help! Dyslexia, hs laws (NY), & methods. Lots of questions!

[VinNY]

 

I'm finding people who review Recipe for Reading are saying that it is no help with spelling, even if it is fine for phonics & remedial reading instruction. :glare:    Sigh

 

 

 

 

 

 

I used Apple and Pears for spelling. But still my dtr will always struggle with spelling. 

[PeterPan]

OH, another question: 

 

What is required in order to legally allow my son accommodations on tests?

 

Obviously as his homeschool teacher, I can let him do some exercises orally instead of written, and things like that, at my discretion. But I am worried about the fact that he is due for a standardized test this year (we live in NY state and it's mandatory). I worry that he will get a low score from getting questions wrong that he KNOWS in science, or history, etc, just because of inaccurate reading of the question. 

 

Would we need an IEP just for me to legally give him testing accommodations?

 

The irony is that nobody would even know if I read him the questions, LOL, since I give him the test at home and that is completely fine and legal. But in the instructions of the test they are pretty strict in that you read a set of instructions and then the child reads and answers the questions (like the SAT). I would be "breaking the rules" of the test if I read him the questions.

 

The kinds of accommodations I think he needs:

 

Use of a multiplication table to do the math questions (he has trouble remembering math facts)

Someone to read the questions and answers to him

Possibly someone to be his scribe if there is a written portion (I can't remember if there has been in the past or not)

 

What's the procedure here??

The accommodations are not ones you just make up but what the psych specifies.  So you get your psych eval (private or ps) and then you use whatever accommodations they specify.  My dd gets time and a half.  I didn't even think to ask our psych about accommodations and haven't gotten the write-up yet.  They'll be pretty conservative.  

 

Is the test specified by your state or will ANY test work?  I ask, because sometimes people will use the achievement test results from their psych testing that year.  Our state will accept the Woodcock Johnson, which is done live with a tester, no bubbles to fill in.  So changing the test can help.

[CatholicMom]

The accommodations are not ones you just make up but what the psych specifies.  So you get your psych eval (private or ps) and then you use whatever accommodations they specify.  My dd gets time and a half.  I didn't even think to ask our psych about accommodations and haven't gotten the write-up yet.  They'll be pretty conservative.  

 

Is the test specified by your state or will ANY test work?  I ask, because sometimes people will use the achievement test results from their psych testing that year.  Our state will accept the Woodcock Johnson, which is done live with a tester, no bubbles to fill in.  So changing the test can help.

 

 

Ohhhh ok, I see. 

 

To answer your question, we can't use just *any* test. It has to be a "norm-referenced standardized test." The usual ones I know about are the California Achievement Test (CAT), Iowa Test of Basic Skills (IBS), Stanford Achievement Test, etc. A different test (especially oral) is something I will keep in mind, though! I'm not sure about the Woodcock Johnson. It sounds familiar and it is listed on this page, so I think it would be accepted. Awesome idea!

 

http://www.hslda.org/strugglinglearner/sn_testFAQs.asp

[CatholicMom]

Just an update for anyone who is interested: 

 

I looked up a bunch of psychologists in my area. According to the descriptions of services on their websites, the vast majority of them didn't deal with educational / learning issues. I was getting worried. But then I found ONE, only a half an hour away, who clearly listed educational and LD issues & assessment under "services". I was thinking, Thank God!! So I called them up and left a message for the doctor. The doctor called me back and I told him my situation, that I homeschool my son, his age, his difficulties, especially with spelling, etc. And although I was very happy in a thank-goodness-you-can-help-me kind of way at the beginning of the conversation, I realized by his responses that he was really snippy, snarky, and basically downright condescending. I wanted to price the services out and make sure that I could afford it before I committed to making an appointment since I wasn't necessarily done looking for providers. So I asked if he could give me an idea of how it would work... how many tests he would do, or ballpark idea of how many visits (since I'll be paying a co-pay every visit) it may take. He said in a huffy tone, "Ma'am, I haven't even met your son." (No, I mean pretty darn snarky. So however you said that in your head just now, add another heaping Tbsp of Snark and try again.) UMMM okaaaayy.. I thought that was really rude. How about, "You know, it's actually really hard for me to estimate since it depends so much on the first visit or two. I wish I could tell you but I really can't say"???  I also said I would have to call my insurance company and ask how much they would cover and how much I'd be paying, etc. To that he said really snarkily, "All you have to do is look on your card. Look beside 'specialist' and it will say your co-pay." OKaaaayyyy, thanks for the tip. I don't go to "specialists" much. I didn't realize it was on my card. So what. Again, why he decided I was an idiot and to treat me as such after talking to me for 3 minutes, I'm not sure. Somehow I'm wondering if it has to do with him not being a big fan of homeschooling. He seemed to sigh or huff after I told him I homeschooled my son and after he asked how old my son was... (maybe it was a shocker that he was 11 and not, say, 6.) The conversation ended with him saying to check out my insurance and give him a call back. I said OK. But after I hung up the phone and reflected, I was thinking no way in heck am I calling that guy back. I was soooo deflated. Here I was so happy to talk to this doctor, thinking he was going to understand, and he was going to HELP me, and he treats me like I'm a moron.  

 

So the next day I called my pediatrician. I made an appointment with him and he was very nice and heard my concerns (and didn't treat me like an idiot) and gave me one name. He said he would look for other names to refer me to over Thanksgiving and to give him a call after the holiday. I will probably call the lady whose name he gave me, on Monday. It says "child study" at a local college, though... I wonder what that means exactly?

 

Anyway, not off to the best start, but hoping we land on someone helpful soon. Worst case scenario I call Dr. Snark's office back and ask to talk to the OTHER doctor (I believe there are 2) who deals with learning issues and hope for the best. But that would be awkward since I already talked to the other one and would probably have to explain why I don't want to talk to him again even though he already contacted me...

 

ANYway... :willy_nilly:

[OneStepAtATime]

CatholicMom, I just responded on your Barton thread but I see that some of what I posted may not be relevant at all after skimming this thread. Since I am not in NY I had not initially read through this thread.  

 

I am sorry that your neuropsych option is a jerk.  Unfortunately a lot of people I know who homeschool end up being blamed for the struggles their children have.  If the doctor is anti-homeschooling I would personally stay away.  They may not take your child's struggles seriously and may dismiss anything and everything you have to say.

 

I hope the pediatrician's suggestion works out better.