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Reading trouble. Vision related? Something else? Update in 10. Help!


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I need some advice. My newly eight year old is not the best reader. She CAN read, but she does a few things that concern me. She frequently loses her place, skips lines and sometimes for smaller words she scrambles them (left becomes felt, was becomes saw, type thing). She had good word attack skills and often sounds out long unfamiliar words correctly. She still confuses b and d frequently when reading though she doesn't usually turn them around while writing. She does sometimes still reverse z and 9 (into s and P) while writing things. Her spelling is absolutely atrocious (in my opinion, but I'm no expert). We started Apples and Pears A in 1st grade, but really made no progress and she was very frustrated. I put it away because she still wasn't a good reader and I thought spelling might be easier to tackle once her reading skills improved. And they improved. They've improved a lot since then, but I wouldn't say they are third grade level. Toward the middle of second grade we started Apples and Pears again and made it maybe half of the way through and then all progress halted and her spelling got worse instead of better. We put it away again. This year, we've dragged it back out. We redid the placement test which put us around level 20 (she was around level 60 when we quit but such is life) and it's been going really well so far. She's completing a lesson a day and I can really tell her writing is improving, though sometimes she hands me something that she has written and I need her to translate. Two days ago, she wrote something and even she couldn't tell me what she had written.  She took a long long long time to learn to recognize the letters of the alphabet and remember letter sounds. I know that this is disjointed, and I have no idea what it all means.

 

This morning I called and scheduled an appointment with the vision therapy office that my oldest used (she had amblyopia and some tracking issues but is now a voracious reader and thank goodness for the library). Is there anything else I should be pursuing at this point, or should I wait and see what the doctor has to say? (He had a cancellation and could see us tomorrow which is amazing.) What kind of issue(s) does this sound like?

 

Also, I had my oldest IQ tested (she had some learning issues that I was concerned about like terrible spelling (our nemesis) and an inability to remember math facts despite an insane amount of practice) around age 8 and though her overall score was fantastic, she scored pretty poorly in processing speed and working memory (around the 25th percentile). I see some of these same traits in my youngest but I don't know if these things are at all related to the reading troubles we are having.

 

Help me Hive!

 

Thanks,

Teresa

 

Edited by ZaraBellesMom
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Do you have any achievement testing to have an objective measure of where she's at?  I agree it's time to get her eyes checked by a developmental optometrist.  That could be the sole explanation, or it could be more.  It would not be too early to get a CTOPP done.  An SLP, a reading tutor, a psych, etc. could all do it.  My ds was diagnosed with dyslexia at newly 6.  There's no reason to wait on that.  It's true that visual memory problems and developmental vision problems *could* explain what's going on.  However right now time is a wasting, as you wonder.  The materials you're using aren't what you would choose and as aggressive as you would be if it's dyslexia.  I personally wouldn't be cool with the on, off, waiting approach.  It's time to figure out what's going on and get a plan that fits the situation.

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Do you have any achievement testing to have an objective measure of where she's at?  I agree it's time to get her eyes checked by a developmental optometrist.  That could be the sole explanation, or it could be more.  It would not be too early to get a CTOPP done.  An SLP, a reading tutor, a psych, etc. could all do it.  My ds was diagnosed with dyslexia at newly 6.  There's no reason to wait on that.  It's true that visual memory problems and developmental vision problems *could* explain what's going on.  However right now time is a wasting, as you wonder.  The materials you're using aren't what you would choose and as aggressive as you would be if it's dyslexia.  I personally wouldn't be cool with the on, off, waiting approach.  It's time to figure out what's going on and get a plan that fits the situation.

 

Yes, I agree I've waited too long. Denial I guess? I've been telling myself, well she's a really young first grader, second grader...and some kids would be a grade back depending on their state's cut off date and blah blah blah. In hindsight, I could kick myself (like really hard). I'm going to google all of these abbreviations :lol:.  I do not have any achievement testing as this is the first year we are required to test. I should probably have done it for my own information but I'll admit I was a little scared (stupid, I know). But to be truthful, we've also been struggling with some other issues of hers (extreme anxiety and we've been tackling that with a psychiatrist) so in some ways other concerns have been put on the back burner in order to cope with her ability to just handle every day life. I have read the indicators of dyslexia quite a few times and some things are definitely there and I know you don't have to have all of them, but some things are definitely not there (like really really not there) which again doesn't mean a lot I'm sure. I read that dyslexia frequently occurs in families and I don't know of anyone in either side of our families with dyslexia (but I know they could have it and not really know and just be coping maybe?). Part of the problem too, is money (isn't it always?) but it takes what it takes I guess. The doctor at the vision therapy office has a million initials after his name (O.D., F.A.A.O., F.C.O.V.D.) and the website says that tomorrow they will do a two hour dyslexia/vision evaluation. Does that sound reasonable?

 

OK, so I've looked up CTOPP and SLP. I wish I lived somewhere closer to civilization. It's going to be really difficult to find these people. Atlanta, here I come. I'm guessing these are things that medical insurance typically does not cover? The psychologist evaluation of my oldest cost me $4000. I feel like I'm drowning here. Time to put on my big girl panties.

 

Thank you for your help.

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:grouphug:  :grouphug:  :grouphug:

 

Don't panic and don't get overwhelmed with guilt. Easier said than done I know.  Just take this one step at a time.  Get that eye exam first.  Then look into additional evaluations.  See what you can get done.  I agree, screening for dyslexia might give you some needed answers.  there is time.  Your child is young.  Hang in there.  You are asking good questions and hopefully will get some useful answers as you work through what needs to be done to figure out what is going on.  (FWIW, my DD didn't get an evaluation until 5th grade.  Yes, I feel bad about that but she has made tremendous progress since then, going from abysmal spelling to really good spelling and from really awful decoding and fluency to reading well.)

 

As for whether others have dyslexia in your extended family, turns out my husband, his brother, two nephews, plus others have dyslexia or probably have dyslexia.  Only one was ever diagnosed.  When DD was obviously struggling in school even the mom of the nephew that actually had a diagnosis never once mentioned the possibility for DD.  No one ever even mentioned evaluations or that anything could be wrong other than lack of focus.  They just never talked about it.  At all.  And most made it through school o.k.  They were bright and found coping mechanisms and were also honestly pretty lucky (sadly, not all, though).  It may be there, just hanging under the radar.  Or there may be no dyslexia at all.

 

Now as for writing, do you mean the spelling is so bad you can't understand her writing or is the writing itself bad?  That could be dysgraphia.  Is she learning to type?  Typing may help but it could take a VERY long time to get proficient at it, especially if she ends up being dysgraphic.

 

You might read up on a few things.  Perhaps read The Mislabeled Child by Brock and Fernette Eide.  A bit outdated in some sections but it might be useful.

 

 

:grouphug:  :grouphug:  :grouphug:   I just also want to mention that you are not alone.  Many of us have been on this journey.  Hang in there.  Big hugs.  Having a caring parent is a huge positive, regardless of any diagnosis.

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If she has clinical anxiety, I'd go ahead and get a complete psych eval.  Did they also diagnose ADHD?  Honestly, this is something even your ps could handle.  They might botch it, but legally it's something they're responsible to do.  Federal law mandates that they identify students with disabilities in the district, irrespective of where they go to school.  So you could make a written request and have the school run their evals, pricepoint free.

 

I'm not saying it's dyslexia, because reversals are NOT dyslexia.  I'm just saying you've got a complex situation that warrants evals.  If she's inappropriately grade-advanced, yes, that's something you could fix.  When is her b-day?  My ds has a fall b-day, so he's on the older end of his grade.  He has a huge spread in where he's at, making the grade thing very awkward at the very least.  

 

Are you making any modifications in your homeschooling to fit the anxiety?  Clear structure, behavioral supports, breaks, OT or self-regulation instruction (Zones, How Does Your Engine Run), etc.?  My ds has a private office, a tutor, and does better with extremely clear expectations.  Of course his anxiety pushes into ASD.  Once you add that, you just amp it up.  What I'm told is that anxiety *alone* usually chills (on a school, getting school done level) with structure.  That's another reason to consider evals, when it seems like you have more going on than what regular techniques are taking care of.  

 

But yes, evals can be very expensive and there's still the challenge then of translating them into a workable plan.  We have an IEP, so we've had a lot of discussion like that.  

 

You might look on the Learning Ally list to see if anyone there strikes you as helpful.  I'm thinking of like in-between, less expensive options for you.  I took my ds to an OG tutor recently who only charged $75 for the CTOPP and DAR (reading achievement).  That's a lot of info for $75, kwim?  So maybe some in-between options.  Your ped would have screening tools for ADHD and ASD.  I'm not saying stop there, just maybe use these lower priced people to get you pointed in some direction...

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If she has clinical anxiety, I'd go ahead and get a complete psych eval.  Did they also diagnose ADHD?  Honestly, this is something even your ps could handle.  They might botch it, but legally it's something they're responsible to do.  Federal law mandates that they identify students with disabilities in the district, irrespective of where they go to school.  So you could make a written request and have the school run their evals, pricepoint free.

 

The doctor did not diagnose ADHD, but it wasn't something we talked about. My oldest, Z, is ADHD (inattentive type) and while A is very bouncy, active, etc., she has no trouble sitting down and focusing on her schoolwork so that she can get done and do all the fun things she would like to be doing instead (though she does enjoy school too). Starting with the schools is a good idea. I'm not sure how that works in our area (who to contact) but one of my friends is a special ed teacher at a high school here and I'm sure she can tell me where to start.

 

I'm not saying it's dyslexia, because reversals are NOT dyslexia.  I'm just saying you've got a complex situation that warrants evals.  If she's inappropriately grade-advanced, yes, that's something you could fix.  When is her b-day?  My ds has a fall b-day, so he's on the older end of his grade.  He has a huge spread in where he's at, making the grade thing very awkward at the very least.  

 

Her birthday is August 25th. The cut off date used to be September 1 for Georgia but has since moved to August 1. She would probably be one of if not the youngest in her grade. I never really worried about it because we homeschool and grade was irrelevant most of the time. Her skills are ahead and behind depending on the subject. I do not have to report a grade to the state, only an age.

 

Are you making any modifications in your homeschooling to fit the anxiety?  Clear structure, behavioral supports, breaks, OT or self-regulation instruction (Zones, How Does Your Engine Run), etc.?  My ds has a private office, a tutor, and does better with extremely clear expectations.  Of course his anxiety pushes into ASD.  Once you add that, you just amp it up.  What I'm told is that anxiety *alone* usually chills (on a school, getting school done level) with structure.  That's another reason to consider evals, when it seems like you have more going on than what regular techniques are taking care of.  

 

Her anxiety is currently managed (sadly by medication) and doesn't affect school. It was a problem in the past when we were attending a Montessori co-op program. I was in a separate room with my oldest and A was out of the classroom every couple of minutes with stomach complaints, fears of dying, germs, etc. She sanitized and washed her hands until they were cracked and bleeding. Wouldn't leave my side, even to go to the bathroom. Couldn't sleep at night even beside me and so on and so forth. I'm glad that that particular problem is behind us right now, though we do have flareups now and then. She's very closely monitored. We are very structured in our homeschool. We stick to the same routine daily and everyone always know what to expect next and this is true for our whole day, not just school. She thrives on routine. Things just don't get done otherwise. We take lots of breaks to get the wiggles out and also try to keep our work fun and engaging when possible. She likes checking off the things she has done on her little clipboard so she knows how much she has left to do. I work with her first in the morning (which she likes) and she usually finishes right at lunch time.

 

But yes, evals can be very expensive and there's still the challenge then of translating them into a workable plan.  We have an IEP, so we've had a lot of discussion like that.  

 

You might look on the Learning Ally list to see if anyone there strikes you as helpful.  I'm thinking of like in-between, less expensive options for you.  I took my ds to an OG tutor recently who only charged $75 for the CTOPP and DAR (reading achievement).  That's a lot of info for $75, kwim?  So maybe some in-between options.  Your ped would have screening tools for ADHD and ASD.  I'm not saying stop there, just maybe use these lower priced people to get you pointed in some direction...

 

Will check out Learning Ally. Thank you for the additional suggestions. I'm going to look into them. Again, thank you.

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

I need more information from you experienced moms. After watching some of the videos on the Barton website and starting the book Overcoming Dyslexia, I'm almost 99% certain that A is dyslexic. The one thing that has really been throwing me is that she was not a late talker, she was an amazingly early talker (and several websites made this seem impossible). After watching the Barton video, I sat down to listen/watch her read this morning and noticed a lot more than I had before. I have also watched the Barton video about looking for Dyslexia in writing and whoa was that enlightening. I haven't been sitting idly by since my original post either. We did see the vision therapist and he thought he could help but I've been holding off because I'm just not convinced. I sat through the examination and some of the things he said he saw, I really didn't see or agree with. I know he's in the business of making money off of vision therapy and I don't think he's trying to dupe me necessarily, but it's a lot of money to spend before ruling out dyslexia.

 

In order to that, I've contacted several psychologists in the area in order to obtain the complete psychoeducation evaluation recommended by Elizabeth above. I had this done with my oldest, but I don't want to return to the same psychologist. I feel like she did an excellent job but she was very unfriendly re:homeschooling. Her favorite suggestion was that I put my daughter in an Atlanta school that specializes in Dyslexia. I'm sure that would help her immensely (she was diagnosed with SLD Written Expression among a few other things). The school, however, is more than an hour from our home and has a tuition of $30,000 annually. :scared: There were some other things that I disagreed with as well (she was a big fan of enVision math :confused1: ) Calling local psychologists has been really interesting. The first place I called (recommended by a friend who had her son evaluated for dyslexia) would do the standard testing and additionally some hair analysis and some kind of brain scan. :confused1: With the weird options, I wasn't sure I could trust is other testing results, so I tried a more well known psychology center in Atlanta. I could only speak to the receptionist there, but she tried to talk me into just the dyslexia screening and I really feel like I want the complete picture now. So, once I pursueded her to sign me up for the whole thing, she told me that the testing occurred all in one day. This really surprised me. My oldest's was split into two days and she was exhausted after both sessions. I can't imagine that a child would be at her best by the end of the testing. I ruled that place out. I'm a member of a local co-op so I posted the question on our Facebook group and turned up a few more suggestions (this lady was incredibly helpful and has a dyslexic child, she could probably be a real resource for us). I called around and reached a wonderful psychologist who was willing to talk to me over the phone about some of the things I was seeing. She was super helpful. She told me to definitely not rule out dyslexia just because my daughter was an early talker. She didn't have any opening until February but... She has a couple of other psychologists in her practice that she has trained and she had one that she felt would be a good match for my daughter. I'm waiting for him to call me back, but he could probably get us in sometime in November. In the meantime, she recommended that we definitely NOT wait on pursuing tutoring. She also invited me to come see a movie being screened by GA-IDA next week where she will be answering questions and said she would like to meet me. I feel really good about this woman and will probably go forward with testing here.

 

In addition, I found a tutor who is trained to do evaluations (not local, nobody is local) who can do a CTOPP and a few other things (I've got it written down somewhere). She suggested I get my daughter's hearing checked first, even though she thought it was unlikely to be the problem.

 

If you have stayed with me this long, then you are a real trooper. I've told you all of this to ask...

 

1.) If you know it's dyslexia without a full psychoevaluation (say we saw the tutor only, $250) would you feel confident going forward with interventions to help with dyslexia? (This is my $250 option which leaves me money to pay for tutoring or other materials).

 

2.) Would you do both to be absolutely certain? ($2,726 and no money left so we eat ramen)

 

3.) Could you just do the full psychoeducational evaluation and get enough information? (I'm really not sure here because looking at my oldest's testing she appears dysgraphic and she does seem to be a good reader, but I'm curious after some of the research that I've read. She does some odd things that I wouldn't expect from dysgraphia alone.)

 

And finally and most importantly to me probably (as I try to convince my husband that we need all of it) wouldn't the documentation of a complete evaluation be necessary to obtain accommodations for my daughter later if she decided she wanted to go to school or for accommodations in testing including later ACT or SAT? And then on into college?

 

If you've stayed with me through all of this, I really really appreciate it. I'm very overwhelmed right now.

 

Thanks, Teresa

 

Also, I have decided I do not want to go through the school district because I don't really trust them.

Edited by ZaraBellesMom
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You've connected with a lot of really good resources!  You definitely want the psych eval eventually, either in Feb or November.  Me personally, I would do the tutor CTOPP now, get a baseline, decide whether you're doing tutoring or buying Barton to do it yourself (Barton, Barton!), and save your money for the more experienced psych in Feb.  There's a reason she has a wait that long.

 

But odds are any plan you did with those options would work out well.  As far as the eyes, did he say convergence or visual memory or what?  The more he's saying something physical and demonstrable (tracking, convergence, etc.), the more inclined I'd be to up-prioritize.  If he was saying visual processing, I would down priority.  Nobody has money to do it all at once, and a dc wouldn't be happy with that kind of heavy therapy load anyway.  VT is very intense, as is reading tutoring.

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If she is eight, I don't think I'd worry about accommodations now. If you get the testing from the tutor, that might be enough documentation for this age.

 

A dyslexia (or other diagnosis) wouldn't really hurt her if it came later because it's a diagnosis that comes with an objective test.

 

Something like ADHD is trickier because it's a mostly a clinical diagnosis so some colleges will ask for a paper trail showing a history. But, still, if she's eight, you have time on that, too.

 

Evals are awesome but unless you can really manage it financially, you could possibly wait until you give Barton a try. I don't think you would be doing a your dd a disservice to put some time in to Barton and see what the result is. If you're not seeing the expected progress or her frustration level is uncomfortably high and doesn't get better a few months. Then I might be inclined to get an eval. The opening for the person you liked is in February right? Could you make an appointment at a convenient time and hold a spot and then cancel if you start to see progress that makes you hopeful about moving on without the tests.

 

I don't want to advise taking advantage of the psychologist. You could even explain the situation to her. As long as she's okay with a cancellation within a reasonable time frame, it seems like one possibility.

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I don't think you need a paper trail from age 8 for ACT/SAT accommodation.

 

Also you don't know if she will end up needing it. If you do reading remediation, things can improve a lot.

 

Or maybe you still need accommodations.

 

It is not a sure thing either way right now.

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FWIW, both of my children were extremely articulate at a very young age. They are both dyslexic. Early talking does not rule out dyslexia by any means. It just means that so far statistically it appears that many who talk later may turn out to be dislexic.

 

I would look at getting the eval if you have the money. There are so many strengths and weaknesses that can be comorbid with dyslexia. Having the bigger picture can really help. However, if getting the evaluation is going to prevent you from getting the resources to help your child or puts your family at financial risk then I would wait and try something like Barton first (IF she passes the screening and you do too).

 

Hugs and good luck

Edited by OneStepAtATime
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I would get a diagnosis before Barton because it opens doors you don't realize.  Just having access to the NLS/BARD is super valuable.  So many audiobooks, professional recordings, AMAZING.  I can see why you don't want to pay $4K again, ugh.  You do have the ps.  People cringe, but they can get it done.  

 

Have you tried looking on the Learning Ally lists to see if anyone closer to you can do a full length eval (2 days, 6-8 hours) for less?  It might be that being in Atlanta is raising the price.  Or look for certified OG/Barton/Wilson tutors and see who they are referring to.  

 

Also, check to see if your state offers SN/disability scholarships.  Ours does, and they're significant.  It's true a dyslexia school here is $30K+, but we have tiered disability scholarships to help with it.  If you're in Georgia (you mentioned Atlanta), you might have something https://www.edchoice.org/school-choice/programs/georgia-special-needs-scholarship-program/

 

And in our state, you need an IEP to get the scholarships through the dept of ed.  The best way to do it here is to get private evals, know what you're fighting for, and then take those evals to the school and fight for the IEP.  It takes a while, but once it's done the scholarship is IMMENSELY helpful.  It's how we pay for my ds' services.

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Here's my two cents, FWIW. 

 

I've been homeschooling children with dyslexia for 16 years at this point. We also deal with inattentive ADHD, anxiety diagnosed at age 4, SPD, and dysgraphia that seems to accompany all of these things for many kids. My older dyslexic was one of the earliest and most articulate talkers I've ever heard with a vocabulary that left other people speechless. ;)  All that to say...

 

Dyslexia was my first thought when I read your original post. If I had to make a choice between a full evaluation and curriculum, I would probably choose to start Barton right away with the goal of saving for the eval. as soon as possible. I might even go ahead and make the appointment for a few months out to help me reign in Christmas spending, etc. It's important, but...

 

When it comes to accommodations for the ACT/SAT, etc, the testing needs to be "current" (I believe it was within 5 years?) We had to have the whole evaluation re-done at age 17 for my older student (originally done at 8). 

 

HTH!

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  • 3 months later...

 If you live in the U.S. or Canada there are many dyslexia programs  to help dyslexic youngsters, but be warned:  they are expensive.  That is because the treatment is very labor intensive.  There is no  medicine or pill that will treat dyslexia.  I assume there are services in the leading industrial countries of Europe.  Elsewhere, I am not sure what is available. 

The best starting place is to understand exactly what Dyslexia is. The most basic explanation is that it is an inability to recognize, work with and understand characters or text. Thats why for helping my sister we found a tutor. I live you a link in case it will be useful for you http://teachmeread.com/. Wish you to be well and good luck!

Edited by MiaM
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We completed evaluations with an educational psychologist in November. She is indeed dyslexic, also very bright and ADHD (which I expected). Now that i know she is dyslexic, looking back it was all so obvious. Denial is truly a miraculous thing. I'm feeling really overwhelmed right now. We've started Barton and I'm hoping we will see some success.

 

I'm having a really hard time emotionally. I know that probably sounds way overdramatic, but I feel totally overwhelmed and just really really sad.

 

I'm so grateful to everyone here for the great advice that sent us in the right direction.

 

Teresa

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I think it's normal to go through grieving. For me, with my ds, I've had new levels of grief and had to go through it afresh, each time we got more diagnoses. So I think it's ok to be patient with yourself and honest and go scream at planes or pray or sing or whatever helps you work through that. It can be unexpectedly intense.

 

On the merciful side, it's going to be ok. She sounds like she's happy and dealing with it. I'll bet Barton works for you. Are you bringing in tech? You're overwhelmed because of the newness of Barton methodology or something else?

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:grouphug:  :grouphug:  :grouphug:

 

I know the diagnosis seems scary/stressful.  I cried when I first got DD's.  At the same time I was relieved because it finally all made sense.  And by the time I told DD, I was really feeling pretty good about things.  That rubbed off on DD.  I took passages from The Dyslexic Advantage by the Eides to help her understand why things had been such a struggle for so many years but that she is capable and has things to offer the world.  I was also able to reassure her that now we maybe had a much more effective path to follow.  She was PROUD to be dyslexic at that point.  She had internalized that she was stupid, defective, had no useful purpose in life, despite my best efforts to the contrary.  Those years of struggle had really taken a toll.  Now she had answers for her struggles and hope that she also had some strengths (which she does, just like her dyslexic father and dyslexic brother).  

 

In other words, I do understand your feelings.  I think many of us have gone through the same.  I want to reassure you, though, that the dyslexia based reading/spelling struggles really can usually be remediated and it usually means on the flip side of that neurological coin your child will have strengths, too.

 

FWIW, DD had a massive turnaround in functionality with just a couple of years of targeted remediation vs. 7 years in a brick and mortar struggling along and barely making any progress at all.  7 years, 4k (twice) through 5th and she could still barely read at the end of 5th grade, and only at the most basic level.  Truly, this is actually a good answer.  You can work with this.  There are ways to improve the situation if you are dealing with dyslexia.  There will be tough days but this is not an impossible situation.  It is comorbid issues that can make things trickier but there are usually ways through or around those, too.

 

On a side note, where are you in Barton?  I would like to mention that rushing through Barton so a child can "catch up" is usually very ineffective and can cause a ton of problems so whatever you do, please go at the pace of your child.  If that means spending weeks on one lesson, or repeating an entire level, so be it.  Trust me when I say that rushing only nets sorrow.  

Edited by OneStepAtATime
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We have dyslexia and ADHD here too...among other things I am just finding out and I feel the sadness right alongside you. It's intimidating on one level and so very sad on another. It's hard to watch them struggle, but with every diagnosis it clicks for me and I realize that knowing does make it easier and in the long run, kids are better off. My son is also proud to be dyslexic. I think the other labels can be confusing but even those reassure him that he's smart, just has some obstacles.

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On a side note, where are you in Barton? I would like to mention that rushing through Barton so a child can "catch up" is usually very ineffective and can cause a ton of problems so whatever you do, please go at the pace of your child. If that means spending weeks on one lesson, or repeating an entire level, so be it. Trust me when I say that rushing only nets sorrow.

We are in level three. The first two levels zipped by. As we near the end of level three she is starting to slow down and we are repeating lessons. I'm running through Barton with my oldest daughter who is dysgraphic (since I already have it for youngest) and she is a couple lessons into level four. Level four is going to be a real challenge for A when she gets there. I expect we will be camped there for awhile. That's OK. We've got nothing but time.

 

On the cheerful side, we joined Reading Ally and she's been listening to so many audiobooks. I already read aloud a lot, but now she listens as she falls asleep and spends thirty minutes or so during the school day reading along with the narrator. She's started the Who Was...? biography series and is now filling me in on all kinds of historical people, which is great because history is the subject that gets the very least attention around here.

 

And yes, it is most definitely a grieving process. And every time I think I'm doing OK, it rears its ugly head again. She, however, is very cheerful about it. She thinks it's great to have a brain that works differently (it is) and we all enjoy her little quirks that we now realize are part of her dyslexia. I never really noticed how often she failed to hear words correctly. Yesterday she was very excited to tell me that there is a city called Hamsterdam. :) I explained three times that it was Amsterdam, emphasizing the A and she kept replying, "That's what I said, 'HAMSTERdam.'" We were all laughing by the time it was finished. She's a cheerful little thing. My head knows she is going to be just fine, but my heart still hurts.

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I think it's normal to go through grieving. For me, with my ds, I've had new levels of grief and had to go through it afresh, each time we got more diagnoses. So I think it's ok to be patient with yourself and honest and go scream at planes or pray or sing or whatever helps you work through that. It can be unexpectedly intense.

 

On the merciful side, it's going to be ok. She sounds like she's happy and dealing with it. I'll bet Barton works for you. Are you bringing in tech? You're overwhelmed because of the newness of Barton methodology or something else?

I do find Barton overwhelming in some ways. Those training videos are incredibly helpful, but I sure need a lot of caffeine when I'm watching them. We are only in level three and I've learned some things about our language that I never knew before. And those tiles. So many tiles to mess with. We switched to the Barton tile app and having everything laid out and the words already made has saved me tons of time and frustration.

 

She's nagging me to start school so I guess I better go.

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I do find Barton overwhelming in some ways. Those training videos are incredibly helpful, but I sure need a lot of caffeine when I'm watching them. We are only in level three and I've learned some things about our language that I never knew before. And those tiles. So many tiles to mess with. We switched to the Barton tile app and having everything laid out and the words already made has saved me tons of time and frustration.

 

She's nagging me to start school so I guess I better go.

Yeah the training videos are sooooo boring.  I have to watch in short bursts, while drinking coffee, right after exercising, so my brain stays focused.   :laugh:   (They are helpful, though, not saying they aren't).  For what its worth, once you get really comfortable with Barton you may not even need to watch the videos anymore.  The TM is so well laid out that eventually you will probably only need that.  Just skim the lesson ahead of time, including the summary at the beginning of each lesson, and you should be fine.  I only feel the need to watch the videos on very rare occasion anymore.

 

One thing I am going to try to incorporate, that I really wasn't before, are the tutor training pages.  Now that DD is in higher levels I realize I would do better tutoring her if I have already had a bit of practice from the learning end myself, specifically using those pages.

 

The tile app has been great here, too.  Love, love, love the tile app.  Soooo much simpler set up and clean up and improves functionality during the lesson.  I will say that at times we still pull out the specialty tiles.  Not the main alphabet really, just other stuff like units or prefixes and suffixes (primarily introduced in Level 5).  Sometimes DD needs the tactile experience still.  I got something similar to this (see below) and put the TM on the stand, with the specialty tiles in the drawer below for easy storage. (actually DD already had it and wasn't using it so I retasked the thing :) ).

 

https://www.amazon.com/US-Art-Supply-Adjustable-Beechwood/dp/B00EV2JN2O/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1486136118&sr=8-2&keywords=artists+table+easel+with+drawer

 

 

Also, have you seen the Spelling Success games designed by a Barton tutor?  I have found those are really helpful for reinforcement and for days when none of us are up to a full lesson or when we need to take an extended break from lessons but don't want to lose what we already have.

 

https://www.spellingsuccess.com/products

 

 

The other thing that has really helped are the support pages on the Barton site for tutors to give to their students.  I print out all of the extra practice pages and the spelling tests as soon as we get a new level.  Makes it easier to just grab them as needed.  I set up a chart to track which extra practice pages and spelling tests have been used so later on if I think we need review I can pull out ones that haven't been used yet (or haven't been used as often).

 

One thing that also helped here was taking the sight word lists and putting them in a separate notebook.  DD has moved through the sight word lists very quickly compared to her brother so it has made it logistically much easier to have those lists and their checklists in a separate notebook.

 

All pages for the entire program (except copies of the checklists) go into non-glare, easy load, heavy duty protective sleeves so the pages can be used over and over with multiple students or with the same student if they need to review.  The non-glare is critical or it causes too much eye strain.  Heavy duty works better so they hold up over time.  I usually use these if I can get them on sale:

 

https://www.amazon.com/Avery-74102-loading-non-glare-protectors/dp/B00006IC7Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1486136619&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=non+glare+sheet+protectors&psc=1

 

 

We started out using the fat size of dry erase marker for the writing on the pages in the protective sleeves but switched to the fine point markers linked below.  Now, though, as the kids have improved in their writing, DD prefers the next set down in size, which is the ultra fine linked below the fine tip version (very precise writing which makes it easier to do things like box off prefixes and suffixes, etc.).  Having colored markers helped both kids, for several reasons.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Low-Odor-Markers-Assorted-Colors-8-Count/dp/B000Z88D2E/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1486136881&sr=8-4&keywords=fine+point+dry+erase+markers

 

https://www.amazon.com/Low-Odor-Markers-Assorted-Colors-8-Count/dp/B00I8OBAOU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1486136939&sr=8-1&keywords=ultra+fine+point+dry+erase+markers

 

 

Sorry this is so long.  I started typing the response right after you posted but just kept coming back to add bits and pieces as I have had a moment.  I will go ahead and send before this becomes a tome of epic proportions.  Best wishes.  :)

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Yeah the training videos are sooooo boring. I have to watch in short bursts, while drinking coffee, right after exercising, so my brain stays focused. :laugh: (They are helpful, though, not saying they aren't). For what its worth, once you get really comfortable with Barton you may not even need to watch the videos anymore. The TM is so well laid out that eventually you will probably only need that. Just skim the lesson ahead of time, including the summary at the beginning of each lesson, and you should be fine. I only feel the need to watch the videos on very rare occasion anymore.

 

One thing I am going to try to incorporate, that I really wasn't before, are the tutor training pages. Now that DD is in higher levels I realize I would do better tutoring her if I have already had a bit of practice from the learning end myself, specifically using those pages.

 

The tile app has been great here, too. Love, love, love the tile app. Soooo much simpler set up and clean up and improves functionality during the lesson. I will say that at times we still pull out the specialty tiles. Not the main alphabet really, just other stuff like units or prefixes and suffixes (primarily introduced in Level 5). Sometimes DD needs the tactile experience still. I got something similar to this (see below) and put the TM on the stand, with the specialty tiles in the drawer below for easy storage. (actually DD already had it and wasn't using it so I retasked the thing :) ).

 

https://www.amazon.com/US-Art-Supply-Adjustable-Beechwood/dp/B00EV2JN2O/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1486136118&sr=8-2&keywords=artists+table+easel+with+drawer

 

 

Also, have you seen the Spelling Success games designed by a Barton tutor? I have found those are really helpful for reinforcement and for days when none of us are up to a full lesson or when we need to take an extended break from lessons but don't want to lose what we already have.

 

https://www.spellingsuccess.com/products

 

 

The other thing that has really helped are the support pages on the Barton site for tutors to give to their students. I print out all of the extra practice pages and the spelling tests as soon as we get a new level. Makes it easier to just grab them as needed. I set up a chart to track which extra practice pages and spelling tests have been used so later on if I think we need review I can pull out ones that haven't been used yet (or haven't been used as often).

 

One thing that also helped here was taking the sight word lists and putting them in a separate notebook. DD has moved through the sight word lists very quickly compared to her brother so it has made it logistically much easier to have those lists and their checklists in a separate notebook.

 

All pages for the entire program (except copies of the checklists) go into non-glare, easy load, heavy duty protective sleeves so the pages can be used over and over with multiple students or with the same student if they need to review. The non-glare is critical or it causes too much eye strain. Heavy duty works better so they hold up over time. I usually use these if I can get them on sale:

 

https://www.amazon.com/Avery-74102-loading-non-glare-protectors/dp/B00006IC7Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1486136619&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=non+glare+sheet+protectors&psc=1

 

 

We started out using the fat size of dry erase marker for the writing on the pages in the protective sleeves but switched to the fine point markers linked below. Now, though, as the kids have improved in their writing, DD prefers the next set down in size, which is the ultra fine linked below the fine tip version (very precise writing which makes it easier to do things like box off prefixes and suffixes, etc.). Having colored markers helped both kids, for several reasons.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Low-Odor-Markers-Assorted-Colors-8-Count/dp/B000Z88D2E/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1486136881&sr=8-4&keywords=fine+point+dry+erase+markers

 

https://www.amazon.com/Low-Odor-Markers-Assorted-Colors-8-Count/dp/B00I8OBAOU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1486136939&sr=8-1&keywords=ultra+fine+point+dry+erase+markers

 

 

Sorry this is so long. I started typing the response right after you posted but just kept coming back to add bits and pieces as I have had a moment. I will go ahead and send before this becomes a tome of epic proportions. Best wishes. :)

Wow! This is really helpful. I'm going to look at all of this over the weekend when I have a little more time. Thank you for taking the time to reply!

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I'm in tears here.  Your OP sounds exactly like my dd, but she's 6.  We have a month still to wait until psych evals, but I'm becoming more and more certain it is dyslexia (we even had the same results with the develop. opt. a couple of days ago, and I'm just not buying it).  I definitely grieve; everything just seems so much harder for her and it breaks my heart every single day.

 

Anyway, I'd love to hear little updates here and there when you have time.  I'm definitely overwhelmed just thinking about the years to come.

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Hugs and I hear ya about the sadness. it gets better.

 

Re: the videos, I've probably said this before but i watch them on 1.5x speed. OR, I watch them on regular speed WITH my kid. Not expecting them to get it all, but at least they get the idea and it's somewhat familiar before we start.

 

Interesting, though, my one dd who struggles LESS finds the video interesting, but the one who really needs Barton doesn't track with the video and wanders away pretty quickly. But at least I don't have to wait until they're in bed or occupied to watch it.

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She's nagging me to start school so I guess I better go.

 

That's a good sign, when she's begging to start school!  :D

 

Yup, love the Barton app. Sounds like you're doing great! And, fwiw, she's the type of student who would do well in a dyslexia school if there is one. It might give you some options later, if you want a change. My ds doesn't fit in one, sigh, because of his other issues. But your dd would be a good candidate. :)

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Onestep, your use of the easel is interesting! Love it!   :)

 

Like OneStep, we REALLY like the Spelling Success games here. You really can't go wrong with them. Like buy 'em all. Love, love, love. I know it will look like a chunk of change, but they're very nicely made, engaging, and worth it.

 

When we use the physical tiles, we contain them with a 17X20 whiteboard.

Edited by OhElizabeth
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That's a good sign, when she's begging to start school! :D

 

Yup, love the Barton app. Sounds like you're doing great! And, fwiw, she's the type of student who would do well in a dyslexia school if there is one. It might give you some options later, if you want a change. My ds doesn't fit in one, sigh, because of his other issues. But your dd would be a good candidate. :)

Our closest dyslexia school is too far away to be an option and the tuition puts it out of our range even if we lived closer. They do have some summer camp programs that look interesting though.

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Our closest dyslexia school is too far away to be an option and the tuition puts it out of our range even if we lived closer. They do have some summer camp programs that look interesting though.

DD and DS went to a Dyslexia school summer program a few years ago (school is several states away so normal attendance, even if we could afford it, wasn't possible but we had friends living in the area that offered to put us up for the month).  The math teacher there was amazing and DD learned more in one month with her than with three years having the same ineffective teacher for 3rd-5th.  They both liked their reading classes, too, especially since DS was also in a Junior Great Courses class that included lots of great discussion.  It was not particularly helpful for actually helping them to read (they needed years of extensive phonics based instruction) but they did have fun, they did learn, and the school was able to show them some interesting alternatives for how to handle things that were challenging them.

 

All that to say, it might definitely be worth it to send her, just be aware that a summer program has limited time and will not provide much in the way of in-depth remediation.

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I'm in tears here.  Your OP sounds exactly like my dd, but she's 6.  We have a month still to wait until psych evals, but I'm becoming more and more certain it is dyslexia (we even had the same results with the develop. opt. a couple of days ago, and I'm just not buying it).  I definitely grieve; everything just seems so much harder for her and it breaks my heart every single day.

 

Anyway, I'd love to hear little updates here and there when you have time.  I'm definitely overwhelmed just thinking about the years to come.

 

:grouphug:  :grouphug:  :grouphug:

 

Definitely hang out on the LC boards. Even if you don't post much, you can gain a lot of information and feel support from being part of a community that understands.

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:grouphug:

 

It sounds like it is going well, some more ideas for days you are not up to a full lesson or want to do some reinforcement with games and videos:

 

http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Phonics/concentrationgam.html

 

 

 

 

When she is a bit older, you can use my phonics videos for reinforcement, probably too long and boring for now.  If she wants to try, split any over 15 minutes in half, watching half each day.

 

http://www.thephonicspage.org/Phonics%20Lsns/phonicslsnslinks.html

 

 

 

 

 

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:grouphug:

 

It sounds like it is going well, some more ideas for days you are not up to a full lesson or want to do some reinforcement with games and videos:

 

http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Phonics/concentrationgam.html

 

 

 

When she is a bit older, you can use my phonics videos for reinforcement, probably too long and boring for now. If she wants to try, split any over 15 minutes in half, watching half each day.

 

http://www.thephonicspage.org/Phonics%20Lsns/phonicslsnslinks.html

Thanks, I'll check these out!

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