NP

[Timberly]

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[Timberly]

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[geodob]

Though this rather reflects 'lazy parents', who wouldn't make the effort to help their child.

They don't need to help, as the kids are just lazy.

The school will fix that.

 

So they need to justify their position, by criticizing any parents that take a pro-active approach.

You might rather feel sad for their kids?

 

[OneStepAtATime]

Fantastic at finishing Level 4!!!   :hurray:  :hurray:  :hurray: We did the one thing I say never ever to do (and have been told never, ever to do).  We stopped full lessons over the summer.  Life got in the way.  We are starting over with Level 4 after having to go back and review Level 3.  But things are going so much more smoothly the second time around, so maybe it was better this way.

 

As for the lack of support and understanding, I don't even discuss the Barton lessons with DH, much less the rest of the family.  They just don't get it.  Huge, huge hugs.  So sorry that with all the work and success you and your dc are having you cannot celebrate with the people that should be cheering you on.   :grouphug:  :grouphug:  :grouphug:  :grouphug:

[Lecka]

Your parents and friends do not know what they are talking about.  It is sad and it is sad for the kids who are not getting help they need.  Good for you, though.  It is a sadness and frustration to me, that locally it seems like many people have never seen a child who has handwriting like my son's yet is reading at grade level.  To me it is just a sign that these other kids have languished with their reading with inadequate help.  This is in public school. 

 

Congratulations to your son!  I love to hear good news like this!!!!!

[Julie of KY]

Congratulations!

 

Try not to be bothered by what others think they know. Know that you are doing the best for your son and that others don't really understand what he really needs. Keep going - it sounds like you are doing an excellent job.

[PeterPan]

Congratulations!

 

Try not to be bothered by what others think they know. Know that you are doing the best for your son and that others don't really understand what he really needs. Keep going - it sounds like you are doing an excellent job.

That's the word of the day for ALL of us.

[tiffaninichole]

Fabulous! So happy for you and your son!  :party:

[OneStepAtATime]

Can I be really sad for a second? My joy at his finishing the very difficult Level 4 has been dampened by family members and friends who feel I should never have had him tested 12 months ago, much less told him that he has Dyslexia and Dysgraphia labels.

 

They say his finishing Level 4 shows that if I had put him in brick and mortar school he would have reached this point years ago, "nothing wrong with him".

 

During the last 12 months, he didn't put in any additional hours of LA school time, he simply switched to an OG method that clicks with how he reasons. DS11's gifted sister and bright brother didn't need to apply OG strategies to each syllable, but this "dyslexic and gifted" DS11 son did.

 

Last year neuro-psych gave me the name of 3 outrageously expensive philosophy universities that love students like him. It's taken me (but not DH) a full year to realize that DUH! he has absolutely loved deep philosophical conversations (making connections) since he was a wee little thing so yes curriculums that encourage questioning and reasoning are good fits for him.

 

 

Friends and family think Dyslexia is a label for unintelligent or lazy kids, or for parents wanting accommodations for their kids SAT/ACT testing. I think many of these adults have undiagnosed and unsupported elementary school aged Dyslexic kids or the parents are closet dyslexics themselves.

 

My grandpa, mom, brother, and one sister can't read a grocery store ad. This breaks my heart.

Your post has had me sad and irritated on your behalf all day, Timberly.  I am in a similar boat and it aggravates me no end.  You and your son deserve more support.

 

Edited:  I was on a rant.  Sorry.  And I am glad that your husband is supportive, even if certain other family members aren't.  I will be honest, DH having so many doubts is draining at times.

 

Huge hugs Timberly.  And again, big congratulations to completing Level 4.  Keeping my fingers crossed that I will post something similar in a few months or so.

 

Best wishes.

[Timberly]

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[displace]

Congratulations on all your hard work!  I applaud your dedication!

[Timberly]

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[Julie of KY]

oops - double post

[Julie of KY]

He's practiced HWT since preschool and since last winter he starts his letters on the correct place, heads the proper direction... but he doesn't start at the correct place on college rule paper, staying in the lines is hell for him...

 

I thought tons of OT and HWT would solve handwriting issue but no he's still the poster child for dysgraphia.

OT and HWT did nothing appreciable for my severely dysgraphic son. He was still making letters an inch big as he started high school (really a random mix of BIG and little), didn't know how to form all his lower case letters from memory, and couldn't fit his name on a line. He also wrote in mixed upper/lower case letters with upper case throughout the words. His numbers for math were usually a few inches big. He also has college board accomodations for his dysgraphia. (This is my math geek who also won math scholarships as a middle-schooler, so nothing wrong with his intelligence.)

 

What helped his writing immensely is vision therapy. I had asked the question in the past to OT and neuropsych if VT might help and was told no. As my daughter started VT for convergence insufficiency, I started talking to the doc about my son and became convinced that VT might help. The VT doc describes some kids as "lost in space". He has amazing special skills when it comes to taking geometric shapes in his head and manipulating them anyway he wants, but those special skills didn't translate to real life and I had no idea. If given a string and asked to guess how wide the microwave was he was nowhere near correct. He could look at a block diagram and could copy the pattern correctly, but couldn't get the scale correct - who knew? He also had no "scale" for how big his letters should be. He did 30 weeks of VT and is now writing for the first time in his life without a scribe. He can make the letters appropriate size - still mixed upper/lower case. VT also helped his textbook reading ability. ... not saying that VT would help in your instance, but it made a world of difference for my severely dysgraphic son.

[SandyKC]

CONGRATULATIONS!! WOOHOOO!!!! Don't let they naysayers get you down. I SERIOUSLY doubt your DS would have learned this a long time ago if he was in the Brick and mortar school.  Chances are much HIGHER that he would still be functioning at a low level, especially since Barton was the ticket to his success.  YOU ROCK for hanging in their with your DS, working with him, and believing in him.  Sounds like you're on the road to success!!

 

Little known fact: I had family members that actually thought my son was "just not trying to get attention." Ummmm.. NO.  Kids just don't think like that and no kid could consistently "fake" dyslexia to get attention.  People just don't GET IT!! (Or they chose not to get it because they don't want to admit there are learning disabilities in the family.)

 

FWIW, my son finished his Orton-G program first, then we really focused on his handwriting, followed by composition skills.  As it so happens, I was working on our writing samples webpage today.. everyone might find it interesting in regard to the level of progress that can be made to overcome dyslexia and dysgraphia. ;-)

 

IN any case, keep your chin held high and move onward! :-D

[PeterPan]

OT and HWT did nothing appreciable for my severely dysgraphic son. He was still making letters an inch big as he started high school (really a random mix of BIG and little), didn't know how to form all his lower case letters from memory, and couldn't fit his name on a line. He also wrote in mixed upper/lower case letters with upper case throughout the words. His numbers for math were usually a few inches big. He also has college board accomodations for his dysgraphia. (This is my math geek who also won math scholarships as a middle-schooler, so nothing wrong with his intelligence.)

 

What helped his writing immensely is vision therapy. I had asked the question in the past to OT and neuropsych if VT might help and was told no. As my daughter started VT for convergence insufficiency, I started talking to the doc about my son and became convinced that VT might help. The VT doc describes some kids as "lost in space". He has amazing special skills when it comes to taking geometric shapes in his head and manipulating them anyway he wants, but those special skills didn't translate to real life and I had no idea. If given a string and asked to guess how wide the microwave was he was nowhere near correct. He could look at a block diagram and could copy the pattern correctly, but couldn't get the scale correct - who knew? He also had no "scale" for how big his letters should be. He did 30 weeks of VT and is now writing for the first time in his life without a scribe. He can make the letters appropriate size - still mixed upper/lower case. VT also helped his textbook reading ability. ... not saying that VT would help in your instance, but it made a world of difference for my severely dysgraphic son.

That's amazing!  So then, did he have convergence, focusing, tracking, etc. issues, or was it all visual processing?

[OneStepAtATime]

FWIW, DS10 showed improvement in his physical writing after VT.  His writing is still very slow, and his spacing and sizing are still off (very off when he is tired), but much, much closer than they used to be.  Instead of A  and  A it is closer to A and A for instance.  Does that make sense?  :)

[merry gardens]

:party:

 

Time for a big chocolate bar!!!! That's how we mark the completion of a Barton level in our home. While we shake hands, I pass the chocolate bar to them like a dean passes a diploma. 

 

Great job Timberly!  Level Four is tough! 

 

[Julie of KY]

That's amazing!  So then, did he have convergence, focusing, tracking, etc. issues, or was it all visual processing?

His biggest problem seemed to be how he perceived space and distance and it affected his writing in that he didn't know how far away the paper was and how big to make letter. When you tested most visual processing skills he did great on them.

 

He had some mild convergence issues as well as tracking? issues - basically his eyes jumped all over the place and he would read pieces and put it all together. He reads over a 100 books a year before and after VT and tested off the charts on reading comprehension before VT - at the same time tested less than 1st percentile on writing abilities - huge discrepancy and very frustrating for a smart kid.

 

The VT doc described his reading as spending a fraction of the time he needed to spend on each word, but jumping all over the place; he described it the same way. He was putting the information together and comprehending, but that type of reading was not conducive to reading a chemistry or even math book. Last year I was reading physics and math and now he is. Math we had always done orally together since he couldn't write the problems, but I had begun to notice that he wanted me to read any long problems.

 

Now he reads his textbooks himself. The speed of reading is no different, but he describes how he looks at each word as very different now. As I said before, the biggest difference is in his writing and it's remarkable.

 

Timberly, sorry I didn't mean to sidetrack this thread. Finishing level 4 is a huge accomplishment as it's a very long, hard level. Congratulations!

[imagine.more]

That is an amazing achievement! You and your DS should be so proud, that is a lot of hard work!

 

We're still in Level 3 with DD12, so your dedication is inspiring to me :) And no, there is NO WAY your son could have made that kind of progress in public school because almost no public schools have Orton Gillingham instruction, certainly not 5 days a week for an 11 year old! With the right method, smart dyslexics can learn to read really fast. But with the wrong method even a smart dyslexic will make little-to-no progress for years. You got the right method, so you were able to tap into your son's innate giftedness. He would not have magically learned to read without all that tutoring. Don't let anyone else rain on your parade, what you and your son have done is an impressive accomplishment born of hard work and smart curriculum choices.