Gentlemommy Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 Where would I find that info? I just briefly looked at a link from Susan Bartons site about dyslexia, and dd6.5 fits almost all of the symptoms for dyslexia. :confused: It would definitely explain a LOT about her. I'm a little overwhelmed right now, and I want to get her the help she needs...I feel horrid for not realizing this before now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gentlemommy Posted October 9, 2011 Author Share Posted October 9, 2011 So, I am looking at buying the Gillingham Manual...I see that there a a few sets of cards I need as well, but I'm not sure which ones. Has anyone used this book? Could you give me some direction as to which set(s) of cards I'll need? There is one with 170 cards, one with 610 cards, and I think one more... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nukeswife Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 If you think your dd may need vision therapy go to http://www.covd.org and find a Dr that can do a thorough vision exam in your area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wapiti Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 It is important to be clear here: vision therapy does NOT treat dyslexia. Vision therapy treats specific vision problems, which can be mistaken for, or coexist with, dyslexia, and of course there are people with dyslexia who do not have vision problems. You may want to visit the SN board. There is a threat right now in which the nature of dyslexia, and who to see for diagnosis, is being discussed. The SN board is also a great place to discuss curricula such as Barton. For many people, it seems to make sense to rule out vision issues by visiting a covd optometrist while they are also getting tested for dyslexia (the vision testing is much less expensive). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngieW in Texas Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 My dd had visual efficiency issues, visual processing issues, and the visual type of dyslexia (called dyseidetic dyslexia). When we did vision therapy with her at 6yo, I was hoping that would solve all of her issues. It definitely did get rid of her double vision, eye suppression, and depth perception issues. It also took care of her tracking and sweeping issues and fixed a lot of her problems with reversals. But at the end of VT, the therapist said that we should have her evaluated for dyslexia. I am quite certain that she needed the VT. I had started taking her to eye doctors at 3yo because I knew she had a vision problem, but the eye doctors always said that her vision was fine. They couldn't explain why she couldn't make it through a doorway without hitting it one side or the other and why she couldn't seem to tell how close she was to furniture. I did the evaluation through the ps system because we had already spent a fortune on VT and didn't have the money to do a private evaluation. I posted my dd's scores everywhere and had a couple of people respond that my dd's scores looked like dyseidetic type. When I found a description of dyseidetic dyslexia, I was shocked to find that my dd had EVERY characteristic, even after VT. I had never thought she was dyslexic because she didn't fit the characteristics for it, she could rhyme easily. She could spell phonetically regular words easily even though she couldn't read them. She could segment any word, even very long words, correctly. She had a lot of trouble with blending though. The programs that worked for my dd were: Headsprout combined with I See Sam readers followed by Funnix 2 combined with Phonics for Reading 2 followed by Phonics for Reading 3 combined with lots of timed readings and work with nonsense words Later she did Rewards Reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joyofsixreboot Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 If you think your dd may need vision therapy go to http://www.covd.org and find a Dr that can do a thorough vision exam in your area. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeganW Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 It is important to be clear here: vision therapy does NOT treat dyslexia. Vision therapy treats specific vision problems, which can be mistaken for, or coexist with, dyslexia, and of course there are people with dyslexia who do not have vision problems. For many people, it seems to make sense to rule out vision issues by visiting a covd optometrist while they are also getting tested for dyslexia (the vision testing is much less expensive). :iagree: I have two currently in vision therapy, and one on the waiting list. I was told that without this therapy, they would probably eventually be MISdiagnosed as dyslexic. My mother is diagnosed as dyslexic, and displays all the same symptoms my kids had. I have to wonder if she is *really* dyslexic vs. has vision problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeganW Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 I had started taking her to eye doctors at 3yo because I knew she had a vision problem, but the eye doctors always said that her vision was fine. They couldn't explain why she couldn't make it through a doorway without hitting it one side or the other and why she couldn't seem to tell how close she was to furniture. That's exactly what we went through. I KNEW 2 of my kids had vision problems (the 3rd was a surprise). I kept dragging them to the opthamologist and getting her to look, and she keep telling me they were fine despite all the symptoms suggesting vision problems. Turns out they can force their eyes to focus for a few minutes to pass an eye exam, but they can't hold a focus, so they are out of focus most of the day. This was supposedly the best opthomologist in our area - very well respected. She rolled her eyes when I inquired about vision therapy. I went for that eval anyway, because I had to do something. I sat in on the vision exam at the vision therapy doctor, and I could easily see that his tests were showing exactly what I was worrying about. And I was skeptical, so I didn't tell him up front what I was worried about. I let him test and give me the results, and the results matched the things I was seeing at home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IATeachingMom Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 :iagree: I agree too! I took ds to see an eye doctor on that website. We've been doing vision therapy for about 6 weeks and it his reading has jumped up in level! I almost cried the other day when he read a book at the second grade level AND it didn't take us an hour to finish it. However.... he might also have some dyslexia/dysgraphia going on. But we're doing VT first to rule out those problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeganW Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 I agree too! I took ds to see an eye doctor on that website. We've been doing vision therapy for about 6 weeks and it his reading has jumped up in level! I almost cried the other day when he read a book at the second grade level AND it didn't take us an hour to finish it. That's interesting that you say that. NONE of mine were reading when we started VT in August. The two in VT are now reading (one reading WELL, and the other reads most of the basics CVC, basic blends, etc.). The child who hasn't started VT yet has had twice the reading instruction (she gets it with the other two in the morning, then she & I do it again while waiting for the others at VT). Despite getting so much more instruction, she is not reading at this point. Not close. Maybe coincidental, but given that she has always been ahead of the others developmentally for everything else, this has been odd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleIzumi Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 That's exactly what we went through. I KNEW 2 of my kids had vision problems (the 3rd was a surprise). I kept dragging them to the opthamologist and getting her to look, and she keep telling me they were fine despite all the symptoms suggesting vision problems. Turns out they can force their eyes to focus for a few minutes to pass an eye exam, but they can't hold a focus, so they are out of focus most of the day. This was supposedly the best opthomologist in our area - very well respected. She rolled her eyes when I inquired about vision therapy. I went for that eval anyway, because I had to do something. I sat in on the vision exam at the vision therapy doctor, and I could easily see that his tests were showing exactly what I was worrying about. And I was skeptical, so I didn't tell him up front what I was worried about. I let him test and give me the results, and the results matched the things I was seeing at home. :iagree::iagree::iagree::iagree::iagree: I almost cried when I heard dd say, "I can read it MYSELF!" when I offered to read a book to her. Before VT she had to be forced to read a sentence, seriously forced to read an easy reader page, and a book?! No way. It was extremely out of balance with her level in the rest of her academics. From the first week of VT, her reading level, ability, and comfort has increased dramatically. So has her coordination (her 3-D vision wasn't the best in her evaluation, and she would bang into things constantly). She's had 2 months of VT and she's still in it for 5 more weeks. I'm excited. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samiam Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 Is anyone's insurance paying for this? I know insurance varies widely, and I will need to check with my own ,but just wondering if it's ever covered? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleIzumi Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 Is anyone's insurance paying for this? I know insurance varies widely, and I will need to check with my own ,but just wondering if it's ever covered? Sometimes. It was covered by dd's but not by dh's. I'd call the doc & ask if they take your insurance. Dd's looked like it might not cover it online but I called & they take it for 100% coverage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gentlemommy Posted October 9, 2011 Author Share Posted October 9, 2011 Thank you all for the replies! I looked on that website for vision therapy, and found a provider near me. I will call tomorrow. So much of what you all are saying resonates with my experience with dd. I do not think she is dyslexic...but I do think there are some issues there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeganW Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 Thank you all for the replies! I looked on that website for vision therapy, and found a provider near me. I will call tomorrow. So much of what you all are saying resonates with my experience with dd. I do not think she is dyslexic...but I do think there are some issues there. My kids were born at 31 weeks, so have a lot of minor issues. Nothing huge, and it could have been SOOOO much worse, but I can tell you firsthand that the EARLIER you address any issues you need therapy for (any kind of therapy - PT, OT, VT, ST, etc.), the better. If there is ANY thought in your mind that she may have some issues, you need to aggressively pursue answers and seek treatment NOW. The longer you wait, the harder it is to get them excited about therapy, the more compensating habits they have to unlearn, and the further they get behind their peers. If vision problems turn out to NOT be the problem, I would keep looking to other specialities to try and find answers. If your instinct tells you there are some issues, there almost certainly are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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