd grade this Sept. They seemed to want to get him tested alot more than MI thankfully. So we have him tested and an IEP. Basically though I am not happy with what they called testing. His Intelligent level rates in the very high average but then his reading rates basically off the chart low so they have him marked with learning disabilities. My thought is yes he has an LD or more than one most likely but what and how do we reach him?? I am so tired of every new teacher saying YES I can teach him we just have to work with him more give him this give him that but it is not working.

 

My son is 8 yrs old in 2nd grade according to Mi guidelines we held him back a year. He can barely read the word CAT. In MI in 1st grade he had a reading specialist one on one for almost an hour a day for 10 weeks. It is suppose to be the program that jump starts a child into catching up with the grade. Well he made NO progress. She basically said she has no clue what to do with ds. He would learn words and seem to really have it only to not remember a single one the next week. So far all the extra stuff here in FL is the same thing he tested on the debils test at a 9 at the beginning of the year and mid year test was a 9. If I remember right they should be at a 65 now although I might be way off I just don't remember.

 

DS can remember words, he is AWFUL at spelling, never remembers name even of his teachers after being in their class all year. However, he is so smart. He loves the military and draws up this HUGE battleplans and draws tanks and such and how he is going to make them safer and put more guns on them and all the boy stuff LOL. He is on level with math and even his teacher said comprehension wise he is probably the best in the class. We just can't get him to read.

 

Does anyone have any advise for me?

 

Tammy

[Paz]

I would look into the Orton-Gillingham reading method. This is the method that did wonders for my dd who could kinda read by 5th grade but could not read multi-syllable words and could not write or spell in a way that anyone but me could decipher. It is a very specific method that works by learning the sounds and then the spelling rules. These rules are very in depth and specific. Some kids do not internalize these rules and sounds so this program breaks it down in ways that the reading does become internalized. It is very in depth and precise. The Barton Reading system is one method for Orton-Gillingham. I'm sure you will get some other great advice here. There will be a good program out there that either you or a tutor can use to get him reading grade level or above. There is lots of hope, especially at his age.

[Kathy in MD]

not impossible. These problems are developmental vision problems and auditory/language problems. Before trying anything else, I'd get a complete evaluation in both areas.

 

Here are a few sites for you to check out:

 

This one can help you find a dev. optometrist http://http://www.covd.org/

 

This one discusses auditory problems. http://http://auditoryprocessing.com.au/

[Claire]

Do you have medical insurance? If so, I would try to get a complete neuro-psychological evaluation. I was able to do this by calling my HMO, which gave me their in-network clinic.

 

Did he have a private OT evaluation and therapy? Schools basically do the minimum, especially when it comes to sensory integration. Medical insurance should cover at least a private OT eval. The best way to go about doing this is to first find a good OT clinic, call them to describe your child, and then ask about insurance coverage for an evaluation. They deal with insurance companies every day and can usually tell you exactly how a referral needs to be worded or coded. Take that information to your doctor so the referral is written up correctly.

 

You would probably want to get a complete speech and language evaluation the same way. First find a good speech pathologist and clinic.

 

A neuro-psych eval includes the above but also goes on to test various types of memory, etc.

 

Once you have all of the basic evaluations done, you are in a better position to decide which therapies are likely to help your son. You mentioned living in Florida. I would *highly* recommend that you check into NeuroNet. Unfortunately, their website is not online currently. I don't know if this is a temporary situation or if the clinic is no longer active.

[Guest mommyof2monkeys+princess]

Thank you so much for all the info. I am reading it all today during dd's nap time late. I also made a call into psycologist for a neuro evaluation to see about that.

 

DS is officially diagnosed with SPD and has had OT sessions. He currently does not b/c they only have 11am appts whick would mean missing a ton of school to go get him and so on.

 

Tammy

[Kathy in MD]

SPD responds better to early treatment. Is it possible for you to find another good OT that specializes in SPD? Or can you work with the current clinic so you see them once or twice a month and do assigned excercises in between? If your ds has rec'd therapy for some time, the OT may be more willing to do this.

 

If not, I personally would have my ds miss school and try to make the work up on the weekends. I'd do this for two reasons. 1) The earlier SPD therapy is done, the better the long term results. 2) It makes learning easier and faster.

 

However there is one caveat to this recommendation. That is how long your ds has been in OT. My ds's OT said that even the most severe SPD cases should only require about 1 year of OT. However some OT's will treat and treat and treat until the parent calls a halt. (I know one child that went for 3 years before the parent got all the equipment at home to continue therapy :mad:) If you are in the treat and treat and treat stage, there are 3 follow-up sports that continue the OT's work. You and your son may want to select one of the three -- swimming, martial arts or horseback riding. From my ds's experience, I recommend doing one of them at least twice a week, 3 times is better.

[Laurie4b]

I totally agree with what Kathy said. If your son has not had intensive treatment for sensory integration issues, then that should be priority #1. If the OT was through the school system, it is very unlikely that he's gotten adequate treatment. My ds was MUCH more able to take in learning of any sort after about 6 months of intensive OT.

 

That doesn't mean stop other learning, but keep it to the basics plus what he likes.

 

I would pursue a consultation with a good neuropyschologist. Given that you have testing that was already done by the school, it should not be outrageously expensive because they could use the previous IQ test (if it is less than 3 years old) and that is where the big bucks go. The new person could just add any tests they felt would be illuminating. You really should have a strong idea of what is causing the LD, not just that there is a discrepancy between IQ and achievement.

[NCW]

He sounds exactly like my ds! Took four years to really nail the sounds of the letters of the alphabet, but tests way past grade level in math - knows math stuff I've not even taught him!

 

You've gotten great suggestions, and I don't have much to add, but since he sounds so much like ds, I thought I'd share what we've done/discovered.

 

First, his vision is messed up. I had him checked by a dev opt when he was in K, but they weren't thorough, told me he was OK, and on we went. In other words, be sure you have someone with experience checking their vision. We're hoping to start VT soon.

 

We do get OT for sensory and spatial issues. It has reduced the amount of time on school this year, but I've always regarded it as a one-year commitment. I will continue OT-type activities at home. We also do fencing (not often enough, but it's pricey) and swimming in the summer. I also took him to a therapist who specializes in cranio-sacral work. Believe it or not, straightening out his sphenoid bone (cradles the eyes) made an observable difference in his reading. For the first time ever he told me he enjoyed reading.

 

Learning words in patterns helped at LOT with retention. We went through Phonics Pathways, Spell to Write and Read, and are now using ABeCeDarian. We like ABC because of the patterning and fluency work...fluency with isolated words is now his toughest issue in reading. It also seemed to move faster than other Orton-Gillingham methods, including SWR, and we definitely needed to speed up. ABC is still his toughest subject in a day, but we grit our teeth and tackle it anyway!

 

Finding interesting and decodable reading material was a huge challenge initially, too.

 

Good Luck!

 

NCW

[Guest mommyof2monkeys+princess]

Thank you again for all the great info. He did have OT sessions privately outside of school. We have for the most part kept up his sensory diet and feel we do have the sensory part very much under control at least we think we do.

 

I talked to a doctor in my area about a Neuropsychological Assessment . I faxed him upon his request ds's IEP evaluation and he is going to get back with me on Monday. Here is the website of the doctor I called if anyone wants to give me feedback http://www.neuropsychflorida.com/index.html.

 

DS currently goes to public school. DH and I have tossed around the idea of HS but have been scared too. I even have a degree in Education. I might just give it a try next year or maybe even this year we will have to see.

 

Tammy

[Tara from Florida]

and was wondering where you were located. There are so many resources available for those looking into the possibility of homeschooling here in FL. May I recommend you go to www.FPEA.com and check out that site and keep in mind the annual homeschool convention in Orlando at the end of May. They do a bang up jpb giving information to people considering the homeschool option - not to mention hefty discounts on curriculum at the vendor exhibition hall during the conference.

 

Feel free to give me a call anytime if you would like to chat - and if you are anywhere near my area I can get you some great homeschool support groups to get together with. Even if you don't decide to go the homeschool route, there are a number of Florida specific on line forums for kids with learning differences. Also there is an organization that regularly has free training seminars and conferences in the SW FL area. Give me a buzz and I'll route you to the ones you feel may be the most beneficial.

 

If you are anywhere near Ft Myers (or would be willing to take a road trip), I am offering free evaluations for the 6 underlying learning skills (processing speed, visual processing, working memory, auditory analysis, word attack skills, and logic & reasoning) trained using PACE (processing and cognitive enhancement program). Call to set up an appointment if you are interested. There is no obligation.

 

Have a great weekend.

[Guest mommyof2monkeys+princess]

Hi Christina - it is nice to "see" other H@H mommies. I am assuming you are saying you would HS. I am very much leaning that way. However, now dh is more concerned that ds won't respond to us. Dh is all of a sudden not sure he likes the idea thinking I can't handle teaching ds without our 1 yr old interfering. I am planning on going to a umbrella type school open house on Wednesday. It sounds awesome. I can do one day of ds going to school for really cool classes and teach him the basics at home and the school organizes about 100 field trips for the year for you to pick which ones to go on.

 

Tara

I am definitely interested in what you have to offer. I am in Orlando but dh's parents are in Cape Corral so we go down there every 2 to 3 months at least. We are always in that area around the first of May for Mother's Day.

 

Tammy

[Kathy in MD]

Hi Christina - it is nice to "see" other H@H mommies. I am assuming you are saying you would HS. I am very much leaning that way. However, now dh is more concerned that ds won't respond to us. Dh is all of a sudden not sure he likes the idea thinking I can't handle teaching ds without our 1 yr old interfering.

 

 

 

May I interject here? It's natural to get cold feet when actually getting down to the decision to home school. I considered it for years, but there were some very good aspects about my ds attending his school so I didn't push it with dh. Then something very unusual and disasterous cropped up and the plunge wasn't scary after all.

[Tara from Florida]

and I will set you up with free testing. Also, if you would like, I can introduce you to the homeschool support group to which I belong. The vast majority of the people are from North Fort Myers and Cape Coral.

 

We always attend the homeschool convention, which is at the end of Many in Orlando. Maybe we can even meet up there. Since it would be local for you, I would encourage you to check it out. You will get so much support and information regardless of what you decide.

 

Have a very great week and let me know the middle/end of April when you will be in the area - or earlier if that turns out to be the case.