Dyslexia testing

[Bluegoat]

Could someone walk me through the bare bones of what is really required for dyslexia testing?  I'm trying to figure out what is available to homeschoolers here through the system, and I am getting garbled information.  Some have directed me to spech pathology services, which we've been using for a few years.  Others are suggesting comprehensive psychoeducational testing, which we'd have to pay for and is probably prohibitivly expensive.

 

I feel like I'm looking for something fairly straight-forward, but maybe I am realy not? 

[emmaluv+2more]

I am not an expert, so take this for what it's worth.

 

I think, if you are looking for an official dyslexia diagnosis, you are going to want a complete neuropsychological evaluation. There are several things considered when diagnosing dyslexia: IQ, decoding skills, phonological awareness, working memory, comprehension, fluency, etc.

 

I had my 6 yr old evaluated and we did not get a diagnosis. We were told her scores, though there were huge discrepancies in key areas, were still within normal ranges for her age. It was recommended we test again in a year.

 

But I'm 95% certain she is dyslexic, so I contacted Susan Barton (creator of a dyslexic reading system). She unofficially confirmed that my daughter's symptoms are classics dyslexia. So, at least for now, we are going with it.

 

We have a city funded grant that provides neuropsych evals for free. Some people's insurance covers it. Other areas might have other programs that help with the cost. But yes, out of pocket would be a couple thousand dollars, minimum.

 

Otherwise you could get evals through your school district, but you wouldn't likely get a dyslexia diagnosis, it would be learning disability-reading instead.

[Bluegoat]

  Whether the school district would offer us the same as what ps kids get is the question - it seems like they don't.   And you are right I think, they give a more general diagnosis.

 

OUr insurance might cover about half the cost, but even so, I don't see us being able to do that.  And TBH I am starting to wonder if it even really matters if we have a name for it.

[MysteryJen]

I do think it matters to have a diagnosis. And the full evaluation is extremely helpful in planning for high school and beyond. Enrolling dd2 in hs from homeschool was a breeze with the evaluation in hand. I asked for and got everything she needed. She will need to update her testing for college, because she will need to use the school's resources to be as successful as she can be.

Also, she hit all the markers for dyslexia (and did get that diagnosis-SLP in all things reading), but the most important finding of the evaluation was her very slow processing speed. I would never have guessed that, as focused as I was on her reading/spelling issues. The processing speed affects everything she learns and it definitely matters to the educational establishment to have a name for it. And for a young teen, it has been incredibly freeing to lose the self-talk of "stupid" and replace it with "I know how my brain works and how I learn best." The confidence she got from her self-knowledge is huge.

For us, it was absolutely worth it to have a full evaluation. 

 

[Bluegoat]

I do think it matters to have a diagnosis. And the full evaluation is extremely helpful in planning for high school and beyond. Enrolling dd2 in hs from homeschool was a breeze with the evaluation in hand. I asked for and got everything she needed. She will need to update her testing for college, because she will need to use the school's resources to be as successful as she can be.

Also, she hit all the markers for dyslexia (and did get that diagnosis-SLP in all things reading), but the most important finding of the evaluation was her very slow processing speed. I would never have guessed that, as focused as I was on her reading/spelling issues. The processing speed affects everything she learns and it definitely matters to the educational establishment to have a name for it. And for a young teen, it has been incredibly freeing to lose the self-talk of "stupid" and replace it with "I know how my brain works and how I learn best." The confidence she got from her self-knowledge is huge.

For us, it was absolutely worth it to have a full evaluation. 

 

I can see that.

 

For us, right now it wouldn't give us access to services.  And it's $1000 I then don't have to spend on resources.  Choosing something was a big reason I wanted some more information in the first place!

Edited June 13, 2017 by Bluegoat

[PeterPan]

Until you've contacted them and had evidence of discrimination, there's no reason to *assume* the ps will do a different eval for you, as a homeschooler, than they would for their own students. Federal law requires them to identify students in their district with disability, irrespective of the school, and they'll hopefully approach it with the same methods they would use with their own students. 

 

They can require evidence that there is a need for evals. They might like to see what curriculum you've used or some standardized test scores. Some schools have a culture of doing RTI instead of identifying disabilities (especially in rich districts, where parents don't always want labels). So, ironically, areas that get extra funding, etc. are sometimes more inclined to diagnose SLDs. Our district is like that.

 

Diagnosis will be based on a composite of standardized test scores, IQ, and the CTOPP. They'll probably run some kind of reading comprehension tool as part of the standardized testing or separately. We had private evals that were pretty thorough, so the ps in our case ran alternate tools.

 

Some schools and states diagnose by discrepancy from IQ and some want absolute low scores. You're actually asking a different question from the school, because you're asking what the actual diagnosis is (DSM) and they're determining whether the dc qualifies for services. Someone can have a disability and NOT qualify for services. That, typically, is going to be a sheer numerical score cutoff. Also, when someone tests very early, sometimes there isn't enough discrepancy yet to make the diagnosis blatantly obvious. The ps might not go out on a limb there, but a private might. 

 

There is a CTOPP normed down to age 4, and currently the IDA is recommending that kids be identified BEFORE 1st grade. 

 

As far as cost, diagnosis gets you paper trail, access to services, etc. I used to pay $$$ a year to Audible, and now I do everything through BARD/NLS. That alone is worth an astonishing amount. They don't have everything everything, but they have enough to keep us in books, lots of books, mercy. And that pays off $1000 in evals pretty quickly.

 

I think it's easy to assume incorrect explanations. Evals give you much more detailed info about what is going on. The ps might do great evals, or they might run an IQ screening tool instead of the full, etc. The shorter amount of time the ps spends can skimp on that info you have to read and analyze later. But, you know, when free is your pricepoint, the ps is the place to start.

 

And, fwiw, I can get a CTOPP run around here, just a CTOPP, for $75 with a local OG-certified reading tutor. Some dyslexia schools will run it. Doesn't give you IQ and all the other info, but it's at least a baseline if you're going to intervene. I strongly recommend getting a baseline before intervention if possible. Even if the ps will just do the CTOPP and standardized testing and IQ, even if they botch the analysis, at least you have that baseline.

[PeterPan]

Adding, although the ps standard is do they qualify for services, they are not necessarily legally obligated to provide the services. That varies with your state's laws. FEDERAL law requires them to identify students with disabilities. Sometimes ps will be misinformed on the law and need a reminder. You have not given up your FAPE by homeschooling. Unless you signed something giving up your FAPE, you still have it as legal protection. It's federal law that they must eval, and if they do a hack job you required the IEE and get it done that way. You have significant legal protections here to help you get good evals.

[MysteryJen]

I think you need to know why you need the evaluation: is it to access services? Or is it for informational/planning purposes? For planning purposes you can wait. If you have good services available, you probably need to do it earlier. We waited for quite a while, because I could provide the remediation myself. The schools would have provided significantly less than what I was able to do on my own. When it became clear that ps high school was likely and even if not, she was going to head to an athletic scholarship in college, it was necessary to get a fuller picture of her challenges. 

I assumed she was dyslexic when she was 6 and taught her accordingly. She was evaluated at almost 14yrs in 8th grade. 

[OneStepAtATime]

I agree, this depends on your goals.  If you are seeking confirmation of dyslexia so you can better understand your child and get them appropriate services, keep in mind that usually there are comorbid issue areas as well as strengths associated with dyslexia.  Trying to tweak out exactly what is happening on both sides of that coin usually takes a highly trained and experienced professional.  It really isn't all that easy to determine all the various things that might be tripping a child up.  

 

If you don't have the finances to get a full evaluation but you strongly suspect dyslexia, there are many resources out there to help but as many of us have found out the hard way, even if the child really does have dyslexia if they have comorbid undiagnosed issues then running them through a program designed to help a dyslexic may not be that successful if the comorbid issues are not also addressed.

 

But evals ARE expensive and insurance doesn't always cover them.  Sometimes evaluations are just not in the cards.  There is no home based quicky test you can give your child to confirm dyslexia but there are definitely certain markers that can be a strong indicator that dyslexia is at least one of the issues a child may be dealing with.  As with anything involving the brain, though, different kids are going to present differently.  What is it you are seeing that caused you to have concerns?  Perhaps we can help you tweak things out a bit.

[Bluegoat]

Elizabeth, I can't get an evaluation through the school system.  Private is my only option.

 

MJ - yes, that is along the lines of what I am thinking.

 

Immediatly, it is for me, to find resources.  And I think I would keep him home anyway as the school isn't likely to give him a better experience for the next few years - that might change later on.

 

There is a good, free clinic though that offers tutoring, and they would need something to accept him.  OTOH - I'm not that sure I'd even get a diagnosis - if he is dyslexic it is on the less serious side.  And maybe it is something else?

 

I think for now, we are just going to keep up with our summer reading plans.  It should become clearer by fall if he isn't improving or is really struggling.

[Bluegoat]

I agree, this depends on your goals.  If you are seeking confirmation of dyslexia so you can better understand your child and get them appropriate services, keep in mind that usually there are comorbid issue areas as well as strengths associated with dyslexia.  Trying to tweak out exactly what is happening on both sides of that coin usually takes a highly trained and experienced professional.  It really isn't all that easy to determine all the various things that might be tripping a child up.  

 

If you don't have the finances to get a full evaluation but you strongly suspect dyslexia, there are many resources out there to help but as many of us have found out the hard way, even if the child really does have dyslexia if they have comorbid undiagnosed issues then running them through a program designed to help a dyslexic may not be that successful if the comorbid issues are not also addressed.

 

But evals ARE expensive and insurance doesn't always cover them.  Sometimes evaluations are just not in the cards.  There is no home based quicky test you can give your child to confirm dyslexia but there are definitely certain markers that can be a strong indicator that dyslexia is at least one of the issues a child may be dealing with.  As with anything involving the brain, though, different kids are going to present differently.  What is it you are seeing that caused you to have concerns?  Perhaps we can help you tweak things out a bit.

 

So, here is my list of thins that seem related:

 

He was a late talker and has speech issues - he's had to see a speech path though he's responded well.

 

He is getting quite late with the reading - he was 7 in January.  We just started K this year but we've done some reading before, very unsuccessfully.

 

He has finally learned some letter sounds and/or names, but he has a hard time still recalling them reliably - I often have to let him know what they are.  He doesn't seem to remember the alphabet song accurately, either. (He's really done better with number symbols, though.)

 

This only happened once, but at one point I realized that he thought two different words were the same, even though the sounds were clearly different to me - they involved the "l" sound which is the one he still struggles with.

 

Sometimes he doesn't seem to get what are or are not rhyming words - he'll pick out words with similar sounds but which don't really rhyme.

 

 

On the other hand, if he knows, or I remind him, of the letter sounds, he blends the words together pretty well to read three letter words..

[OneStepAtATime]

Have you tried using a phonics based reading program?  Something Orton Gillianham based?  All About Reading?  

 

Barton is awesome but if he hasn't had any solid, consistent phonics instruction from an OG based program then he may not need the intensity (and expense) of Barton.  What you might do, though, is run him through the Barton pre-screening for students and tutors.  If you can both pass the screening with no issues then he should be fine to start a solid OG based phonics program.  If he doesn't pass then he needs remediation with something like LiPS or Foundations in Sound.  Just to be clear, this screening is NOT testing for dyslexia.  It is confirming whether the student has solid enough auditory processing and auditory memory skills to work through a reading program successfully.  

 

https://bartonreading.com/

 

https://www.foundationinsounds.com/

 

FWIW, my daughter passed the screening without issue.  My son did not.  He needed LiPS first (Foundations in Sound was not yet available) before he could use a reading program successfully.  My kids were in 5th and 2nd when I gave them the screenings.

 

If you are going to give the screening, give yourself the tutor screening first.  Make sure you are both well rested, will not be interrupted, do not have to rush, you are both in a reasonably positive frame of mind, and that it is in a quiet location since hearing sounds clearly and accurately is critical.  The screenings are free, don't take all that long, and will give you additional information you didn't have before.  I highly recommend doing the Barton screening.

[Bluegoat]

Have you tried using a phonics based reading program?  Something Orton Gillianham based?  All About Reading?  

 

Barton is awesome but if he hasn't had any solid, consistent phonics instruction from an OG based program then he may not need the intensity (and expense) of Barton.  What you might do, though, is run him through the Barton pre-screening for students and tutors.  If you can both pass the screening with no issues then he should be fine to start a solid OG based phonics program.  If he doesn't pass then he needs remediation with something like LiPS or Foundations in Sound.  Just to be clear, this screening is NOT testing for dyslexia.  It is confirming whether the student has solid enough auditory processing and auditory memory skills to work through a reading program successfully.  

 

https://bartonreading.com/

 

https://www.foundationinsounds.com/

 

FWIW, my daughter passed the screening without issue.  My son did not.  He needed LiPS first (Foundations in Sound was not yet available) before he could use a reading program successfully.  My kids were in 5th and 2nd when I gave them the screenings.

 

If you are going to give the screening, give yourself the tutor screening first.  Make sure you are both well rested, will not be interrupted, do not have to rush, you are both in a reasonably positive frame of mind, and that it is in a quiet location since hearing sounds clearly and accurately is critical.  The screenings are free, don't take all that long, and will give you additional information you didn't have before.  I highly recommend doing the Barton screening.

 

I'll give this a look, thanks!

[summerreading]

I would opt for testing even though it will be private and cost you some. I have put off testing my oldest all this time as he can read well, but the speech and writing issues are the hardest for him to deal with. It gets harder as they get older and having that diagnosis really helps a lot, even if you are 99% sure. It could be something else or it could be dyslexia on top of another issue. The schools will not give you the same level of an evaluation as a private doctor would. 

Edited June 16, 2017 by summerreading

[Bluegoat]

I would opt for testing even though it will be private and cost you some. I have put off testing my oldest all this time as he can read well, but the speech and writing issues are the hardest for him to deal with. It gets harder as they get older and having that diagnosis really helps a lot, even if you are 99% sure. It could be something else or it could be dyslexia on top of another issue. The schools will not give you the same level of an evaluation as a private doctor would. 

 

Unfortunatly we simply can't afford this, even with our insurance.

 

However, having discussed his specific needs further with a few people, I think he's probably more of a very late boy, particularly with language.  My plan for next year (grade 1) is to use THe Writing Road to Reading with him and work on his speech issues.  I think that there is a good chance he will show significant improvement, and if not, we'll revisit other options.

[PeterPan]

It's not accurate, across the board, to say the private evals would be better. A clinical psych eval (IQ, achievement, maybe a CTOPP, maybe not even that) for just a few hours would be significantly less than some ps would do in the same situation. Our ps had the tests to do almost anything our $$$$$$$ neuropsych did. Now the ps is skewed on what they're asking and whether they'll run it, but with enough advocacy they CAN.

 

I'm huge on language intervention. I personally would take the ps eval over no eval, and I would make sure they run SLP testing as well. That way you actually have some baselines to know what is going on. Then you can use that info and buy something from Super Duper during their fall sale and do some serious, actual language intervention. I would NOT let language go. Reading a year earlier or later, oh well. 

 

WRTR is going to be a slog for a dyslexic. 

 

Some ps have reading intervention people trained in OG. Some do not, like our district. But our neighboring district has really kick butt intervention, with people trained in OG. You could confirm what your options are, whether you could get an out of district placement or whether their people are trained.

 

Gotta go. He's flying planes in circles.

[Bluegoat]

Yeah, again, we don't have access to ps testing.

[Heathermomster]

My son was initially identified dyslexic based upon testing that included the OWLS, GORT, TOWRE, and CTOPP. You could call and ask local SLPs and discover whether they test. My local dylexia school tests for about $300 USD.

 

A full np exam will include an IQ and achievement testing. If you eliminate vision issues and he passes the Barton Screening, maybe check out Recipe for Reading.

Edited June 18, 2017 by Heathermomster

[VickiW]

Our health insurance paid for testing at a learning disability clinic at Vanderbilt. It took months to get in and get all the testing but it's finally done and we have paperwork ready for our next steps.