((Susan))

What signs are raising a red flag for you? When I have looked at early signs of dyslexia, I was pretty "meh" about it as a diagnosis. It's always been in the back of my mind, but aside from the alphabet issue and rhyming, none of the other signs that I looked up for dyslexia stood out to me. (I hope that doesn't sound snarky. I really am curious.) DH and I talked today and we'll get the CTOPP in December. I figure, if nothing else, it's another piece of the puzzle.

Oh wow!! That's crazy. I guess the test came back inconclusive then? How frustrating for you all. :( I do wonder, if he were to do testing again, if he could complete it with an ear filter from Able Kids in his ear. (Just my random musings) And yeah, between that book and Like Sound Through Water, I do feel pretty confident in what I'm seeing. I had gone through lists of CAPD signs, and I was pretty iffy on it as an issue, until I read When the Brain Can't Hear. I was reading parts to my husband and mom and they couldn't believe how accurately it described her. I've been reading on the 4 types of auditory processing and it's very fascinating.

I'd ask for it back, but...

DROOLING

Thank you. That made me cry. :) (I might also be a bit hormonal. haha)

In happier news - the kid rocked it at swim. She's now swimming in the full-size pool. On Tuesdays, the high school girls team as practicing and she watched them diving. She determined right then and there that she would also dive backwards. So, she marched over to her swim coach, pointed, and said "I want to do THAT." So, today, she jumped off into 12 feet of water backwards. She also climbed on the aquatic climbing wall and jumped off into the water, then swam the length of the pool multiple times. She may not be able to identify the letter B, but she's got a wicked butterfly kick.

Just whining/expressing frustration and this is safe space. Feel free to skip if you want. Facebook can be fun, but other times, it's a punch in the gut. OT was hard yesterday dealing with some alphabet issues (long story). Confirmed my child doesn't know more than 5 letters of the alphabet, but good Lord, that child has great short term memory (as in, she could identify where every little item was placed on the ABC chart.) I cried on the way home. It was just a hard thing to see, even though she was a trooper. Riv's best bud is in school and doing well. Her mom just posted a pic of Lola writing and said "I love hearing her sound out words and writing them down. I love finding notes around the house taped to our wall. I love the innocence of her writing. Watching her grow is such a gift." And, I'm happy for her. It's a huge thing to be writing and reading. But, for me, right now, in the midst of dealing with secondary infertility and my child's learning disability - that hit harder than all the pregnancy announcements and baby pics. IT SUCKS and I DONT LIKE IT and I want a chocolate cake. It's a pouty-pouty Booyah.

No. Developmental Optometrist was, gosh, back in June? We saw him once. The OT is someone we've been seeing since August. This is the first time he's ever done the alphabet thing. I think it was a spontaneous decision based on her conversation during gross motor exercises.

Totally agree. He really did modify as he went along. He started off with sounds, then moved to letters, then we moved to just object placement memory once he saw how much of a struggle it really was. I think some of it was seeing if she was just stonewalling me (or to check up on me haha - who knows) or to see if something else was up. He saw something else was up so that was a good thing. She said afterwards that she was frustrated, but she did work well during the session. She utilized the skills she has to figure out where items went. Thank God she has great one-to-one correspondence. She would just sing the alphabet until she got to that letter. Yeah, they have a very good rapport. He gauges her frustration level and either pushes her (she will give up VERY easily on anything) or he sees when it's time to move on. Wednesdays are her favorite because she sees Dave. :)

Mmmm, a bit. He's very amiable, very easy to talk to, but I do find myself guarded when we discuss homeschooling. Just a little feeling I have. Right now, because she has been so resistant to anything educational. Preschool did a number on her. By the time we decided to take her out, she was saying she was stupid and not smart like her friends. So, formal education has been pretty much by the wayside. In Missouri, compulsory age is 7, so I'm perfectly legal right now. ;) But, we've been doing more unschooling. If she likes it, we watch videos on it or find a picture book. The fact that she is asking to learn to read and write is HUGE. However, she shuts down when we get to the alphabet - wikisticks, painting, ABC body movements, crafts, etc. She does an amazing job of finding the letters, but name recognition is not there. I did not. I'll go check it out. Thanks.

Preach. I felt like yesterday was a bit of a "test" to see if I was doing my job as a homeschooler. I'll be monitoring if that keeps up. Yesterday was very informative for me, but it was very frustrating for her. Oh it isn't the sounds. It's just the name and letter identification. He would say the sound, but he would tell her the letter that it started with. ;)

Yes she does. It's incredibly hard for her to be in scenarios with background noise. Even when we are alone and she is looking right at me waiting for an answer, if there is other noise, I have to repeat what I said. I fully agree that the language skills brought her IQ score down. I have no doubt on that and I definitely want the non-verbal test done on her. Able Kids has developed their own unique testing for children that are under 6. The ones normed for above 6 are more language based, but the ones for children below are a picture response. As long as their receptive language is at 3 years old, they can do the test. The filter looks almost like a musicians ear piece. It has a small filter in it that assists in filtering the background noise. They test both ears to see which one is most receptive. Sometimes, neither are, but usually one ear has a higher result than the other. That ear will be fitted for the ear piece. Had I not talked to multiple people who have the filter and who have been to Able Kids, had I not read their audiology reports (a couple moms sent them to me), had I not met with someone in my hometown who went, I would be skeptical. As it is, I'm willing to go out there if it will give me answers now, instead of waiting 3 years. Please trust me when I say, I have done a ridiculous amount of research on this. I may not have mentioned every sign she has shown us, but there have been so many. This isn't something I've pulled out of the air 2 weeks ago. I've been researching this since August, talking to the SLP, talking to other APD moms, reading books and articles on the topic. I've gone through so many symptoms and scenarios. I've talked to the clinic that we are scheduled to visit. We've weighed the pros and cons. It's definitely not some arbitrary decision to pursue testing. Edit to add: A lot of this started when I would be working with my daughter one on one. I would ask her something, but if it was noisy (fan, dishwasher, anything), she would say "My ears are hearing you very funny. I don't know what you said." or she will repeat something that sounds VERY similar. She often says "My ears aren't hearing your words right" or "I need to see you to hear you." This was all her own explanation of what her ears were doing, unprompted by me. She's had her hearing tested recently, so I know it's not that. So, yeah, when it's noisy, or if she's not reading my lips, she's hearing words wrong or saying "What? Say that again." She's very conscious that something is not working right. The psych also told me that she needed a margarita after testing my child. Her lack of professionalism and her very visible frustration with my daughter during the test makes me less likely to appreciate her recommendations, unfortunately.

Alas, I do not have that one. Sorry!

Of course, I have!! :) I mean, in this area, who hasn't?! Unfortunately, Riv is allergic to eggs and custard has egg yolk, so John and I only go when we're on a date...which has been forever ago! Wahoo! An Andy's close to you? Sounds like a date night in the making! I've never been to McSalty's, but I've heard so many people talk about it. We really need to go try it.

The only retained reflex my daughter had was ATNR, but we're working on that one a lot. Fascinating about the background noise for him, though. That's great! But, you are right. The overlap is maddening. It makes me second guess so much when I think I should just follow my gut. And please do update me. I've actually had several PMs about different programs for APD (here and on Facebook). I'm definitely interested in seeing what works and what doesn't.

It's a hug Mary Booyah!! All will be made right in the world!

Jean, I have a lot of gluten-free cookbooks that I was going to get rid of. Do you want them? Several are baking ones. Edit: Well, maybe like 6. Maybe not "a lot", but it's making room on my bookshelf.

I needed those hugs today. :) Thanks again, friend.

Just popping in to say "hello friends!" I love that I can be gone, but come back and you all still love me. :D

Honestly, it depends. If it's something that's very language intensive, heck yeah. Otherwise, not really. Right now, she's playing Go Fish with my husband and not acting any differently than other kids. She was very calm today while working with the OT. Speech, she can be fidgety during the multi-step directions work, but that again is very language intensive for her. I'll look into I See Sam. Thanks. :)

Thank you. That's very helpful. I'm honestly not surprised about your son and those diagnoses. Dyslexia was one of the first things I considered in the beginning. I'm sure you now, but according to Barton, APD IS dyslexia and a lot of the symptoms overlap; but according to the CAPD community, they're not the same. So, one and the same? Different? I don't know. But, dyslexia is definitely in the back of my mind as well. The main reason we are going to this place in Colorado is that if she DOES have APD, she might be a candidate for their filter. There is a specialized filter that they have developed that has been very helpful for the kids who have had it and some of the adults who have chosen that route. I just learned about them a few months ago, but I've since talked to several parents whose kids have seen drastic changes and a couple of adults who have been happy with it as well. (Not all are candidates as some show improvement with it, some don't. Just depends on the type of APD and the severity, I think.)

***I should have stated from the beginning....this was more of a rant. I was just so frustrated and heartbroken for her today. I knew she was extremely frustrated and just tried to hold it in until she wouldn't see me cry for her. But, I do love all the help, extra info and advice. :)

There's a lot of overlap with APD and Dyslexia. These are some CAPD signs from the audiologist's website that we're going to go to. My daughter fits every one. (There are many more in the book When the Brain Can't Hear and she fits a big chunk of them as well.) Difficulty following directions Sensitive to loud sounds Easily distracted, frustrated, and/or confused Overwhelmed in noisy places Exhibits a short attention span Struggles to complete assignments Easily upset in new situations Labeled as an underachiever or daydreamer Experiences anxiety or tension Lacks self-confidence Forgetful Shows restlessness and has problems sitting still Difficulty with transitions and/or changes in routine Diane Craft also states that this is almost always a sign of CAPD: Difficulty learning names of alphabet letters when younger I will say - dyslexia was one of the first things I considered in the beginning. According to Barton, APD IS dyslexia and a lot of the symptoms overlap, but according to the CAPD community, they're not the same. So, one and the same? Different? I don't know. But, dyslexia is definitely in the back of my mind as well.