Not dyslexia. But go get remediation for it anyway??

[Amethyst Piano]

Hi, I'm new to posting here though I've been reading for quite some time.

 

Something's bugging me...

I've suspected dyslexia for 3 of my children basically since beginning homeschooling them for K.

 

Since we didn't have money for evals at the time, I simply purchased Barton and began with oldest at age 5-6. Didn't get far because oldest DS could never pass level 1. Then did LiPS with him. Still couldn't pass level one. Eventually gave up on Barton since we were both in tears whenever he tried. Over time, we ended up using a combo of I See Sam books, Explode the Code, All About Spelling, Reading Horizons (software said to be for dyslexia), and Reading Assistant. I liked this combo and used it for other kids as well.

 

Eventually had money/insurance enough to pursue testing. Did so at a children's hospital. Testing turned out to be only two hours of test (due to recent cut backs & trying to get more kids in - I had waited a year for these appts) and one hour with dr who was anti-homeschooling. Youngest DS got a diagnosis of dyslexia. Oldest DS and dd did not because they were at grade level. I had spent by far the most time (lots of time!) working with oldest DS, and then with dd, and then not much at all with 2nd DS due to lack of time on my part and immaturity on his part.

 

Fast forward almost 3 years. 2nd DS has been at Scottish Rite for dyslexia tutoring for 1.5 years. I get other two tested again. Different university hospital, with neuropsych. Lots of testing, etc. I'm pretty happy overall with the testing. Much more helpful in other areas. But dd showed weakness in phonological related tests throughout.

Testers say she doesn't have dyslexia but refer her to the Scottish Rite dyslexia center for tutoring. I didn't think they took kids without a dyslexia diagnosis, but since I was there with son #2, I talked to the director and showed her the results. After seeing her scores, the director said dd definitely needed tutoring and now she's on the (2 year) waiting list.

 

So, is this common? They say it's not dyslexia, but go get the treatment for it? What am I missing?

[OneStepAtATime]

Well that certainly sounds muddy and confusing!  How detailed was the testing?  What else besides dyslexia did it cover?  

[Amethyst Piano]

Pretty detailed...I have pages of test results...WISC-V,WJ-III, TOWL, GORT, CTOPP-2, CELF-5, Beery VMI, D-KEFS Trail Making Test, DKEFS verbal fluency, D-KEFS, Children's Memory scale, among a few others.

 

 

She was diagnosed with ADHD, inattentive (already known) and Specific Learning Disorder with impairments in written expression, with impairments in gram/punctuation, spelling, and writing fluency; (previous diagnosis was Language Disability of Written Language from the children's hosp) also unspecified anxiety disorder. During the results session, the NP fellow said dysgraphia in passing.

[OneStepAtATime]

O.k. maybe I am wrong so I hope someone with more knowledge than me steps in here to give some better answers but since there is no "dyslexia" diagnosis anymore according to the powers that be, doesn't a weakness in phonological processing, among other things, sort of mean that it is dyslexia for all intents and purposes anyway?

 

I know they aren't supposed to call it dyslexia but with those results I would consider moving forward with dyslexia type materials, as well as dealing with the dysgraphia, etc.

 

Are you having to pay for Scottish Rite?  

[PeterPan]

The dyslexia should have still showed up in her reading comprehension.  Yes, that would be a nuance that some would miss.  It might be that over time (like in your next round of evals in 4 years) the reading disorder will again show up.

 

Ironically, my ds tests as having SLD reading even with being in Barton 3 and that's per the public school.  It shows up in his phonological processing scores and his reading comprehension (which is unbelievably wretched, as in he reads and has NO clue what he read).  So it's actually possible to have a really nasty learning to read experience and have it *not* be SLD reading.  My dd was a little crunchy starting.  She has an adhd label, no phonological processing issues, yes working memory issues and vision issues.  A lot of ADHD kids will have reading issues, and they may or may not cross over that line to getting an SLD reading label.  I was really pissy about that with dd, until I tried teaching ds.  And it's true, she has poor word retrieval like a dyslexic, issues with learning a foreign language like a dyslexic.  It's just she doesn't get the label because she doesn't really have a language processing disorder, not per the psych, no reading disorder, and no issue with comprehension.  It's just things are more crunchy.

 

Dyslexia and ADHD used to be lumped together and there's a 60% overlap, with 60% of kids with dyslexia getting an ADHD label.  It's just those mysteries of the brain, I guess, why some kids go one way more dominantly or the other and it's the injustice of the system that splits them and doesn't give accommodations to the ADHD kids that will be given to the dyslexics, even though for some they symptoms and severity (learning a foreign language) could be almost identical.  Whatever.

[PeterPan]

OneStep, sounds like it was weakness but not enough to get the label.  Again, they could have also gotten to SLD reading with comprehension scores.  If there's no effect on comprehension, no effect on reading, but yes weakness with decoding, that *can* be the not quite to dyslexia thing that happens with ADHD.  My dd, who was taught with SWR all her life, has CTOPP scores 20% below where they should be.  Not enough to get her a reading disorder label, but it sure raises the eyebrows.  And it's true you'll meet a fair number of ADHD people who struggle to learn to read and may or may not get a reading disorder label.

 

I think I'd be going back and asking about it, personally, just to make SURE there wasn't something there to get you an official label and documentation, before you go paying and making it even harder to diagnose.  But yeah, that scenario can happen.

[OneStepAtATime]

Makes sense OhE.  Glad you could weigh in.  But what does that mean for a parent with that diagnosis?  Would dyslexia type remediation through Scottish Rite still make sense like they are saying?   Or is that just to drum up more business....?

[Crimson Wife]

Our local Scottish Rite Center accepts kids with auditory processing issues as well as those with dyslexia.

 

I've been in discussions with the director regarding my DD. She was originally dubious about accepting DD due to the autism diagnosis and wanted an IQ test to prove she doesn't have any underlying cognitive impairment. Then when we got the hearing loss diagnosis, all of a sudden she was super-nice and said that once DD gets her hearing aids in place and is used to them, to contact her again because they might be able to help DD. Go figure, but I'll take whatever free help we can get.

[Amethyst Piano]

O.k. maybe I am wrong so I hope someone with more knowledge than me steps in here to give some better answers but since there is no "dyslexia" diagnosis anymore according to the powers that be, doesn't a weakness in phonological processing, among other things, sort of mean that it is dyslexia for all intents and purposes anyway?

 

I know they aren't supposed to call it dyslexia but with those results I would consider moving forward with dyslexia type materials, as well as dealing with the dysgraphia, etc.

 

Are you having to pay for Scottish Rite?

Yes, I am definitely moving ahead with the dyslexia materials. She's already been doing All About Spelling which is roughly OG based, but it's not quite enough for her (or I'm not consistent enough due to lack of time!) the director seemed pretty convinced it would help her, so I'm willing to try.

 

We get 2 years free at the Scottish Rite for each child. I said I didn't want to wait for 2 years on the waiting list (dd would be starting high school then) so I am going to pay one of their tutors to tutor dd. The director said when dd's time on the list comes up, she still gets her free 2 years, even though she will have already had tutoring in the interim.

[Amethyst Piano]

The dyslexia should have still showed up in her reading comprehension. Yes, that would be a nuance that some would miss. It might be that over time (like in your next round of evals in 4 years) the reading disorder will again show up.

 

Ironically, my ds tests as having SLD reading even with being in Barton 3 and that's per the public school. It shows up in his phonological processing scores and his reading comprehension (which is unbelievably wretched, as in he reads and has NO clue what he read). So it's actually possible to have a really nasty learning to read experience and have it *not* be SLD reading. My dd was a little crunchy starting. She has an adhd label, no phonological processing issues, yes working memory issues and vision issues. A lot of ADHD kids will have reading issues, and they may or may not cross over that line to getting an SLD reading label. I was really pissy about that with dd, until I tried teaching ds. And it's true, she has poor word retrieval like a dyslexic, issues with learning a foreign language like a dyslexic. It's just she doesn't get the label because she doesn't really have a language processing disorder, not per the psych, no reading disorder, and no issue with comprehension. It's just things are more crunchy.

 

Dyslexia and ADHD used to be lumped together and there's a 60% overlap, with 60% of kids with dyslexia getting an ADHD label. It's just those mysteries of the brain, I guess, why some kids go one way more dominantly or the other and it's the injustice of the system that splits them and doesn't give accommodations to the ADHD kids that will be given to the dyslexics, even though for some they symptoms and severity (learning a foreign language) could be almost identical. Whatever.

 

What is SLD?

 

Dd would fully agree with the "injustice of the system"! Dd has been upset that DS #2 has been getting tutoring because she sees how much she struggles and says it's not fair he gets help and she doesn't. But his issues are definitely more severe than hers, even after 1.5 years at the Scottish Rite. And her older brother has the severe dysgraphia (grade equivalent for handwriting was K.5 and he's 14). I just don't really see the dysgraphia with her. But she's the one who cares about it all and wants more for herself. Her poor spelling really bothers her a lot. I wonder what would have happened if I had tested them back in the beginning instead of trying some remediation myself. Lesson learned.

[Amethyst Piano]

OneStep, sounds like it was weakness but not enough to get the label. Again, they could have also gotten to SLD reading with comprehension scores. If there's no effect on comprehension, no effect on reading, but yes weakness with decoding, that *can* be the not quite to dyslexia thing that happens with ADHD. My dd, who was taught with SWR all her life, has CTOPP scores 20% below where they should be. Not enough to get her a reading disorder label, but it sure raises the eyebrows. And it's true you'll meet a fair number of ADHD people who struggle to learn to read and may or may not get a reading disorder label.

 

I think I'd be going back and asking about it, personally, just to make SURE there wasn't something there to get you an official label and documentation, before you go paying and making it even harder to diagnose. But yeah, that scenario can happen.

And this may well be what is happening with her. Reading comprehension looked okay on tests, but yet in everyday life, her reading comprehension totally stinks. I had her reading SOTW 1 and taking the commercial tests with it, and she was getting less than half correct. Just talking about things she reads reveals that she just doesn't get it. On the other hand, she tried a lot harder during testing than she usually does. Per her own admission. She said she didn't want the testers to think she was "dumb". Testing was on a Tuesday; she went to bed that night with a headache, and I couldn't get her to do any school work the rest of the week. She was that mentally drained.

 

ETA: I meant to say that she's almost 12, so her struggles with SOTW 1 comprehension are rather concerning to me.

[Kathy G]

When my daughter was tested we also brought her IQ test.  The test administrator was extremely glad because it was with that information that she could give us a diagnosis when she saw what her IQ had been scored.  She told us a school would have never figured it out because she would test at grade level and they would pass her by, but she obviously had 2 weak areas much lower than the rest.  

 

Don't beat yourself up. We all do the best we can with the info we have at the time.  Just keep moving forward!

[Amethyst Piano]

Makes sense OhE. Glad you could weigh in. But what does that mean for a parent with that diagnosis? Would dyslexia type remediation through Scottish Rite still make sense like they are saying? Or is that just to drum up more business....?

I wish I knew this! But since it is all free, I'm sure it's not to get more business. The tutors are allowed to do private tutoring (off site), but the dyslexia center gets none of that. I've known the director for about a year and a half now, and I really believe her when she says dd will benefit. I hope so anyway. If not, I'll at least know I tried.

[Amethyst Piano]

When my daughter was tested we also brought her IQ test. The test administrator was extremely glad because it was with that information that she could give us a diagnosis when she saw what her IQ had been scored. She told us a school would have never figured it out because she would test at grade level and they would pass her by, but she obviously had 2 weak areas much lower than the rest.

 

Don't beat yourself up. We all do the best we can with the info we have at the time. Just keep moving forward!

And this is one of the things the Scottish Rite director told me...that even though dd's scores are low average to average for her grade she should be doing much better based on her IQ. She really felt they didn't match up which is interesting because I don't think of her IQ as being particularly high.

[OneStepAtATime]

I wish I knew this! But since it is all free, I'm sure it's not to get more business. The tutors are allowed to do private tutoring (off site), but the dyslexia center gets none of that. I've known the director for about a year and a half now, and I really believe her when she says dd will benefit. I hope so anyway. If not, I'll at least know I tried.

Yes.  You are trying.  And your kids are benefiting from your effort.

 

It really does sound like they are trying to help.  Sorry that there is such a terribly long wait time.  That's awful.  No, a parent can't wait two years to help their child.  That's crazy.   :grouphug:  :grouphug:  :grouphug:

[PeterPan]

In our state they will diagnose dyslexia (reading disorder) based on discrepancy between achievement and IQ.  I think to get there it has to be a pretty big discrepancy, even so.

 

Yes, my dd has that kind of fatigue.  One psych we've been talking with says it's the strain of attending and that Cogmed will help.  

[Crimson Wife]

What is SLD?

 

SLD = specific learning disability. It's one of the categories under the Federal IDEA law that qualfies a student for IEP services.

 

Right now my DD has the primary category of autism with a secondary category of Other Health Impairment for her ADHD. If they ever schedule the IEP meeting that I requested at the beginning of February, she'll get the Hearing Impairment category added. Not sure yet whether it will be the new primary or just an added secondary.

 

If the neuropsych determines that she has dyslexia in addition to the other issues, then SLD would need to be added to the IEP as another secondary. The IEP drives services so all the applicable categories need to be listed on the IEP.

[Heathermomster]

Hi, I'm new to posting here though I've been reading for quite some time.

 

Something's bugging me...

I've suspected dyslexia for 3 of my children basically since beginning homeschooling them for K.

 

Since we didn't have money for evals at the time, I simply purchased Barton and began with oldest at age 5-6. Didn't get far because oldest DS could never pass level 1. Then did LiPS with him. Still couldn't pass level one. Eventually gave up on Barton since we were both in tears whenever he tried. Over time, we ended up using a combo of I See Sam books, Explode the Code, All About Spelling, Reading Horizons (software said to be for dyslexia), and Reading Assistant. I liked this combo and used it for other kids as well.

 

Eventually had money/insurance enough to pursue testing. Did so at a children's hospital. Testing turned out to be only two hours of test (due to recent cut backs & trying to get more kids in - I had waited a year for these appts) and one hour with dr who was anti-homeschooling. Youngest DS got a diagnosis of dyslexia. Oldest DS and dd did not because they were at grade level. I had spent by far the most time (lots of time!) working with oldest DS, and then with dd, and then not much at all with 2nd DS due to lack of time on my part and immaturity on his part.

 

Fast forward almost 3 years. 2nd DS has been at Scottish Rite for dyslexia tutoring for 1.5 years. I get other two tested again. Different university hospital, with neuropsych. Lots of testing, etc. I'm pretty happy overall with the testing. Much more helpful in other areas. But dd showed weakness in phonological related tests throughout.

Testers say she doesn't have dyslexia but refer her to the Scottish Rite dyslexia center for tutoring. I didn't think they took kids without a dyslexia diagnosis, but since I was there with son #2, I talked to the director and showed her the results. After seeing her scores, the director said dd definitely needed tutoring and now she's on the (2 year) waiting list.

 

So, is this common? They say it's not dyslexia, but go get the treatment for it? What am I missing?

I haven't read all the responses; however, I cued on this. As I read this, the director did not identify your child as dyslexic, only that she would benefit from tutoring and placed her on a list.

 

I am assuming that the tutoring will be O-G based, which is explicit, systematic, and multisensory. A student does not have to be dyslexic to benefit from direct, O-G based instruction.

 

Perhaps, ask the Scottish Rite why they agreed to see her. As a service organization, I doubt they exclude everyone but diagnosed dyslexics.

[Amethyst Piano]

In our state they will diagnose dyslexia (reading disorder) based on discrepancy between achievement and IQ. I think to get there it has to be a pretty big discrepancy, even so.

 

Yes, my dd has that kind of fatigue. One psych we've been talking with says it's the strain of attending and that Cogmed will help.

Interesting...Cogmed sounds like something I should take a look at.

[Amethyst Piano]

SLD = specific learning disability. It's one of the categories under the Federal IDEA law that qualfies a student for IEP services.

 

Right now my DD has the primary category of autism with a secondary category of Other Health Impairment for her ADHD. If they ever schedule the IEP meeting that I requested at the beginning of February, she'll get the Hearing Impairment category added. Not sure yet whether it will be the new primary or just an added secondary.

 

If the neuropsych determines that she has dyslexia in addition to the other issues, then SLD would need to be added to the IEP as another secondary. The IEP drives services so all the applicable categories need to be listed on the IEP.

Okay, thank you. Makes sense. I see that listed on their reports now.

[Amethyst Piano]

I haven't read all the responses; however, I cued on this. As I read this, the director did not identify your child as dyslexic, only that she would benefit from tutoring and placed her on a list.

 

I am assuming that the tutoring will be O-G based, which is explicit, systematic, and multisensory. A student does not have to be dyslexic to benefit from direct, O-G based instruction.

 

Perhaps, ask the Scottish Rite why they agreed to see her. As a service organization, I doubt they exclude everyone but diagnosed dyslexics.

The director said she put her on the waiting list because she said her scores clearly showed she could benefit. She thought DD's phonemic skills should be a lot higher given her IQ. I don't think she can say it's dyslexia though, even if she thought so.

 

I have a hard time deciding what to tell DD. She was relieved hearing she qualified for tutoring and asked if that meant she is dyslexic like her brother. She has a lot of anxiety about doing well and low esteem over her struggles in reading and spelling. I think a dyslexia diagnosis would make her feel a lot better, but I can't really tell her she has it!

[Heathermomster]

The director said she put her on the waiting list because she said her scores clearly showed she could benefit. She thought DD's phonemic skills should be a lot higher given her IQ. I don't think she can say it's dyslexia though, even if she thought so.

 

I have a hard time deciding what to tell DD. She was relieved hearing she qualified for tutoring and asked if that meant she is dyslexic like her brother. She has a lot of anxiety about doing well and low esteem over her struggles in reading and spelling. I think a dyslexia diagnosis would make her feel a lot better, but I can't really tell her she has it!

I have to dig out my paperwork, but 8 years ago my DS was diagnosed dyslexic by Scottish Rite.  They identified him by looking at three low areas and compared that to a test that measured his ability.  I later learned from the NP that we were lucky to get the diagnosis because his scores were low average.  The IQ score absolutely confirmed the Scottish Rite diagnosis.  

 

If your DD suffers from attention issues, processing speed, and working memory issues than she likely needs an O-G certified reading instructor that can modify and alter teaching materials on the fly.  You see her testing results, so you know where any weaknesses lie.  Any or all those issues could confound her ability to read.  Treat her like she is dyslexic because here is the truth of it: the recommended helps for reading remediation are just about always the same once vision, auditory, and any OT/PT issues are sorted out.  She will need multisensory, direct, and systematic reading instruction.

 

 This is an aside, but you could take an O-G class over a two week period, learn the techniques, and teach your DD yourself.   In my area, O-G classes are taught at the local dyslexia school during the summer.  They only teach people with a 4 year degree.  My local Scottish Rite used to loan out tapes that parents could use to teach their children, and the loaner tape service was free.  

 

Good luck!

[PeterPan]

You could take your report and scores for a 2nd opinion.  If she actually is dyslexic, you'd like to know for when you hit high school so that you have the paper trail to skip foreign language, etc.  

[Amethyst Piano]

I have to dig out my paperwork, but 8 years ago my DS was diagnosed dyslexic by Scottish Rite. They identified him by looking at three low areas and compared that to a test that measured his ability. I later learned from the NP that we were lucky to get the diagnosis because his scores were low average. The IQ score absolutely confirmed the Scottish Rite diagnosis.

 

If your DD suffers from attention issues, processing speed, and working memory issues than she likely needs an O-G certified reading instructor that can modify and alter teaching materials on the fly. You see her testing results, so you know where any weaknesses lie. Any or all those issues could confound her ability to read. Treat her like she is dyslexic because here is the truth of it: the recommended helps for reading remediation are just about always the same once vision, auditory, and any OT/PT issues are sorted out. She will need multisensory, direct, and systematic reading instruction.

 

This is an aside, but you could take an O-G class over a two week period, learn the techniques, and teach your DD yourself. In my area, O-G classes are taught at the local dyslexia school during the summer. They only teach people with a 4 year degree. My local Scottish Rite used to loan out tapes that parents could use to teach their children, and the loaner tape service was free.

 

Good luck!

Really? I wonder if our Scottish Rite can diagnose dyslexia? Do they all? I didn't think so because of something I read 3 yrs ago when 2nd DS was on the wait list, but maybe I am wrong. I will definitely ask the director about that. Ours is a pretty small place, but I will ask about loaner tapes as well.

 

Dd has a diagnosis of ADHD (inattentive) but testing didn't really show problems with working memory or processing speed if I'm reading the reports right. Her working memory was the lowest of the WISC-V subtests but I'm not sure if it's a big enough difference from the others to matter? The testers didn't say anything about it.

 

This is helpful, thanks. Dd is anxious for tutoring to begin (just one more week hopefully!) and your post makes me feel better that I won't be wasting money on this for her. I did get the official letter of acceptance from the Scottish Rite and she is actually only a year out on the waiting list since she got moved up due to her age.

[Amethyst Piano]

You could take your report and scores for a 2nd opinion. If she actually is dyslexic, you'd like to know for when you hit high school so that you have the paper trail to skip foreign language, etc.

I like this idea. How would I go about doing this? Another neuropsych or....?

[Heathermomster]

Really? I wonder if our Scottish Rite can diagnose dyslexia? Do they all? I didn't think so because of something I read 3 yrs ago when 2nd DS was on the wait list, but maybe I am wrong. I will definitely ask the director about that. Ours is a pretty small place, but I will ask about loaner tapes as well.

 

Dd has a diagnosis of ADHD (inattentive) but testing didn't really show problems with working memory or processing speed if I'm reading the reports right. Her working memory was the lowest of the WISC-V subtests but I'm not sure if it's a big enough difference from the others to matter? The testers didn't say anything about it.

 

This is helpful, thanks. Dd is anxious for tutoring to begin (just one more week hopefully!) and your post makes me feel better that I won't be wasting money on this for her. I did get the official letter of acceptance from the Scottish Rite and she is actually only a year out on the waiting list since she got moved up due to her age.

My local SR absolutely identified the dyslexia but perhaps they aren't "official".  DS was enrolled in a private school at the time, and we proceeded straight from the SR to an NP.  

 

The ADHD inattentive is all the info that you need to justify the reading helps.  If your DD is struggling and not moving forward with you AND assuming you can afford the tutor, why not get her the helps?  

 

A word about O-G tutoring...When done correctly, there is an intensity to it.  I sat through an hour of son's tutoring with a certified Wilson tutor, and the experience blew me away.  A good tutor will draw the student back in when they start to drift or lose focus.  There may be tears, but O-G tutoring with a good tutor can reap huge benefits.  Yes, the cost is worth helping a motivated student gain access to print. 

[Crimson Wife]

State licensing laws may dictate who can "officially" diagnose dyslexia so that's why people's experiences with Scottish Rite may vary. The one in my area has SLP's and ed therapists. They run a lot of the same tests as part of their assessment but it's only for therapeutic planning rather than official diagnosis.

[Amethyst Piano]

State licensing laws may dictate who can "officially" diagnose dyslexia so that's why people's experiences with Scottish Rite may vary. The one in my area has SLP's and ed therapists. They run a lot of the same tests as part of their assessment but it's only for therapeutic planning rather than official diagnosis.

Well I just fell down the rabbit hole trying to research this! Wow, what a mess. Why on earth does this have to be so difficult to diagnose? So many sites (in my state) saying how hard it is to get a diagnosis and after reading about all the expected test results and variations, I'm more confused than ever!

 

I am going to ask the Scottish Rite director whether she can diagnose. I'm thinking not...I think the tests they do are just for planning like you said.

[PeterPan]

You could ask the SR director if *she* thinks a 2nd opinion would be warranted and for a referral to a psych who might be good to do it.   ;)

 

[Amethyst Piano]

My local SR absolutely identified the dyslexia but perhaps they aren't "official". DS was enrolled in a private school at the time, and we proceeded straight from the SR to an NP.

 

The ADHD inattentive is all the info that you need to justify the reading helps. If your DD is struggling and not moving forward with you AND assuming you can afford the tutor, why not get her the helps?

 

A word about O-G tutoring...When done correctly, there is an intensity to it. I sat through an hour of son's tutoring with a certified Wilson tutor, and the experience blew me away. A good tutor will draw the student back in when they start to drift or lose focus. There may be tears, but O-G tutoring with a good tutor can reap huge benefits. Yes, the cost is worth helping a motivated student gain access to print.

Yes, I know all about the intensity! My 2nd son, who is currently being tutored at the Scottish Rite and actually has the official dyslexia diagnosis, tells me this at least 20 times each tutoring day (of course, to me, it sounds a lot like whining and complaining....lol).

 

And yes, I am definitely going ahead with the tutoring for her. One of the SR tutors will be doing the tutoring, but offsite, and we will be paying her until dd's name comes up for tutoring at the SR. Then she gets 2 years free at the SR.

[Amethyst Piano]

You could ask the SR director if *she* thinks a 2nd opinion would be warranted and for a referral to a psych who might be good to do it. ;)

Yeah, that's a good idea. Why didn't I think of that?! So obvious! Lol

Thanks!

[PeterPan]

Yeah, that's a good idea. Why didn't I think of that?! So obvious! Lol

Thanks!

:)

[Crimson Wife]

Well I just fell down the rabbit hole trying to research this! Wow, what a mess. Why on earth does this have to be so difficult to diagnose? So many sites (in my state) saying how hard it is to get a diagnosis and after reading about all the expected test results and variations, I'm more confused than ever!

 

I am going to ask the Scottish Rite director whether she can diagnose. I'm thinking not...I think the tests they do are just for planning like you said.

 

That is why Susan Barton calls her trained testers "dyslexia screeners" since not all of them are state-licensed psychologists. Other professionals like ed therapists, SLP's, teachers with reading specialist credentials, etc. can screen kids but not "officially" diagnose.

 

It's a bit of a "turf war" situation and while I understand the desire to make sure that professionals don't overstep the bounds of their training, some of it does seem like unnecessary credentialism. Ed therapists shouldn't be allowed to diagnose mental health disorders or developmental disabilities like autism, but dyslexia is something they are trained to evaluate. You don't need a psychology doctorate to run a CTOPP and other screening tests.

[PeterPan]

If they let lower trained people diagnose dyslexia, they're missing the chance to diagnose the REST of the things going on.  Nuts, you'd miss a swath of kids entirely who get there via discrepancy.  No, you want a psych.  You want it for the paper trail and you want it for (hopefully) complete information.  

 

We've seen posts with SLPs running a CTOPP and making the reading disorder diagnosis.  I don't know if that was informal or what, but it was informative at least.  In that sense I'm all for practitioners of any kind being able to run the CTOPP and get people going.  I just think it's important to get complete evals and know you have all your issues dealt with.  

 

We're going to see our THIRD psych for ds, btw.  Never simple.

[Crimson Wife]

If they let lower trained people diagnose dyslexia, they're missing the chance to diagnose the REST of the things going on.  Nuts, you'd miss a swath of kids entirely who get there via discrepancy.  No, you want a psych.  You want it for the paper trail and you want it for (hopefully) complete information. 

 

And what about all the kids who never get a diagnosis because their parents cannot afford to pay thousands of dollars to see a psychologist? It'd be one thing if all health insurance plans would agree to cover NP testing at the normal co-pay/cost-share. But many won't pay a dime towards testing, even for kids who have a medical diagnosis on file.

 

An estimated 1 in 5 kids have dyslexia but nowhere remotely close to that percentage are getting tested.

[PeterPan]

And what about all the kids who never get a diagnosis because their parents cannot afford to pay thousands of dollars to see a psychologist? It'd be one thing if all health insurance plans would agree to cover NP testing at the normal co-pay/cost-share. But many won't pay a dime towards testing, even for kids who have a medical diagnosis on file.

 

An estimated 1 in 5 kids have dyslexia but nowhere remotely close to that percentage are getting tested.

Oh I hear you on the costs.  In reality the ps has the legal mandate and therefore (no matter what your political persuasion) *ought* to be running the CTOPP and making it available to every struggling child.  Instead, I get told that K5ers don't usually get an IEP for SLDs.  Now they're going to give it (SLD label) to me (it looks like), but I'm just saying what is WITH this entrenched reticence to diagnose early and intervene properly?  WHY are our schools still using failing RTI (big business for publishers) materials when they COULD be doing OG???  It's absolutely outrageous.

 

The structure is already there to solve this problem simply, and for some reason our schools do not do it.  And for that I feel badly, just like I feel badly for kids with apraxia who don't get effective speech therapy and a lot of the other ills and sorrows of the world.  When I think too hard, it's overwhelming.  I usually just crawl back into my hovel and focus on helping my own kids, since that's all I can do right now.