Dyslexia Diagnosis - not sure which direction to go...help!

[ekorda]

Hello, I am hoping for some guidance regarding recent diagnosis and remediation techniques.  My daughter will be going into 4th grade and was just diagnosed with dyslexia (suspected it for years but just now got the confirmation). Currently, she attends a very good public school in BUT from my understanding the only "program" they offer specific for dyslexics is the "Hermon Method" and they use the Lexia program. My research tells me that this program is not one of the better ones- and we would be better off going for a tutor that does Barton, Lindamood Bell or Wilson. She already has a 504 with the school for her ADD (Inattentive Type), so they are at least aware of those issues.  They gave me pushback when I requested testing (she isn't 2 years behind for special education testing... :banghead: ) so we just decided to bite the bullet and get outside testing done for an answer. 

 

So, basically I see my choices as the following: (1) send her back to public school, adjust the 504 and pray for the best, (2) send her to public school and tutor her myself (or pay a tutor) after school or in the evening, or (3) homeschool her for at least this coming school year and do the Barton program. Obviously, option one is not REALLY an option.  Option two concerns me because by the time school is over for the day she is DONE. I just have a hard time trying to figure out WHEN to tutor her since the kids dont even arrive home until 4pm...add in homework, brother's activities, dinner, my husband's long commute, etc....and I'm overwhelmed even thinking about it. However, homeschooling makes me nervous as well. Has anyone had success with going to school AND tutoring after hours?....and how crazy was it?  Thank you!

[PeterPan]

Being brief here. Option 1 could work, agree not option 2. Yes that's the flip of what you said, lol. You could even do 1 AND private tutor. But will need IEP, which is long fight. No matter what get the IEP now. Write letter today, mail, start timeline.

 

For option 3, remember Barton will be most of your LA. So you just need math and fun stuff. Have you checked your state laws? Some have no requirements , giving lots of flex.

 

Obviously prefer 3, but 1 could work. Jumpstart with summer tutor.

[ekorda]

Being brief here. Option 1 could work, agree not option 2. Yes that's the flip of what you said, lol. You could even do 1 AND private tutor. But will need IEP, which is long fight. No matter what get the IEP now. Write letter today, mail, start timeline.

 

For option 3, remember Barton will be most of your LA. So you just need math and fun stuff. Have you checked your state laws? Some have no requirements , giving lots of flex.

 

Obviously prefer 3, but 1 could work. Jumpstart with summer tutor.

 

Dumb question but how does an IEP differ than a 504 Plan?

[Lecka]

This is very generic, but an IEP comes with services, and a 504 may not.

 

An IEP might mean "oh, there is speech therapy, there is time in the resource room being helped by the resource teacher, etc." and a 504 might mean there are things but things that are not services.

 

Like ---- my niece has diabetes and she has a 504. She needs to have her medical needs met at school, but she doesn't need things that are considered services.

 

So very generally ---- if you want reading remediation, that might be an IEP. If you want your child to be able to participate in school with her current reading level and have accommodations to allow her to participate in school, that might be a 504.

 

But that is really general, but that is the general idea, too.

Edited June 20, 2016 by Lecka

[Lecka]

Personally I did tutor after hours and in the summer. I put my little kids in front of the tv to watch Dora the Explorer. It was not the best.

 

But I think for my personal family situation it was a good choice.

 

But yes, it meant that I did not have times for other responsibilities I ought to have been doing during the after-school hours. Some things were done shoddily.

 

But I had the son in question in school, and the other two kids were younger, and one of my younger kids has special needs also.

 

So it is not apples to apples.

 

But a lot can be accomplished in 30 minutes.

 

Also my son in question was having many positive experiences in school that tilted me towards thinking school was an overall benefit. The school did good math with/for him, and so it meant I only had to worry about reading. I didn't have to worry about math. And I would have had 2 little kids (one with special needs) home with me in the day to try to do reading AND math.... such that it made more sense to just have reading to worry about, and focus on my two littles as much as I could while my oldest was in school.

 

You can still ask about options, like trying to ask the school if they offer any other program, or if you can pull or work with your son during the school day, so that he still gets the benefits of school and you can tutor him without getting into the tight after-school time of day.

 

I think you can still be asking about things like this, there might (or might not) be a middle ground.

 

I did not have a situation where my kids were all in school and then I tried to devote a significant portion of my evenings to only one.... that is not the age of my kids. So I tried to devote school hours to my littles, and after-school hours to my older son.

 

And, he did have a lot of positives at school, so it was not like I thought he needed to be taken from school b/c of school being a bad experience.

 

But that is something to really look at. If school is not a good experience, it might push you towards homeschooling.

 

I do think it will just depend.

 

Definitely working after school is hard. But for me, it was the easier choice, and after spending a lot of solid time with my little kids during the school day, I felt okay-ish about putting them in front of the television to help my older son with his reading. But is it ideal? No.

[ekorda]

Personally I did tutor after hours and in the summer. I put my little kids in front of the tv to watch Dora the Explorer. It was not the best.

 

But I think for my personal family situation it was a good choice.

 

But yes, it meant that I did not have times for other responsibilities I ought to have been doing during the after-school hours. Some things were done shoddily.

 

But I had the son in question in school, and the other two kids were younger, and one of my younger kids has special needs also.

 

So it is not apples to apples.

 

But a lot can be accomplished in 30 minutes.

 

Also my son in question was having many positive experiences in school that tilted me towards thinking school was an overall benefit. The school did good math with/for him, and so it meant I only had to worry about reading. I didn't have to worry about math. And I would have had 2 little kids (one with special needs) home with me in the day to try to do reading AND math.... such that it made more sense to just have reading to worry about, and focus on my two littles as much as I could while my oldest was in school.

 

You can still ask about options, like trying to ask the school if they offer any other program, or if you can pull or work with your son during the school day, so that he still gets the benefits of school and you can tutor him without getting into the tight after-school time of day.

 

I think you can still be asking about things like this, there might (or might not) be a middle ground.

 

I did not have a situation where my kids were all in school and then I tried to devote a significant portion of my evenings to only one.... that is not the age of my kids. So I tried to devote school hours to my littles, and after-school hours to my older son.

 

And, he did have a lot of positives at school, so it was not like I thought he needed to be taken from school b/c of school being a bad experience.

 

But that is something to really look at. If school is not a good experience, it might push you towards homeschooling.

 

I do think it will just depend.

 

Definitely working after school is hard. But for me, it was the easier choice, and after spending a lot of solid time with my little kids during the school day, I felt okay-ish about putting them in front of the television to help my older son with his reading. But is it ideal? No.

 

Thank you for your perspective.  My situation is a bit different....I do have 2 younger ones - but a bit older at 6 and 4.  The 4 year old will be going to preschool (it is a 4 hour program but flexible with before and after care should I need it) and my 6 year old - well, I have not decided yet.  He does not struggle but I think would have a hard time going to school knowing his sister is "getting to" stay home alone with me.  Part of me says, "well, life is not fair" and the other part would feel guilty.  He is the middle and frankly has always gotten the short end of the stick.  :crying:

 

I do plan on speaking with the administration to find out my other options but I am *pretty* sure there wont be much of a middle ground.  I have read about the option of going into the school during hours to work with her but, being a public school, I just dont see that being likely...but I guess you dont know until you ask...

 

[OneStepAtATime]

Hello, I am hoping for some guidance regarding recent diagnosis and remediation techniques.  My daughter will be going into 4th grade and was just diagnosed with dyslexia (suspected it for years but just now got the confirmation). Currently, she attends a very good public school in BUT from my understanding the only "program" they offer specific for dyslexics is the "Hermon Method" and they use the Lexia program. My research tells me that this program is not one of the better ones- and we would be better off going for a tutor that does Barton, Lindamood Bell or Wilson. She already has a 504 with the school for her ADD (Inattentive Type), so they are at least aware of those issues.  They gave me pushback when I requested testing (she isn't 2 years behind for special education testing... :banghead: ) so we just decided to bite the bullet and get outside testing done for an answer. 

 

So, basically I see my choices as the following: (1) send her back to public school, adjust the 504 and pray for the best, (2) send her to public school and tutor her myself (or pay a tutor) after school or in the evening, or (3) homeschool her for at least this coming school year and do the Barton program. Obviously, option one is not REALLY an option.  Option two concerns me because by the time school is over for the day she is DONE. I just have a hard time trying to figure out WHEN to tutor her since the kids dont even arrive home until 4pm...add in homework, brother's activities, dinner, my husband's long commute, etc....and I'm overwhelmed even thinking about it. However, homeschooling makes me nervous as well. Has anyone had success with going to school AND tutoring after hours?....and how crazy was it?  Thank you!

 

Option 1 or 2 might work.  

 

Before considering option 3, I would ask you the following:

1.  Does your child love school?

2.  Does she have close friends at school?

3.  Is she very social?

4.  How good are you at providing structure? (Many kids with ADD need a LOT of structure).

5.  Is she struggling with anxiety/depression/self-esteem issues because of academic struggles?

6.  Are there any homeschooling groups in your area that you and your child could join for outside support/social gatherings?

7.  Are there any qualified tutors in your area and if not are you willing to commit the time and energy it will take to tutor your child?

 

 

FWIW, I was terrified at the idea of homeschooling.  I did not want to homeschool.  I honestly didn't even know it was legal when I first looked into it.  I put us on this path because I was desperate.  For DD it was the best decision I could have made.  She has thrived since we started homeschooling (6th grade).  She was drowning at school.  Every year the gap got wider but the school refused to acknowledge the issues.  She has done very well with me tutoring her in Barton and it has been a HUGE help that we are homeschooling.  When she is on a roll we can keep going.  When she is burned out we can stop.  And we do it in the morning, when she is fresh and focused, instead of waiting until after school when she is burned out and exhausted.  Also, we can focus on areas of interest.  She has the time to do that now.  She has discovered many areas of interest and can focus on those because she is not spending all of her time just trying to survive school.  DD has blossomed.

 

It has NOT been easy, though.  Barton is wonderful but DD has had some really tough times.  No matter what program we use, the LDs are there.  They don't magically disappear.  We both had to accept that this is a long, hard road.  That being said, her reading/writing/spelling has improved leaps and bounds since we started Barton.  I cannot say enough good things about Barton.  I just HAVE to be on my game.  I HAVE to do the prep (thankfully it is scripted and has DVDs for the tutor and lots of support material on the website and elsewhere).  I HAVE to stay positive and keep us both working through the program.  I also HAVE to accept that there are days she is overloaded and needs a break.  I also have had to accept that there are times we must move slowly or repeat lessons for her to be successful.  

 

I know this can be a really tough choice.  Maybe look through the questions I asked above and write down some pros and cons.  Talk it over with your family.  Do some research.

 

Read the following books:

How to Homeschool Your Struggling Learner by Kathy Kuhl

The Dyslexic Advantage by Brock and Fernette Eide

 

And whether you homeschool this next year or not I would highly recommend you give your child the Barton Student Screening and yourself the tutor screening right away.  If you or she cannot pass that screening then you know she will need additional help with a program like LiPS before she can successfully tackle any OG based reading program.  Make sure you are both rested and will not be interrupted.  Do it in a quiet place without a lot of noise or distractions.

[OneStepAtATime]

Also, if you decide to try tutoring her yourself and you choose Barton, it will provide you with a significant amount of tutor support plus there are a lot of people here that use it so we can help you, too.  

 

Things to keep in mind:

1.  The levels do not equate to grade levels.  Level 1 is short and VERY basic. (I was insulted when I first opened it up and looked at the material.)  However, it can be the Rosetta stone that actually turns things around for a lot of dyslexics. (This level turned out to be crucial for DD, even though she was already in 6th grade). If Level 1 goes very fast, you can exchange Level 1 for Level 2 at no additional cost so it doesn't really hurt to just start with Level 1.  

2.  Some students can make it through Level 1-3 in less than a year.  You could start her on Level 1 over the summer and possibly get through Level 1 and 2 before she goes back to school in the fall (or you start homeschooling for her other academics).  Level 3 is more advanced and will take longer but she still might be able to complete it by the end of December.

3.  Barton is supposed to replace all other Language Arts through Level 4.  Your child may get conflicting information by working through the school LA program while you work with her on Barton after school but others have done it.  You just may need to go slower and plan on a lot of review and repeating of lessons to get everything solid.

4.  Don't let her get behind in exposure to more advanced vocabulary/grammar/stories by requiring her to learn only through what she can read on her own.  Barton is supposed to replace all other Language Arts instruction through Level 4 but that does not include parents reading to their children or listening to audio books.  Give her access to audio books and do lots of read alouds from source material above her current reading level.

5.  Level 4 is frequently the hardest/longest level to slog through.  There are a lot of students that end up having to slow way down, repeat lessons, etc. to get through this level.  It can take months or a year or even longer.   The other levels after 4 usually go much faster.  

6.  Barton is not just to remediate basic reading/writing/spelling.  It actually goes beyond that, to prep a student for High School level reading material.

7.  After Level 4 you will need to incorporate a writing/grammar program if you are homeschooling.  While writing and grammar are still lightly covered throughout Barton, a more targeted writing/grammar system incorporated alongside Barton is recommended by Susan Barton.  Once Level 4 is finished the assumption is that a student is now ready for a more stringent writing/grammar program while Barton continues to advance them in reading/spelling.  One recommendation is Institute for Excellence in Writing Teaching Writing Structure and Style coupled with the new Fix-It Grammar.  Both are easy to implement, with lots of tutor support.  There is a 100% money back guarantee with IEW so if the program isn't working you can return it.  Some dyslexics need the systematic approach that IEW uses in the main writing program.  Some couple Brave Writer type instruction in for a more creative approach.

8.  There are a lot of hand gestures incorporated into this program.  Embrace that.  Keep it consistent.  A lot of dyslexics get bogged down if you hit them with 40,000 verbal instructions while they are trying to process these language lessons.  The hand gestures keep verbal instruction short.  

9.  There is no perfect program.  Barton may not end up being a good fit.  Even if it is a good fit, there will be days when your student struggles.  That doesn't mean you are a lousy teacher or the program is garbage.  Accept that there are going to be some hard days.  This is not an easy process.  Your child is working 10 times harder than a neurotypical student to learn to read/write/spell.  Acknowledge and embrace that this will take time.

 

Good luck.

 

[PeterPan]

Dumb question but how does an IEP differ than a 504 Plan?

 

504 is accommodations.  IEP means they require specialized services in order to access their education.  So a dc who needs specialized services for his SLD Reading, like the specialized reading instruction, will get an IEP.  The school can begin RTI, but they'll need an IEP.  The timeframe for an IEP is long, and it's not really a fun process.  I would start NOW, making the written request, getting it going.

 

The school can say the disability is not affecting the dc's ability to access their education and that there's no need for specialized services and not do an IEP.  Sometimes kids are at a place in their progress where maybe they only need accommodations (504), not actually specialized services.  

 

The reasons I'm suggesting you start now are that there's the possibility you'll re-enroll at some point, your scores are at their lowest BEFORE interventions, and it takes time to get it done.

 

Say you decide to homeschool this year and really work hard on Barton, THEN you decide to re-enroll.  At that point you'll be starting with the IEP process, having made it harder for the disability to be obvious to the school.  If you get those evals now and THEN begin Barton, you have a stronger case.  They only eval every 3 years typically, so it's better to get that done before beginning aggressive intervention.  It's still going to be obvious, but it will just be more obvious now.  It will give you flexibility of you decide later to re-enroll.  

 

Some states have disability funding for students with an IEP who give up their FAPE.  You can see what your state offers.  

 

Have you pondered whether more of your ds will have dyslexia?  Sometimes it kinda rains and pours like that.  :)  I think that could really factor in.  I agree with the issue of the social, etc.  On the other hand, if you know this is an issue for multiple kids, you might get a lot of bang for your buck by getting some OG training, buying Barton, whatever.  

[ekorda]

504 is accommodations.  IEP means they require specialized services in order to access their education.  So a dc who needs specialized services for his SLD Reading, like the specialized reading instruction, will get an IEP.  The school can begin RTI, but they'll need an IEP.  The timeframe for an IEP is long, and it's not really a fun process.  I would start NOW, making the written request, getting it going.

 

The school can say the disability is not affecting the dc's ability to access their education and that there's no need for specialized services and not do an IEP.  Sometimes kids are at a place in their progress where maybe they only need accommodations (504), not actually specialized services.  

 

The reasons I'm suggesting you start now are that there's the possibility you'll re-enroll at some point, your scores are at their lowest BEFORE interventions, and it takes time to get it done.

 

Say you decide to homeschool this year and really work hard on Barton, THEN you decide to re-enroll.  At that point you'll be starting with the IEP process, having made it harder for the disability to be obvious to the school.  If you get those evals now and THEN begin Barton, you have a stronger case.  They only eval every 3 years typically, so it's better to get that done before beginning aggressive intervention.  It's still going to be obvious, but it will just be more obvious now.  It will give you flexibility of you decide later to re-enroll.  

 

Some states have disability funding for students with an IEP who give up their FAPE.  You can see what your state offers.  

 

Have you pondered whether more of your ds will have dyslexia?  Sometimes it kinda rains and pours like that.   :)  I think that could really factor in.  I agree with the issue of the social, etc.  On the other hand, if you know this is an issue for multiple kids, you might get a lot of bang for your buck by getting some OG training, buying Barton, whatever.  

 

Thank you for the information.  My problem with my kid's school is that they seem to think she is "progressing"....and she did this year.  She went from a 2.0 reading level at the beginning of Third grade to a 4.4 at the end.  HOWEVER, according to the neuropsych that tested her, this is due to her ability to "work around" her issues, something I suspected all along.  She also scored one point (!!) below "advanced" on her virginia state testing in reading, making it even more difficult for me to make a case.  A few months ago when I spoke with the Asst Principal and told her that I was opting for outside testing, she told me that they still might have to test her with their own tests...cant figure out how school special education testing would trump a full neuropsych test.  *ugh* 

 

I plan to call her today and give her the update and diagnosis.  We will get the full report in July at which point I would like to have a meeting with her to discuss what options we have (if any). 

 

I have already ordered Barton Level 1...we will begin on Aug 1st.  Until then we have so much stuff going on that we would not be able to be consistent.  I look forward to starting this program and getting her the help she desperately needs....

[PeterPan]

What you need to do is make a FORMAL WRITTEN REQUEST for evals, stating that you have had evals stating there is a learning disability.  The school IS going to run their own evals, and if you want those evals to show it then don't go doing tons of Barton, kwim?  All you're doing there is making it harder to identify.  If you make the formal written request, they have 30 days to respond and schedule a meeting to determine whether they will proceed.  As long as you walk into that meeting with the report (which you'll have by then because you'll give the np the date and guilt-trip her to get it done), you're fine.  If the np can get it to you a few days before, you can turn it into a pdf and email it to the school.  That way they can read it ahead, which is helpful too.

 

Did she have a low CTOPP?  What was low?  This is a COMMON scenario, but to compel the school to intervene you're going to HAVE to have SOMETHING low.  Low comprehension, low decoding, something.  The school is going to want to see data, and they're going to want to run their own, yes.

 

Oh, I'm seeing you'll begin Barton in August.  Well fine, but make sure the ps has done THEIR evals first!  It makes no sense to begin before then.  And you'll know at that first meeting what they want to do, because they'll complete an eval planning form that you sign.  That's where they'll say we're going to do achievement and this and this and this and you sign.  If they're accepting your CTOPP, then they may just run achievement and have her do some reading aloud and writing.  

 

If you at all want her going there or going back in a year from now or something, then now is the time to learn about the IEP process and get it done.  Your library should have the NOLO book on the IEP process.  Get it, read it.  THIS is when huge mistakes are made, RIGHT NOW.  Get the book, learn, and don't go doing things till you understand the law and the process.

Edited June 21, 2016 by OhElizabeth

[OneStepAtATime]

Many schools insist on their own testing regardless of how thorough private testing is. The viewpoint from school administration is frequently: How does the child function in a classroom? Are they able to get by? If so then the private diagnosis is irrelevant. If they are getting by then they don't need help to function or at least not much. They want to see how the child does in the classroom before making a decision regarding interventions.

 

The view can be incredibly short sighted and fail to acknowledge that just getting by does not mean the child is reaching their full potential and they almost certainly are not thriving. Instead they very likely are developing inefficient coping mechanisms instead of truly working through their difficulties or tapping their underlying strengths (which may get masked by the challenges). The child is learning how to limp along. And just because a child is "getting by" currently does not guarantee they will continue to "get by" in the future. Those inefficient coping strategies may only go so far.

 

There ARE schools that have the long view. They are looking at how to help the child thrive, not just for the current year but for the future. Even then the parent has to be the active advocate. Not in a combative way but definitely coming from a place of knowledge.

 

FWIW, a great many of my family members are educators and we comes from all levels (pre-k through college). I, too, trained to be a teacher. Teachers and administrators are frequently working off of limited, decades old information regarding learning challenges and often have had virtually no real training based off of current scientific research regarding learning challenges. They are doing the best they can but they really don't have the training and background knowledge to always really get what is happening or know how to deal with it. Plus, teachers have a LOT of students. Especially in our current educational system teachers are frequently straightjacketed by the rules and policies and the large class size.

 

Still, if you put in the effort to do extensive research and communicate thoroughly from a place of knowledge and develop a good rapor with the school they may be very open to suggestions of ways to help your child.

[OneStepAtATime]

And I agree with OhE, make a formal written request for evaluations even if you homeschool her this next year. Do it now. Send that letter off before the end of the week.

[Lecka]

I am going to add..... My son really, seriously needed quiet and no interruptions.

 

Then, he was older, he didn't want to watch Dora or Diego.

 

And, a lot of "things to do with the little kids" that I could do if I was doing other things, we're not really options, because they would come with little moments of seeing what was going on or me checking on them, etc.

 

For working on reading at first, those little interruptions were extremely hard on my son. It just made it too hard.

 

But then here is the other side.

 

It is going to be very hard if your other kids may be doing something, to keep them occupied, that is something your child working on reading would love to be doing.

 

Then that child is missing out, feels punished, and it can make it (again) really hard to focus and concentrate.

 

My son was younger, too, because he had no coping mechanisms and his K teacher wanted to hold him back in K.

 

So for me, Barton came during the end of K, and then that summer my little kids watched a DVD of Dora/Diego in the morning, and we went swimming after lunch. Then he started 1st grade and he went to the reading specialist, and then around Christmas he moved from the reading specialist (who took the lowest 3 kids from 3 1st-grade classrooms) and went into the lowest reading group with his classroom teacher.

 

But anyway, my son was reading pretty well when he started 4th, because I started at a younger age. Well -- it was not something where the school thought I was over-reacting. School thought he should be held back and be pulled to see the reading specialist.

 

But they stay in a group of 9 until about 3rd grade or something, and then also they use Lexia. And that is just not equivalent to one-on-one tutoring.

[Lecka]

However, I googled the Herman method, and it says it is OG.

 

So I think it is worth considering that it is a solid program.

 

A lot of us here do not have schools doing solid things, but sometimes people pop in and pop out, bc it turns out there school is using a solid program.

 

So I think it is something to look at.

 

Then questions include: how many minutes, how many times per week, how many kids in the group, is the program designed for a certain number of kids and is that the number in the group (frex Barton says maximum group size is 3).

 

Then, how quickly will the group move.

 

Who is teaching the group? Can you ask around and see if kids in this program advance out of it? (versus just never really catching up, bc they go slower, and so they never catch up). It sounds like for your daughter, you need to expect catch-up progress. She does not sound like she has a level of need where you are not looking for catch-up progress.

 

But to some extent, to make catch-up progress, you will need more than one year's growth in a year, and not less than one year (leading to falling further behind).

 

Well, for this, if kids DO need more time and more one-on-one to make the same progress as other kids, but they are getting the same or less amount of time in a group that is larger than 3 or 4 (or whatever is recommended for Herman, if you look at it), then the time is not there.

 

But really ----- when I did a quick google of Herman, it looked like it is worth looking into and considering that if we got a solid amount of time, small group, teacher trained or experienced in the program, etc, it might be a really good option.

 

But I don't think it is like it it better than you could do at home, even if it is solid.

 

But it sounds like it might, possibly be hard for your daughter to get in this program, and then they might exit her sooner than you want? It sounds like they would not be identifying her for this program if you didn't push for it (?).

 

So then you would want to ask what the criteria is for exiting her, and if you think that is good.

 

In a lot of ways, I think it is good to exit kids as soon as possible, so they can be back in classroom instruction.

 

But if you think she has guessing habits and fake-reads (reading words here and there, etc) and is getting by with that, then it might be something where you want her to be more solid.

 

But a lot is very personal for how to decide.

 

Your daughter might also have opinions. She might swear to work hard with one way or the other.

 

She might not work as hard with one way or the other, bc it is against her wishes.

 

My son, at the time, was "the big fancy kid" of the house because he got to go to school, and play on their playground (and not a baby playground like I took my littles to), and the other kids were too little to go, and then he was the hero of the day when we picked him up and the little kids thought he was so big and cool.

 

So I can't remember at what age I talked to him like this, it may have been more 2nd grade, but I could say that I needed him to work hard during our time blocks, so he could go to school, so that was a factor.

 

But the stress on him at school I think was always lower in some ways, bc he was actually in lower level reading groups (until 4th actually, when they quit having reading groups), and so it was not like he was compensating in a higher-level group. I think that is much more stressful and might contribute a lot more to being exhausted after school.

 

Our school also has very little homework in younger grades, and with one teacher she didn't send home some homework with him bc I had shown her the reading I did with him at home, and she thought it was a good deal for him.

 

So I guess while it did work for us, and I saw what he had at school and it was good but not sufficient (my son was also struggling more than some other kids who might get quickly caught up with the reading specialist), those are some more factors.

 

I think attitude and exhaustion level are pretty big factors. And then logistics.

 

You have to see, too, if your daughter would hate going to reading pull-out at school, or if it would be no big deal.

 

My son had a phase of hating to be pulled out (he had speech and OT at various times also) and he told me at one point he didn't want to be pulled out for anything.

 

But then during last year (in 5th) he started going to the resource room at times, but it was on his terms in a lot of ways. So he had buy-in for it. He has an IEP for his handwriting now and sometimes he types and sometimes he gets help in the resource room.

 

He is an emotional kind of kid though, and he can't turn off strong feelings he has and get to work. Well, he can for some things. But reading remediation would be a very high effort for him and so he needed to be pretty even-keeled at those times, not having an emotional response.

 

I changed a reading program over this, too, bc I didn't realize the emotional management side at first, I thought he could just get down to business.

 

But on this side, it might be a pro for school, or it might be a pro for home.

 

I think it is a child's preference for that, and can depend on whether or not they resent being in pull-out.

 

I think that is not my son's feeling though (though it was for about a year) and I think if your daughter would not like going to pull-out in 4th it could be a big issue.

 

A lot of kids go to various things at my kids' school, it is not such a big deal. Kids don't really know where other kids are going, I think. Or at least my son is the kind of boy who does not particularly pick up on it. My daughter would probably be much more aware.

[Heathermomster]

My DS worked with a Wilson tutor afterschool in 4th and 5th grades.  The tutor worked at his private school and started working with him around 245pm.  I picked DS up at 330pm.  Now this was at a private school, so there was no teacher's union to contend with.  Tutoring was never crazy.  It was simply our life.

 

If you keep your DD in school, you will need to work closely with the teacher.  I always downloaded son's audio books and literature selections so that he could keep up.  

Edited June 21, 2016 by Heathermomster

[PeterPan]

I too have read Herman is fine, and Lexia is a standard recommendation.  That's why I was saying option 1 actually *could* be ok.  The person doing the instruction will make a big difference!  

 

Qualifying her will be based on the scores.  They aren't going to give a rip about the symptom list you read in a book or what her DSM label is.  All they care about is whether there's data showing they are legally required to do intervention.  That means low CTOPP scores or unexpectedly low comprehension in spite of adequate decoding.  If either of those is there and they can quantify it with data showing 1.5-2 standard deviations of discrepancy, they'll intervene.  

 

Lecka's point is interesting about the psychology of the pullouts.  The people I've talked with definitely feel it.  Their socially typical kids DEFINITELY notice.  So what I notice is that people who are well-heeled do a lot of private intervention in the summer.  It's early enough, if you started now and did 5 days a week, an hour a day, you'd make some progress by fall.  But you can't do that if you want the IEP, because you need those scores low when they run their evals.  If you don't have scores on either comprehension or CTOPP with significant discrepancy, then you probably should just go ahead and intervene.  The school is not about a medical diagnosis.  You already have that.

 

Btw, once you get your paperwork, you can take it to your ped and use it to get access to the National Library Service, Learning Ally, etc. etc.  

Edited June 21, 2016 by OhElizabeth

[Lecka]

Here in public school, that is all at the discretion of the building principal.

 

My littl son has had permission from two principals to have private observations (they are not allowed to make video).

 

My older son had permission to leave school an hour early for me to take him to private OT, too. I scheduled that at a time his classroom teacher said he would not miss content.

 

Right now there is a lot of flexibility with bringing in tutors (therapists) and with taking kids to private therapy, but it has to be agreed it is what will be consistent for the child and that it makes sense for the child, that the child is not missing important parts of the school day appropriate to the child, etc.

 

But I am in the loop for my younger son who has a different level of needs, and I think that the principal saying yes to some autism kids may not mean he says yes to a kid where he sees a reading score and thinks "this seems good." I mean it is worth asking and knowing if you have a district policy (as our district policy is that the building principal decides).

 

This is IEP meeting kind of stuff here, to some extent.

 

But it was easy for me to get the permission to take my son out an hour early on Tuesdays for OT -- that was no big deal at all.

[OneStepAtATime]

With regard to pull-outs, that will depend on how the school handles pull-outs and how often kids are shuffling in and out of the classroom.

 

With my nephew, being pulled out was absolutely a negative.  He was teased and bullied unmercifully and called a dummy because of being pulled out for reading intervention.  The school handled things poorly and learning challenges were not understood.  It got so bad that my sister had to forcibly remove him from getting any help from the school since the help wasn't really helping and it was destroying his self-esteem.  She is a teacher within that same system and had a hard time getting him help then getting him out of the "help" he was getting.

 

That is not the case in every situation.  For some kids the school handles things really well.  A local friend has a son who always loved his pull out time.  The rest of the class was doing something he didn't like anyway and he was made to feel like he was doing something cool.  He enjoyed his time away to focus on reading.  He said it helped his brain to remember stuff when there weren't a ton of other kids around.  It was a different school, with better trained teachers and a better understanding of learning challenges.

Edited June 21, 2016 by OneStepAtATime

[Heathermomster]

Oh Gosh..Well heeled?  OhE, you are so funny...Yes, during the summers, DS worked with a tutor during the month of June, 1 hr per day, 5 days per week.  We saved and sacrificed through the year for that expense.

 

DS was in a private school so his experience was different.  No one said a word to him about being pulled out of class for tutoring.  He had a Latin teacher who was a twit, but I became involved and she didn't return the following school year.

[PeterPan]

Oh sorry Momster.   :)  Well-heeled in our area because the practice doing that charges double what other places are, meaning only some people get access to that level of intervention.  Good place, but that's $$$!  So you cross the city line to our district, where 70% of the kids live below the poverty level, and you don't have that kind of access.  So in our district, Herman + Lexia would be AMAZING!!!  But no, you go to the swanky district and you get OG.  In our district, you get some kind of non-OG stupidity, even though they KNOW OG is the standard for dyslexia intervention, sigh.  

Edited June 21, 2016 by OhElizabeth

[PeterPan]

What I'm being told around here is that it's even odder.  Kids are in the classes, and kids are pulled out for this or that, and there's no EXPLANATION to the other kids.  So the other kids don't know WHY he's being pulled out, and it's this sort of odd hush-hush kinda thing, like don't talk about it. So your label is private, but then other kids aren't learning how to act appropriately with people with a variety of disabilities, kwim?  Privacy has trumped courtesy and understanding.

 

So from what I'm gathering from other moms, in a district where there are LOTS of pullouts happening, another kid getting pulled out for something is just run of the mill.  But if you're in a district where people do a lot privately or where they tend to pullout less, then it's less common and more noticeable.  So it's literally going to vary with the school.  We're between districts, and the one with more poverty is easier to get an IEP at and easier to get pullouts at than the more swanky school district.  It's just one of those weird things.  So in the district where it's super common (like 1/3 of the kids in a class are getting pullouts), it's really not a big deal.  But in the other district you might be the only one in a class of 30 getting pullouts and differentiated instruction.  Then it's REALLY noticeable.

Edited June 21, 2016 by OhElizabeth

[Heathermomster]

My county and city public schools don't retain O-G certified teachers at all.  I met one teacher last summer who paid for her own training.  After the training, she was amazed at how ignorant she was about reading, and this was a reading specialist!  

 

 

[PeterPan]

My county and city public schools don't retain O-G certified teachers at all.  I met one teacher last summer who paid for her own training.  After the training, she was amazed at how ignorant she was about reading, and this was a reading specialist!  

 

Yup, it's SICK.  And they get Title 9 funding and all this extra stuff.  I sat with a reading specialist one summer who told me how HARD reading was to teach, that they have to look at context and pictures and this and that and that I couldn't POSSIBLY understand, that they need grad training to.

 

:svengo:

 

So the op can worry about what someone wrote about Herman and how it compares to this or that online, but reality is it's OG-based and would probably be FINE in the hands of a skilled, experienced teacher.  Just the fact that they're DOING it is an important sign.  Now whether she would qualify is a different discussion, and whether she would get the amount of intervention the op would want is an even further discussion.  But just on that sort of humanitarian, advocacy level, where you hope that all kids with disabilities get access to appropriate intervention, what her school is doing sounds decent and reasonable.

[OneStepAtATime]

My county and city public schools don't retain O-G certified teachers at all.  I met one teacher last summer who paid for her own training.  After the training, she was amazed at how ignorant she was about reading, and this was a reading specialist!  

Yeah, its sad.  My mom is a reading specialist with extensive training.  None of it was OG based and dyslexia was only mentioned briefly in one paragraph in one textbook for her Masters degree.  Granted, that was quite a while back but she continued to take courses throughout her teaching career and the training just wasn't there.

 

I have relatives who are currently teachers and I trained to be a teacher and we got NOTHING in the way of instruction/training regarding learning challenges.

 

Our training/degree system for teachers needs revamping on every level, across the board, for many reasons.  Teachers are working hard and those that are successful are doing so in spite of our system, not because of it.  My hat is off to teachers who successfully teach, regardless of grade level/subject.  It is a hard job.

[Lecka]

I would have tried something like that if we had any reading tutors in my area.

 

We don't have any reading tutors, and the two private schools are pretty similar to public school for academics and class sizes, they have additional religious content. One is a K-12 school which is very desirable for families whose kids might be spread across 4 different schools otherwise (we have one 9th grade center and one high school for grades 10-12, so parents really can have kids at 4 different schools, even if they are all pretty close together in age).

 

But there is really nothing here for the kind of reading stuff my son needed.

 

It is just not things we have in my town.

 

For OT and speech, my son just got very tired of it. He was in both school and private speech and OT, and so he was just spending a lot of time doing it, and at various times, even when they tried to make it fun, it was very difficult for him. He really wanted to be done with it. In 1st grade he went to private speech therapy 2 days a week after school, and that is just a lot of speech therapy at a certain point, and he was recommended to go twice because he needed that intensity, and it was difficult for him, but he needed to do it. They made it nice for him, too, but sometimes I think you can only make things so nice, because they are just pretty hard, even when trying to work on it as gently as possible.

[Lecka]

On the pull-out issue, when my older son was younger, the focus was on him not missing anything he shouldn't miss (so he wouldn't case further behind). And then, the focus was on him not missing anything that he would be sad to miss. His teacher and I would have a pretty good idea. This would be discussed at the IEP meeting.

 

Now that he is older, there is more discussion about the social side, the confidence side, and the independence side.

 

I believe that his classroom teachers (they travel for math, reading, and social studies/science each done in a two-week block) make a point to compliment him and call on him for things he is good at, and things like that.

 

His resource teacher said she talks to kids about strengths and weaknesses they have, etc.

 

So I think now that he is older, they are doing things at school to try to make it positive and stuff.

 

But my son also really likes the resource room teacher, and one reason is because she brings in treats, and one time she brought him a jelly donut.

 

Where -- there are some kids where that is not going to cut it.

 

I think here, it is possible for it to be pretty positive or neutral, but even with the teachers working to make it positive, I don't think they can make it be positive. I think it still depends on individual kids.

 

But for my son, I think the effort is pretty effective. But in 3rd-4th grade he was tired of being in pull-out for various things and it was like ---- his speech was good, he had made progress in OT, he was reading well ----- he just wanted a break. It was also he didn't want to need help. But he got to a point where he was ready to have some support.

 

I think he was a bit burned out on needing extra help and therapy. But, he had been in something almost continuously since pre-school speech! So it gets old at a certain point!!!

 

But when he was younger he had scores below the 10th percentile in both speech and OT, and in both areas there was an impact on his life (not just academics, especially for speech, but for OT also), and he needed to do it.

Edited June 21, 2016 by Lecka

[ekorda]

I *think* i'm going to have a very difficult time getting an IEP...her comprehension scores have always been very high (when taking into account her reading skills).  Because she scored high on her SOLs (VAs State Testing) and shows high comprehension and average math ability, it looks like I would be in an uphill battle in order to get them to take her needs seriously.  I was surprised when the Neuropsych told me that she was going to be labeled as "Moderate to Severe"...because her progress had been SO amazing thru the year.  We all were very happy with the progress...including me.  However, those high scores and placement were completely opposite of her terrible spelling, decoding, oral reading and her Lexia assessment (which put her in a 1st grade level for (I believe) things like phnological awareness and things of the sort.  Its like, "Well, she is 'smart enough' and getting by, so she does not really NEED the services and does not qualify for special ed testing or services.  According to them, they like the kids to be 2 years BEHIND before they even test them.  Ridiculous, if you ask me.  I don't want my daughter to be surviving....I want her THRIVING....something she wont be able to do until she gets that intensive OG-tutoring that is recommended for dyslexics.  I'm waiting for a call back from the Asst. Principal...but doubt we can (or should) even meet until the complete report is done.  It will give us more details on the areas where she struggles (auditory processing and such). 

[Lecka]

It is ridiculous.

 

Good luck.

 

Now that you know about it (and the 1st grade score from Lexia!) you can make something happen, one way or the other.

 

I would hope that the people who implement the reading program would see something with that, but they may not be the people you deal with until you actually have an IEP.

 

I think though, sometimes kids are just not recognized. They may look at your daughter and just think she looks like she is doing just fine.

 

But you can take in your outside testing and follow up.

 

I think, maybe just plan to follow up, and plan to aim for the outside tester's recommendation, if that person recommends (or if you could ask for him/her to) a certain amount of time and ratio (number of kids) with a certain type of reading program.

 

Does the outside tester think your daughter can benefit from whatever reading program the school wants to use with her?

 

I don't know if that is the right route to take, it is just a thought.

 

Earlier this year I had to follow up multiple times after my son scored an 86 on two sections (having to do with dysgraphia) and the school said they looked for 85.

 

But then there is a thing where his scores were far apart and so he qualifies that way instead of through a number of 85 or below.

 

It is not so much that it is trouble, it is just more follow up, and if at any point I had not kept following up, it would have just not happened.

 

And this is with the classroom teacher also wanting him to have support!

 

But we have also had some trouble where people who don't know him look at his MAP scores and don't see how there could be an issue.

 

Sometimes a certain person is not helpful, too, and then other people are.

 

For me classroom teachers have been helpful to me, but then they can't do some of the bureaucratic things for me or in my place.

 

It is not how I thought things worked, lololol.

 

Edit: I am not really one to talk wrt reading, bc I did not try for reading. I just thought it looked overwhelming and unlikely and did stuff at home. This is wrt the handwriting which is a different kind of issue, and at the meeting (once it was scheduled lololol) I showed it to the principal and he thought my son needed help, and his classroom teacher thought so.

 

But that is not reflected in how he does on MAP testing and his lack of behavior issues.

Edited June 21, 2016 by Lecka

[PeterPan]

I *think* i'm going to have a very difficult time getting an IEP...her comprehension scores have always been very high (when taking into account her reading skills).  Because she scored high on her SOLs (VAs State Testing) and shows high comprehension and average math ability, it looks like I would be in an uphill battle in order to get them to take her needs seriously.  I was surprised when the Neuropsych told me that she was going to be labeled as "Moderate to Severe"...because her progress had been SO amazing thru the year.  We all were very happy with the progress...including me.  However, those high scores and placement were completely opposite of her terrible spelling, decoding, oral reading and her Lexia assessment (which put her in a 1st grade level for (I believe) things like phnological awareness and things of the sort.  Its like, "Well, she is 'smart enough' and getting by, so she does not really NEED the services and does not qualify for special ed testing or services.  According to them, they like the kids to be 2 years BEHIND before they even test them.  Ridiculous, if you ask me.  I don't want my daughter to be surviving....I want her THRIVING....something she wont be able to do until she gets that intensive OG-tutoring that is recommended for dyslexics.  I'm waiting for a call back from the Asst. Principal...but doubt we can (or should) even meet until the complete report is done.  It will give us more details on the areas where she struggles (auditory processing and such). 

 

Ok, I'll try this again.  I said you need scores showing 1.5 standard deviations of discrepancy from IQ in either reading comprehension (which you don't have) or CTOPP.  You just said her decoding is behind.  So that will work!  You just need the scores, the numbers.  Your psych did not just pull this out of the air.  If her CTOPP scores have 1.5-2 SD of discrepancy from what you'd expect by IQ, you can get there and get the IEP, yes.  You need to see the numbers.

 

If the numbers weren't low, you wouldn't be getting the diagnosis probably.  Can you confirm with your psych that the CTOPP had some low sections?  And the poor decoding is affecting her ability to read aloud in class maybe?  What about when she reads textbooks and new words?  And it's affecting her spelling?

 

Don't just assume no IEP.  

 

Until you actually make a formal, written request, you have NOT STARTED THE IEP PROCESS.  Right now you're letting THEM decide if THEY want to refer for evaluation and start the paperwork to begin the process.  That means they decide if it happens and when.  But when you make a formal written request, that means YOU initiated the process.  By law they MUST then meet you within 30 days to go over your evidence and determine if evals are warranted.  Read your state law and learn about the IEP process.  By being nice like this, you're totally working without the protections of the law.  They're not going to play nice.  They are going to follow the law, and to make things happen you have to use the law.

Edited June 21, 2016 by OhElizabeth

[OneStepAtATime]

Agree, I would send in the written request.  Put yourself in the driver's seat, even if what they can offer is not enough.  You may need this down the road, even if you choose to homeschool for the next year.  Getting the eval and the IEP now would make a lot more sense and be a lot more likely to net recommendations/accommodations that are useful later on.  And OhE is right, as long as you have not sent in a written request, as long as you are only handling things by phone or email, they are not going to have to do anything.  The law is not on your side unless you make a written request.  Get one in by Friday.  

[Lecka]

Have they declined the testing in writing?

 

My son (older) had some testing declined bc they said his MAP score was too high. He got tested for OT (this was agreed on by everyone).

 

So you can officially write the request and they can officially turn you down.

 

But that is not the end of the story if you come in with outside testing.

 

They can decline to test ---- it doesn't mean you can't bring in your outside testing. At all.

 

It is like a separate thing.

 

But even then, if you are verbally told they will not test, that is not the same as writing the request and getting the written denial in response.

 

I know it seems the same, but it seems it is not the same. Bc one way it is in writing, and one way it is not.

 

Also it is different if you verbally say there are problems, and if you put it in writing and reference the outside testing and/or enclose the copy of the outside testing.

 

Again ---- in my mind, this is the same ---- I am saying it, it is stuff I know.

 

But I think that to the school these are two totally different things.

 

And again ---- I consider this following through.

 

But I don't know how it will work out. I am not saying "oh, you'll get it," because I don't know.

 

But I think if you are going to follow through and see what happens, then you would need to follow through by doing more things like talking more and writing the letter (or whatever).

 

The letters do not need to be anything fancy. It is just checking a block in a way. But it is also ----- now I know, the principal sees all these letters and is aware of them and it goes on his agenda.

 

If you just have a verbal conversation with the vice-principal, then unless that person follows up by writing a summary e-mail to the principal, the principal never even knows you had this conversation.

 

If you even wrote an e-mail ----- sometimes I get a "forward" copy showing that a person has copied my e-mail to the principal along with a short response/explanation for the principal to see.

 

Sometimes I don't get that.

 

But I have found that things are different when the principal is in the loop.

 

Not that I am super-into cc'ing the principal! I actually am not.

 

But this is just how it turns out that it works here, it is better to write the letter that the principal will see, than to have a conversation with the vice-principal.

 

But really -- this is not hard, to write a letter. Nothing fancy. It sounds much harder than it is!!!!!!!!

 

I am going to add, it is not asversarial. It is just paperwork. It is really okay. It is normal. The receptionist will not bat an eye.

Edited June 21, 2016 by Lecka

[Lecka]

I know it seems like it shouldn't have to be so "official" and "proper," or it seems like it is aggressive, but what I have found with my younger son (who involves many meetings) is that the school is a workplace.

 

In a workplace, sometimes you get a piece of paper in your inbox, and you deal with it in your "I got a piece of paper in my inbox" way of doing things.

 

But if you do certain things because you got a piece of paper in your inbox, maybe you don't do them when you don't have that piece of paper in your inbox, because it is more like you are chatting with somebody. Bc there is a difference between chatting and having a piece of paper in your inbox.

 

All you are doing is going to the "piece of paper in the inbox" level.

 

It is really, really not a big deal. It is routine.

 

But it is also routine for chatting to not lead anywhere exactly, and a piece of paper in the inbox to generate a response.

 

So there is a writing it down level, or a taking notes level, and it is just different from a more casual level of just talking with no notes and no writing it down.

 

They are just different.

 

Sometimes it is just appropriate to do things with writing.

 

It is very normal, though, it really is!

 

It is not like it will seem weird to them. It will seen normal to them, bc it is what they do!!!!!!!

[Citrusheights5]

I've had a lot of luck by printing off this letter and turning it in with my request for testing as well as when talk with teachers/administators etc. I point out parts where it says that. I've used it to stop the RTI process to push testing, as well as the part where outside testing and parental involvement may be used to determine needs.

 

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www2.ed.gov/policy/speced/guid/idea/memosdcltrs/guidance-on-dyslexia-10-2015.pdf&ved=0ahUKEwjK87XI4LnNAhUDzGMKHVfaB2kQFggkMAI&usg=AFQjCNEleb8PeJembVRl7zD6l2_e-AcSTA&sig2=bT_VJl26Jqq06kxAao9KHg

[Lecka]

I am just going to add, that two times I have come in with outside testing and both times the school just accepted it, put it in the records, and that was that.

 

I have read about schools that routinely do not accept outside testing or try to dispute it, but I have never heard of that happening locally.

 

Now, when people go forward, maybe they don't get the outcome they want or expect from the meetings. But it is not bc the school is disputing the outside testing results.

[Lecka]

What I mean is, here you would probably be bypassing the "will you test?" part and going to the "let's schedule a meeting where we decide if she qualifies for services."

 

That meeting may be its own meeting, or it may be the first few minutes of an IEP meeting.

 

Now, I personally don't know what you will need to highlight as far as a low score or a score gap.

 

Here you might be able to call the district spec.ed. Department (just by calling them on the phone) and asking if they have policies on this.

 

If you read IDEA, iirc it never specifies some things, so some things may be different at the district or state level, and so some specifics are not going to be the same everywhere.

 

But IDEA is national, so things from IDEA should be pretty similar everywhere.

 

It is not so bad, though, if it sounds overwhelming. It is really not so bad. You can check out library books that walk through the whole process.

 

It sounds worse than it is!

 

Edit: Here I would say to call the district spec Ed office and ask them about qualifying, they are probably (here) the people to ask about qualifying.

 

Like -- for my older son's the school psychologist said he called them, lol! So I think here, they are the people who know about the district policies.

Edited June 21, 2016 by Lecka

[Lecka]

But really all this may not be necessary.

 

Maybe you just write the letter with the copy of the outside testing, and things roll forward smoothly from there.

 

I think it is very possible!

[Citrusheights5]

The new part, is that they cannot use RTI, SST, and in my case with my youngest, that he was not 2 years behind, as a reason not to test. The letter was explicit in page 2 that none of these processes were allowed to take time away from testing once it was requested, and if there is a proven need. Your outside testing shows there is a proven need. I'll post this link too, where you can read just because a student has had academic sucesos doesn't not mean they cannot have a diabillity. These new changes just occurred in 2016, so I have has a lot of "fun " educating my district with the new federal stance.

 

http://www.dyslexicadvantage.org/dyslexia-and-accommodations-new-ada-guidelines-2016-for-school-and-work/

[Lecka]

Nice!

 

That looks great!!!!!

Edited June 21, 2016 by Lecka

[PeterPan]

By law they *can* require RTI, but they are required to fit it in *within* the legal IEP timeline.  If you let them use RTI to delay evals by not pushing back and reminding them of the law, they will.    

[PeterPan]

Every state has acronyms for what they call the steps of their IEP process.  If you go to your state's dept of education website and do a search, you should be able to get info on the IEP timeline.  That way you'll actually know the terms for it in your state.  All these steps people are discussing have names and those names are keyed to specific points in the timeline.  You have to know them to enforce the law.  If you don't know them, they'll just take their jolly time.  They'll say hey can we schedule this meeting then, and you'll say sounds good, and you won't realize you just gave them permission to get off the IEP timeline.  So definitely look for that timeline chart for your state.

[Terabith]

I was once taking a graduate course in teaching reading, and the professor was talking about the importance of context and illustrations. She used the example of a first grader she was working with, who was reading, "The kite flies high." The child was trying to sound out the word high, but the professor was saying that was why just sound it out is inadequate. Because you couldn't sound out "high." I raised my hand and suggested, "Couldn't you just tell them that when the letters igh are together, they say /I/?"

 

The professor was stunned, which really confused me. "I guess that would be one option."