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My dd was in that position and ended up with an ADHD diagnosis. They used to be lumped together (dyslexia and ADHD) and called minimal brain dysfunction. ADHD and dyslexia are about 60% comorbid, so you'll have a lot of kids with ADHD who are very, very crunchy on reading but not quite to a dyslexia diagnosis, etc.

 

You might like to go ahead and get evals, because if he qualifies for accommodations under any of the labels (ADHD, dyslexia, dysgraphia), you'd like to know. My dd is going away to college and using the ADA laws to get accommodations for her ADHD. 

 

Whether you call it ADHD or dyslexia, they'll talk about "executive function" in the brain, which is how the brain organizes, keeps track, the working memory, etc. Low working memory might explain why he was having trouble with multi-syllable words, and happily it's something you can improve. My dd got improvement in her ability to get her thoughts out by working on working memory and metronome.

 

So I would get evals, see what they point to, then intervene on the things that are low. It sounds like his biggest deficits right now might be executive function stuff (organizing his thoughts and materials, etc.). If the psych who does the evals runs a CTOPP, that will set your mind at ease on the dyslexia question. My dd had poor word retrieval, which I've read is common to dyslexics, but her CTOPP scores were fine, including the RAN/RAS, which can be a lagging indicator of the dyslexia. So you'd get usable, actionable information in the evals I think.

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Where to go is also dependent on future goals. If he wants to go to college, then getting an evaluation done now would be very helpful as it will open any doors to accommodations that he will need in college. At home, you can keep plugging along and accommodating him any way he needs, but a formal eval might get him accommodations on college board testing as well as in college.

 

I think a formal diagnosis is very helpful as it lays to rest a lot of questions your child may have about himself - why can I not do this as well as others?

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The left/right thing does not mean dyslexia. It actually means he has midline issues, something an OT would test. My dd had that and it responded well to the midline exercises we did in vision therapy. Have you had his eyes checked by an optometrist or developmental optometrist? Some kids with difficulty getting thoughts on paper turn out to have retained reflexes or developmental vision issues that respond well to therapy.

 

Yes, the IQ testing they do in a psych eval will include processing speed, and that's what can get him the accommodations for testing. 

 

For my dd, having the correct interventions for her disability was the difference between a significant scholarship and NOTHING. Her ACT scores went up dramatically.

 

I hear you on the responses. Really though, how you handle it matters. You're saying he reads well and wants to know why things take longer for him or are harder. Psychs are really good about talking to the kids at this age and explaining how their brains work. He might appreciate having the explanation of how his brain works. You could ask him.

 

And yes, he sounds very bright and very hard-working!

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I think that a lot of how kids respond to a diagnosis is how it is presented and how parents talk about it.

 

If you say we are going to find out what is wrong with you or why you can't do something, then it puts a negative spin on it.

If you say we are going to learn more about how your brain works and how it works differently than many others, then it is more of finding out facts about yourself.

If you say that you always suspected dyslexia, but simply did what was best for him at home and accommodated along the way, but now think a diagnosis would be helpful so that he is given the time or help needed in areas outside of home.

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Remediating students this late in the game is a tricky business. Your DS will need to commit time to the efforts.

 

I suggest you gather information from local trade schools/universities and start examining their offerings and degrees. Look closely at entrance requirements and prerequisites. Discuss and have your son pick a few paths and aim for the hardest one. I would also start saving money now and plan on a full np eval within a year or so of graduation. Testing needs to be no more than 3 years old when establishing accommodations with universities and ccs.

 

My DS was diagnosed gifted with 3 SLDs on his 8th birthday. I read your posting to him and asked for a reaction. He replied that the extended test taking time helped considerably. He rolled his eyes when I asked if he felt bad about his diagnosis. My son told me yes and that he'd feel better about himself if I bought him a Toyota truck.

 

DS has many peers with dyslexia. Honestly, dyslexia is kind of a "whatever" diagnosis to us. EF issues are the big deal in my home.

Edited by Heathermomster
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LOL, Heather your toyota truck comment from your ds makes me laugh. Like yeah, how's it supposed to feel? They already KNOW something is up and hard and not right. It's not like you're telling them something they don't know. I think it's also possible to tell them it's x and it's actually y. 

 

The junior year isn't too soon for evals btw. Like she said, it's just 3 years, so you could have done them a year ago and still been in the window. Definitely now. My dd's last eval and paperwork was during her junior year, and colleges aren't blinking an eye. So you're good to go on that.

 

On the EF (this is just a total rabbit trail), I'm really keen on 360 Thinking stuff right now. I'm getting ready to have my dd watch the webinar, so we'll see what she learns. 

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There's some controversy with GCD. Honestly, this doesn't seem so hard to sort out. Learning Ally has a list of self-referring providers (tutors, psychs, etc.), and anybody who maybe speaks at your state dyslexia association or is on the board would be a good lead. 

 

RAN/RAS is a component of the CTOPP. I've even had the CTOPP done through a reading tutor. Seriously, you should be able to get this testing done without an extreme drive or hassle, unless you're in like Wyoming or something. I can get it done in 5 minutes from my podunk town. You want ADHD screening, IQ, and testing for the SLDs. If you go to a neuropsych, they'll throw in visual motor and some more complex stuff. Sometimes you'll find an ed psych or clinical psych who is magical. Paying a ton sometimes just nets you a really expensive donkey.

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I think you're on track with thinking that it's better to have an assessment done now, so that your Ds can be set up for success in college, rather than to wait and see how things go when he gets there. My oldest son knows of a number of students who've undergone psychoeducational testing while in college, and it honestly sounds like a nightmare.  

 

In terms of how to present it to your son, I think focus on wanting to learn more about how his brain works and how to make things easier for him. I think he will agree that writing is difficult for him, and will be open to finding ways to make it easier. 

 

Thanks for everyone's responses!  I have been looking into testing and I have a few questions.  First, regarding the type of testing, it sounds like it should be an IQ test, a CTOPP and a RAN/RAS test?  Does that sound adequate?  I took ds to a pediatric opthamologist when he was little and there were no findings regarding his vision.

 

Also, we live on the west coast of the U.S. in a mid-sized city and I am not finding anywhere immediately close by for testing.  It sounds like there is a university department a few hours away that has graduate students that do some testing. I have asked around in my area and a few people have recommended the Gifted Center for Development in Colorado because one of their specialties is 2e testing and there isn't much available in our area.  What I am wondering is, how important is the skill/experience of the tester(s)? 

 

I am going to post a spinoff to this thread with some questions regarding my other son.  I think that he may need testing as well, so I am hopng to take them to the same place. 

 

They will very likely include some academic testing. Probably either the WIAT-III or WJ-IV Achievement, and potentially some tests or parts of tests to further investigate specific academic areas. In order to qualify for an LD diagnosis, they'll want to see evidence that he's performing below the level expected for his age, or that he's performing at an appropriate level only due to extreme effort or support. 

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If at all possible, you're going to want to find a person to evaluate him who has extensive experience with gifted individuals with dyslexia.  A school psychologist or former school psychologist may not be the best choice for a gifted dyslexic (both of my son's incorrect diagnoses--"just slow" and Asperger's--came from people with backgrounds in school psychology) since most of their caseload will have been with average/low performing students.  

Edited by EKS
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