I am so discouraged...

[LizzyBee]

My 13 yo is mildly dyslexic, very right-brained, visual-spatial learner, or whatever you want to call it. Her official diagnoses include mild auditory processing disorder, specific disorder of writing and written expression, mild visual-motor integration weakness, slow processing speed, and mild weakness in logical thinking (deductive or inductive, I forget which).

 

She wants to go to high school next year. She has a good shot at being accepted to the charter school her sister attends, because siblings have preference. It's a small school with high standards. I thought she would be ready for high school if she takes standard rather than honors courses, although she will require a lot more support with staying organized and getting her homework done than her sister.

 

But....

 

She is taking her annual standardized test this week (required in NC). I glanced at the math concepts section and of the questions I looked at, none were correct. She knows there are 60 minutes in an hour, but on a test question, she said that 105 minutes is 1 hour and 5 minutes. She only finished 1/3 of the math computation section. She didn't finish the social studies section even though in the past she's done very well on social studies.

 

When she was in 3rd grade, her composite score was 96th percentile. In many school districts, 95th and up is considered gifted with no other testing required. But every year, her scores drop and she gets further behind. I can't tell you how often she acts like she's never seen something before even though she once knew it very well. I feel like I am letting her down, but I don't know what to do to fix this. I try to use curriculum that matches her learning style. She does not have low IQ and I know she is capable, but I don't know how to make information stick for her.

 

I am in a no-win situation when it comes to high school. If I tell her she needs to be homeschooled, she'll feel like I think she can't cut it in high school. But if she goes to high school and flounders, she could be devastated. I think perhaps the ideal solution would be for her to do another year of 8th grade and start 9th grade in 2011. But that will cause all kinds of social issues. She's been with the same kids in church since she was 3. How will she cope when they're all seniors making college plans, and when they ask her what her plans are, she'll have to tell them she's not graduating yet?

 

When she was diagnosed with APD two years ago, her audiologist said that she's doing so well because she's homeschooled. The EdPsych who evaluated her last year told us not to put her in school for 8th grade because she wasn't ready. (We thought a transition year before high school might be a good idea.) It may be true that she's doing better at home than in school, but even at home, she should be doing better than she is. :crying:

Edited December 3, 2009 by LizzyBee

[lisabees]

Oh Elizabeth, big hugs to you. I know your heart is heavy for your "little" girl. I am sure she is just as discouraged and down on herself.

 

I am hs my 13 year old for the first time. His mistakes are exactly like your dd's. So frustrating. He, too, had great test scores early on and now he his scores are "basic".

 

I will say that ds was worse in school, because he was constantly comparing himself to the others and embarrassed. At home, he is able to work at his own pace. Our progress is slow, but steady. He wants desperately to go back to school, though, because he is my social butterfly.

 

It's hard to see that things don't come easily for these kids. You are most certainly not letting her down. In fact, it's quite the opposite. I "see" you on these boards, researching the best approaches for her (and helping us along the way). No one will fight for her the way you do.

 

It's hard to know whether our decisions are right. Sit on each decision for a while. You'll eventually know what feels best. As long as she knows you have her best interest at heart, she'll be fine.

 

I have been seriously considering meds for ADD. On all of his tests, ds has shown signs of possible inattentive ADD. I can no longer watch him struggle when he works. Is it only his dyslexia that is causing problems? Would he actually focus long enough to stop making silly mistakes and retain information? He has been telling me he would like to try meds. He thinks he has ADD. He knows his mind doesn't think like others.

 

Don't be down on yourself and don't be down on her. You are doing exactly what you're supposed to be doing...loving her.

[Laurie4b]

My 13 yo is mildly dyslexic, very right-brained, visual-spatial learner, or whatever you want to call it. Her official diagnoses include mild auditory processing disorder, specific disorder of writing and written expression, mild visual-motor integration weakness, slow processing speed, and mild weakness in logical thinking (deductive or inductive, I forget which).

 

She wants to go to high school next year. She has a good shot at being accepted to the charter school her sister attends, because siblings have preference. It's a small school with high standards. I thought she would be ready for high school if she takes standard rather than honors courses, although she will require a lot more support with staying organized and getting her homework done than her sister.

 

But....

 

She is taking her annual standardized test this week (required in NC). I glanced at the math concepts section and of the questions I looked at, none were correct. She knows there are 60 minutes in an hour, but on a test question, she said that 105 minutes is 1 hour and 5 minutes. She only finished 1/3 of the math computation section. She didn't finish the social studies section even though in the past she's done very well on social studies.

 

When she was in 3rd grade, her composite score was 96th percentile. In many school districts, 95th and up is considered gifted with no other testing required. But every year, her scores drop and she gets further behind. I can't tell you how often she acts like she's never seen something before even though she once knew it very well. I feel like I am letting her down, but I don't know what to do to fix this. I try to use curriculum that matches her learning style. She does not have low IQ and I know she is capable, but I don't know how to make information stick for her.

 

I am in a no-win situation when it comes to high school. If I tell her she needs to be homeschooled, she'll feel like I think she can't cut it in high school. But if she goes to high school and flounders, she could be devastated. I think perhaps the ideal solution would be for her to do another year of 8th grade and start 9th grade in 2011. But that will cause all kinds of social issues. She's been with the same kids in church since she was 3. How will she cope when they're all seniors making college plans, and when they ask her what her plans are, she'll have to tell them she's not graduating yet?

 

When she was diagnosed with APD two years ago, her audiologist said that she's doing so well because she's homeschooled. The EdPsych who evaluated her last year told us not to put her in school for 8th grade because she wasn't ready. (We though a transition year before high school might be a good idea.) It may be true that she's doing better at home than in school, but even at home, she should be doing better than she is. :crying:

 

With all of her challenges, a screening test (like the ITBS or the CAT) is not an accurate measure of her abilities. You can get a better measure by finding someone to administer the Woodcock Johnson. (It should cost between $50-75) It's given individually and is not timed (in general--you can't take forever on one question, though). The test administrator will generally encourage a child to keep trying when appropriate and you get the administrator's feedback as well. If dd did go to public school, you would want her testing to be modified there to show her abilities, so why not do it at home? The Woodcock Johnson also gives you a pretty accurate grade level because it doesn't just administer grade level questions, but some below and some above grade level. A child has to get 6 in a row right (or do the first 6 items) to establish a baseline and then miss 6 in a row to get the ceiling. (They aren't told that they are missing. The test just ends at that point.) Because all items except for reading items are read to the student AND are typically also visually either in text or in pictures on the student's side, they have more opportunity to understand what is being asked.

 

Also, did you check out the Ginger software that Quiver posted about below? It looks really good for kids with severe writing issues. That kind of thing could be written into an IEP and used in school as well.

 

I think you're right about the social situation. If you google "grade retention" you'll see why people are against it: it is correlated with very poor social outcomes (drugs, pregnancy, dropping out) for kids retained compared to kids with the same scores who are promoted but given help.

 

Is it possible for her to attend 1/2 at the charter school and 1/2 at home?

[LizzyBee]

Oh Elizabeth, big hugs to you. I know your heart is heavy for your "little" girl. I am sure she is just as discouraged and down on herself.

 

I am hs my 13 year old for the first time. His mistakes are exactly like your dd's. So frustrating. He, too, had great test scores early on and now he his scores are "basic".

 

I will say that ds was worse in school, because he was constantly comparing himself to the others and embarrassed. At home, he is able to work at his own pace. Our progress is slow, but steady. He wants desperately to go back to school, though, because he is my social butterfly.

 

It's hard to see that things don't come easily for these kids. You are most certainly not letting her down. In fact, it's quite the opposite. I "see" you on these boards, researching the best approaches for her (and helping us along the way). No one will fight for her the way you do.

 

It's hard to know whether our decisions are right. Sit on each decision for a while. You'll eventually know what feels best. As long as she knows you have her best interest at heart, she'll be fine.

 

I have been seriously considering meds for ADD. On all of his tests, ds has shown signs of possible inattentive ADD. I can no longer watch him struggle when he works. Is it only his dyslexia that is causing problems? Would he actually focus long enough to stop making silly mistakes and retain information? He has been telling me he would like to try meds. He thinks he has ADD. He knows his mind doesn't think like others.

 

Don't be down on yourself and don't be down on her. You are doing exactly what you're supposed to be doing...loving her.

 

Thanks, Lisa. Just what I needed to hear.

[LizzyBee]

With all of her challenges, a screening test (like the ITBS or the CAT) is not an accurate measure of her abilities. You can get a better measure by finding someone to administer the Woodcock Johnson. (It should cost between $50-75) It's given individually and is not timed (in general--you can't take forever on one question, though). The test administrator will generally encourage a child to keep trying when appropriate and you get the administrator's feedback as well. If dd did go to public school, you would want her testing to be modified there to show her abilities, so why not do it at home? The Woodcock Johnson also gives you a pretty accurate grade level because it doesn't just administer grade level questions, but some below and some above grade level. A child has to get 6 in a row right (or do the first 6 items) to establish a baseline and then miss 6 in a row to get the ceiling. (They aren't told that they are missing. The test just ends at that point.) Because all items except for reading items are read to the student AND are typically also visually either in text or in pictures on the student's side, they have more opportunity to understand what is being asked.

 

Also, did you check out the Ginger software that Quiver posted about below? It looks really good for kids with severe writing issues. That kind of thing could be written into an IEP and used in school as well.

 

I think you're right about the social situation. If you google "grade retention" you'll see why people are against it: it is correlated with very poor social outcomes (drugs, pregnancy, dropping out) for kids retained compared to kids with the same scores who are promoted but given help.

 

Is it possible for her to attend 1/2 at the charter school and 1/2 at home?

 

Laurie,

 

She did the WJIII for 1st, 2nd, and 7th grades, and she actually does much better on the IOWA test in regards to both stress and scores. My 3rd grader is going to do the WJIII, because since she's a non-reader, I think it would be better for someone other than me to administer the test. I could read the IOWA questions to her, but she'd look at me for approval when choosing the answer, and I'm afraid my face will give away whether she chose the right answer or not.

 

I downloaded the ginger software when it was free, and it's awesome. I think everyone should have it, dyslexic or not. :001_smile:

 

Thanks for the information about grade retention. If we homeschool through high school, we can tack on a gap year and it's no big deal. If she's in public school, there's no hiding it and it would be very embarrassing for her.

 

NC doesn't allow part time attendance in public school. It's all or nothing.

 

Thanks for helping me think this through.

[sheryl]

:grouphug:

 

Hi Lizzy, Wow....your dd sounds like my dd. I'm distressed right now too for the very same reasons. She's 10.5 years and has always been bright, but year by year, and now month by month it is a slow downward spiral.

 

I know for the same reasons you mentioned you know regarding your dd....what she was once taught and learned that should be "stored" in memory is not coming forward. It's like repeating again and again.

 

We too live in NC...could it be the water;) ;)

 

I know exactly where you are coming from....there with ya.

 

After speaking with my dh about this, I think I'll school her and give her a 3 day break every month or something like that. She has to learn in "chunks".

 

Blessings to you. Sheryl <><

[LizzyBee]

:grouphug:

 

Hi Lizzy, Wow....your dd sounds like my dd. I'm distressed right now too for the very same reasons. She's 10.5 years and has always been bright, but year by year, and now month by month it is a slow downward spiral.

 

I know for the same reasons you mentioned you know regarding your dd....what she was once taught and learned that should be "stored" in memory is not coming forward. It's like repeating again and again.

 

We too live in NC...could it be the water;) ;)

 

I know exactly where you are coming from....there with ya.

 

After speaking with my dh about this, I think I'll school her and give her a 3 day break every month or something like that. She has to learn in "chunks".

 

Blessings to you. Sheryl <><

 

Thanks, Sheryl. It's good to know we're not in this alone. :grouphug:

[Renai]

Laurie,

 

She did the WJIII for 1st, 2nd, and 7th grades, and she actually does much better on the IOWA test in regards to both stress and scores. My 3rd grader is going to do the WJIII, because since she's a non-reader, I think it would be better for someone other than me to administer the test. I could read the IOWA questions to her, but she'd look at me for approval when choosing the answer, and I'm afraid my face will give away whether she chose the right answer or not.

 

 

Your older may qualify for modifications on the test such as extra time and having test questions and/or instructions read aloud (more than once). All except the reading comprehension, which must be read by the student. As far as testing your 3rd grader- don't watch her as she fills in the bubbles, then your face can't give anything away :D.

 

My daughter (also mildly dsyslexic with processing speed issues) qualifies for the modifications, but I didn't take advantage of it last spring (3rd grade year, 1st ITBS), and had her take it with the homeschool group. It did not go well, and did not reflect her abilities at all. I will be using the modifications this year for sure, at home.