Wondering if my poor speller is dylexic

[Jenny in GA]

This thread about my daughter's spelling problems has made me come to the SN forum for the first time!

 

My nine and a half year old is a terrible speller. She reads pretty well -- not awesome, but fine, and she likes to read if it's a book she likes.

 

On the CAT, she recently scored 98% in language expression, something like 80% or 90% in reading comp ... and 25% in spelling.

 

We've been doing AAS for about a year and a half now.

 

I just gave her the "homophone test" that someone referred me to for checking for dyslexia. She did fine.

 

She wears glasses, but has never had VT or been evaluated for it. The screening questions don't particularly jump out at me as describing her.

 

Anyway, several people on that thread said it sounds like she may have a learning disability/dyslexia. I'm not even sure what that it! Is it something you "have," like diabetes, or is it just a way to describe that your skills in something are a little weaker?

 

Let's say I knew for a fact that she had dyslexia. Then what? What do people do to help it? "Treat" it? I don't even know the correct terminology.

 

And if she does have a learning disability, I feel kind of awful that it's gone on this long. I'm wondering if it would have been detected and treated better had she been in school these years.

 

Anyway, I'm guessing I'm looking for anyone to share their experiences and thoughts.

 

Thanks!

Jenny

[Laurie4b]

This thread about my daughter's spelling problems has made me come to the SN forum for the first time!

 

My nine and a half year old is a terrible speller. She reads pretty well -- not awesome, but fine, and she likes to read if it's a book she likes.

 

On the CAT, she recently scored 98% in language expression, something like 80% or 90% in reading comp ... and 25% in spelling.

 

We've been doing AAS for about a year and a half now.

 

I just gave her the "homophone test" that someone referred me to for checking for dyslexia. She did fine.

 

She wears glasses, but has never had VT or been evaluated for it. The screening questions don't particularly jump out at me as describing her.

 

Anyway, several people on that thread said it sounds like she may have a learning disability/dyslexia. I'm not even sure what that it! Is it something you "have," like diabetes, or is it just a way to describe that your skills in something are a little weaker?

 

Let's say I knew for a fact that she had dyslexia. Then what? What do people do to help it? "Treat" it? I don't even know the correct terminology.

 

And if she does have a learning disability, I feel kind of awful that it's gone on this long. I'm wondering if it would have been detected and treated better had she been in school these years.

 

Anyway, I'm guessing I'm looking for anyone to share their experiences and thoughts.

 

Thanks!

Jenny

 

Dyslexia in people with relatively high IQ's often shows up in spelling, as they are often able to compensate in a way that keeps their dyslexia invisible to others, but it means that they are working proportionately much harder to read the same material as someone else would who didn't have dyslexia. People with dyslexia who are remediated in reading often struggle forever with their spelling.

 

One thing you may want to do is to get her a formal evaluation now. There are a few positive things you will get out of it: 1) You and your dd will know how her brain is wired; it is a tremendous relief to a kid struggling to know that there is a reason why that doesn't mean she is "dumb." 2) It starts a paper trail to get accomodations if needed when she goes to school--whether that is college or earlier, as well as for accomodations on tests such as the SAT. It's easier to get accomodations if the paper trail starts earlier than later. 3) If she is struggling silently with reading, a good eval. should tease that out. You may be able to help her with different strategies than you would have otherwise known to choose.

 

AAS is a good program to use if she does have a disability in spelling, so you're already on the right track there. The software programs that we now have that correct spelling within the context will be a "work-around" strategy that most dyslexics will end up benefitting from.

[Lori in MS]

This free webcast by Susan Barton was extremely helpful to me. She will list the symptoms of dyslexia that can be seen as early as age 1. http://www.webcastgroup.com/client/start.asp?wid=0680831062670&auto=true

 

I just found out that my 9 yr old is dyslexic. I was just like you at the beginning but now realize that it is correctible. My son is already making great progress. We are using the Barton Reading and Spelling System which trains the parent to tutor their own children, but if the dyslexia is not severe, AAS will work too. They are both based on the Orton-Gillingham method which is proven to work for dyslexics.

Edited October 26, 2010 by Lori in MS

[EKS]

Google "stealth dyslexia" to see if it fits.

[Jenny in GA]

One thing you may want to do is to get her a formal evaluation now. There are a few positive things you will get out of it: 1) You and your dd will know how her brain is wired; it is a tremendous relief to a kid struggling to know that there is a reason why that doesn't mean she is "dumb." 2) It starts a paper trail to get accomodations if needed when she goes to school--whether that is college or earlier, as well as for accomodations on tests such as the SAT. It's easier to get accomodations if the paper trail starts earlier than later. 3) If she is struggling silently with reading, a good eval. should tease that out. You may be able to help her with different strategies than you would have otherwise known to choose.

 

 

How do I do that exactly, and how much does it cost? Do I call my local elementary school and ask them to do it??

 

And what exactly do I ask for? A "dyslexia test"??

 

Thanks

Jenny

[merry gardens]

...Anyway, several people on that thread said it sounds like she may have a learning disability/dyslexia. I'm not even sure what that it! Is it something you "have," like diabetes, or is it just a way to describe that your skills in something are a little weaker?

 

Let's say I knew for a fact that she had dyslexia. Then what? What do people do to help it? "Treat" it? I don't even know the correct terminology.

 

And if she does have a learning disability, I feel kind of awful that it's gone on this long. I'm wondering if it would have been detected and treated better had she been in school these years.

 

Anyway, I'm guessing I'm looking for anyone to share their experiences and thoughts.

 

Thanks!

Jenny

Hello again.

Do not feel bad. First, you don't know that the problem is dyslexia. Secondly, even if it is dyslexia, there's nothing to feel bad about. It's not your fault and you caught the problems fairly early. Lots of schools don't even want to consider the possibility of dyslexia until the child is in third grade or above. Thirdly, lots of dyslexic children and/or poor spellers in public schools fall through the cracks, espcially the smart kids who compensate in other ways.

 

What you know is that your daughter has problems with spelling. You don't know that she has dyslexia. It might be worth learning more about dyslexia for your own peace of mind and to give you ideas on what to do next. (The Barton's website linked earlier is great!)

 

I don't have an "official diagnosis" of dyslexia for my child who struggles with both reading and spelling. I caught on very early that he had problems. After checking his health with a couple speech therapists, an audiologist and an eye doctor, and consulting a dyslexia specialist on the phone, I eventually found some wonderful programs developed for people with dyslexia. I don't just use it for him. Now I work with him and my other children too to improve spelling and reading using methods and programs that teach children in ways that are particularly helpful to children with dyslexia. Those same methods can be helpful for other children beyond children with dyslexia.

[Dobela]

How do I do that exactly, and how much does it cost? Do I call my local elementary school and ask them to do it??

 

And what exactly do I ask for? A "dyslexia test"??

 

Thanks

Jenny

Your local elementary school will not diagnose dyslexia. Their testing is only to determine if a child qualifies for special education services. They will give an evaluation to determine ability (AKA IQ) and then give achievement tests to see if the child is 'performing at the expected level' or not. If not, they will most likely say the child has a nonspecific learning disability in whatever subjects this shows up in.

 

There is no guarantee that the schools would have caught any specific learning issue. And if they had, their techniques at remediation often have lots of bad side effects - like failing a grade without modifications first to prove it isn't the child's lack of motivation or maturity first.

 

If your insurance will cover it, I would personally do the testing outside of the school. Using the school for those initial tests can save you hundreds of dollars. However, it can also take months and schools are not usually so friendly to homeschoolers wanting help. When we were needing testing for our son, we found a psychologist known for educational testing thru our pediatrician. Then, thru this person we were given the names of people who specialized in reading disorders and could assess for dyslexia.

 

:grouphug: The hardest part is this stage - the finding help, necessary evaluations, and all that.

[razorbackmama]

We are about to pay about $550 for testing. *cough cough* But I think it will be worth it. We found our tester from Susan Barton's website: http://www.dys-add.com.

 

I'm suspicious that my 8yo is dyslexic also, but my tester is hesitant to test him since he's so young. Your daughter is at the perfect age, so don't be concerned that you've let it go on "too long."

 

Orton-Gillingham is considered THE way to teach a dyslexic to read/spell. You're on the right track with AAS since it's O-G-based. But you might want to do more research to find out if you may need something more "true" O-G, since you've been using it for so long and haven't seemed to make much progress. (Or HAVE you?)

 

Definitely check out Susan Barton's website - it's a wealth of info!

[Paisley Hedgehog]

nm

Edited November 21, 2012 by Shari

[Dobela]

Scottish Rite Clinics will provide testing if one is near you.

 

http://www.altaread.org/home.asp is how we found some of our specialists and tutors.

[speedmom4]

You are definitely not alone. My daughter at 9 could not spell at all. She was probably on a second grade level and has stayed there until recently. She was reading on grade level and was doing math on grade level.

 

I tried EVERY spelling program out there. I hated Spell to Write and Read. It was just too teacher intensive. All the other ones didn't work.

 

Now my daughter is 13. We are working through AAS also. I began her on the 3rd level. She is doing really well. Everything is beginning to click. We spend as much time on each lesson as needed. Most of the time she does a lesson a day. She will start Level 4 in a about a month.

 

Since we have been drilling the AAS rules and sounds she is spelling so much better. Has your daughter improved since starting AAS?

 

God Bless,

[Laurie4b]

How do I do that exactly, and how much does it cost? Do I call my local elementary school and ask them to do it??

 

And what exactly do I ask for? A "dyslexia test"??

 

Thanks

Jenny

 

The cheapest way to approach it is to go through the school first and then get supplemental testing and evaluation from a neuropsychologist. To get testing by the school, write a letter (it has to be in writing so a phone call will not do) stating that you believe that your child has a specific learning disability and requesting an evaluation. They may or may not choose to do the testing depending on your state's laws.

 

The school evaluation will include an IQ test (hopefully the WISC-IV--you may want to ask which IQ test they will use in advance) and achievement testing. Both those tests are components of a full neuropsych work-up, but you would be getting them free. You can then take those results to a neuropsych for further evaluation and testing. This could save you as much as $1000, depending on the price of evaluation in your area. It is highly unlikely to be covered by insurance, so if $$ is an issue at all, this can be a good way to go.

 

I like a neuropsychologist for testing because they are qualified to administer some tests that others aren't and seem to have a reputation for giving specific recommendations for teaching strategies, test modifications, etc. Hopefully if you ask around, you'll find someone in your area who is recommended. Other homeschool moms might know. Or ask around for other professionals, like speech & language therapists or tutors and then call them to ask who they would recommend for testing. You can also ask your pediatrician. The most important thing is a lot of satisfied parents who got results they can use.

 

Be aware that "dyslexia" is not a diagnostic term, there are arguments about what it means, and it is not important if you get that specific word in your diagnostic work-up. Some neuropsychs will use it; others may use only the DSM IV designations lwhich are more like "Learning disability in reading and written language." (I'm too lazy to go look up the exact terms in my DSM) Whatever the terms used, you'll have info that you and your dd can make use of.

 

The book that is a compilation of the latest research is called "Overcoming Dyslexia" by Sally Shaywitz. I would read that before you read other books because you'll be starting with what is research-based. Then, if you come across something based on another theory, you may choose to pursue that, but you'll know what you're deviating from and why. I think that's a better route than reading this book or that because some of them are "out there" but you won't know until you know what is validated.

[KatieJo]

Don't feel bad. I just got a diagnosis of dyslexia for my then-11yo dd. She is an excellent reader but a horrible speller. She also can't remember her math facts from day to day, despite years of work.

 

We used an educational consultant recommended by HSLDA and other HSing moms in our area. She did a lot of testing, including an Intelligence test. As someone else said, very intelligent children compensate well, so don't display as "typical" dyslexia- whatever that is!

 

I elected to go with Barton, starting at Level 1. We, too, have done every spelling program out there, to no avail. Since her problem is phonological sequencing, I wanted to deal with that. She rocketed through the first 3 levels and is now in Level 5. Her spelling is improving daily! She is writing a book- that is utterly unbelievable, since it was like pulling teeth to get her to write a sentence before Barton. She uses her Franklin Spelling Ace, which Barton starts teaching them to use in Level 4.

 

I hope this encourages you. You are probably dealing with a very intelligent little one, who is compensating for many of the problems of dyslexia. I personally would get an evaluation by an independent consultant and go from there. It has made all the difference for us.

 

Katie

[razorbackmama]

We used an educational consultant recommended by HSLDA and other HSing moms in our area.

How did you get the recommendation from HSLDA? Is it on their website, or did you have to call? Is it a members-only feature? (I'm not a member.)

[KatieJo]

I called HSLDA. It probably is a members-only feature. I just got an email from them today asking for people to send them contact information for special needs consultants so they can expand their recommendations.

 

Diane Craft is in Colorado. Her website is http://www.diannecraft.org/ She does evaluations and is one of HSLDAs Special needs consultants. It may be a place to start anyway. I'm not sure she would be the best choice for an evaluation for dyslexia but she may know of someone who is.

 

Check with your state's homeschooling organization and any local support groups.

 

Praying that you get the answers you need.