petepie2 Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 I need some help for a friend of mine (she's not on these boards), and I've done enough perusing on these boards to know that SOMEONE has seen some of these same issues in their child and can offer some suggestions. Her DD is in 4th grade. She struggles with writing (including penmanship) and spelling. She also tires easily when reading (like after 10 minutes) and starts to lose focus. She cannot answer questions about what she reads on her own unless it happens to be a picture book or a below grade level book. She ignores punctuation when she reads aloud, and she sometimes switches out words with similar words. For math.....She struggled immensely with Saxon Math 3 and is now using Teaching Textbooks 4. She scores on average 86%, but still needs interaction with her mom to stay focused on math. For standardized testing, she did the Terra Nova in 2nd and the CAT in 3rd. She aced everything except for spelling, even scoring 100% on the reading comprehension part. (As an aside, this conversation came about in the context of choosing standardized testing, as she doesn't feel these previous tests have given her any useful information.) Back to writing/spelling, in 1st & 2nd grade she spelled everything without vowels except the pronoun I. She also rarely left spaces between words. She could do well on copywork, comparatively speaking, but handwriting has always been very difficult. Her mom thinks she learned to read at an average pace. She still writes numbers and letters backwards but not out of order. She has started putting spaces between words this year (in 4th grade) and now includes vowels in most words. This is a sample from her journal: Fed 28,2014 My2favoret anemalon NaRNia are minutas an falns. ILike minutars Becan thay hold2Sordat a time and thay are flexabull. I like falns Becals tumnis isa faln and tumnis is the fers anemal luce sowinNarNia. I Love NarNia! Her strengths are auditory. She can listen to her mom read (well above grade level) for long periods of time and can narrate back. She has a great ear for music, but is having difficulty actually learning to read music. What does this sound like to you? Thanks in advance!! :lurk5: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 Has she considered getting an evaluation through a neuropsychologist and an eye exam through a Developmental Optometrist (not a normal eye doctor)? Everyone here can make guesses, but what she really needs are concrete answers for the specific issues that might exist as well as any strengths that can be nurtured and tapped into.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petepie2 Posted February 23, 2014 Author Share Posted February 23, 2014 Has she considered getting an evaluation through a neuropsychologist and an eye exam through a Developmental Optometrist (not a normal eye doctor)? Everyone here can make guesses, but what she really needs are concrete answers for the specific issues that might exist as well as any strengths that can be nurtured and tapped into.... I think that's where she's at right now, realizing that there is more than just a spelling issue going on. To this point it's maybe been a matter of not knowing what is normal for her age, and also trusting the standardized tests results and believing everything is okay with her reading. She has mentioned that she suspects dysgraphia and is now wondering about dyslexia. I think she needs some affirmation that, yes, her DD needs to be evaluated. I'm sure those of you in similar boats can sympathize with the desires to not "label" your child and to prevent your child from feeling inferior in any way. I'm not in her shoes, but I'm sure having your child evaluated can be a very emotional thing for both parent and child. Any encouragement in that area that I can pass along? Does all that make sense? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tokyomarie Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 I think that's where she's at right now, realizing that there is more than just a spelling issue going on. To this point it's maybe been a matter of not knowing what is normal for her age, and also trusting the standardized tests results and believing everything is okay with her reading. She has mentioned that she suspects dysgraphia and is now wondering about dyslexia. I think she needs some affirmation that, yes, her DD needs to be evaluated. I'm sure those of you in similar boats can sympathize with the desires to not "label" your child and to prevent your child from feeling inferior in any way. I'm not in her shoes, but I'm sure having your child evaluated can be a very emotional thing for both parent and child. Any encouragement in that area that I can pass along? Does all that make sense? Worry about "labels" is common. We had that worry at our house, too. It was the thought that if you called a student's difficulties by a name, it automatically meant they would be considered "defective" and the possibilities for their future were stunted. In today's world, that is the furthest thing from the truth, if the information is handled well. When a family begins to grapple with the idea that assessment means "now we can better understand how the child's brain works" and "plan educational intervention to match the child's specific learning needs," the worry of having a diagnosis or label dissipates. Sure, if significant weaknesses are found, the first emotions can be pretty weighty. But there is also relief, knowing that the parent isn't imagining things, that the child really is struggling in some way for good reason. For us, getting an assessment also meant getting connected with professionals in the community who could help. We waited WAAAAY too long for an assessment and by that time our child had significant social and emotional consequences from going so many years feeling like he was dumb, stupid, and incapable. Thankfully, with the an evaluator who also could see our son's strengths, and the help of specific professionals, we got started on a path towards a better life. Our life post-assessment IS better. Our son has grown so much academically, but he also now views himself as a capable student and his motivation for learning has returned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 Having answers that showed that the kids were very bright but learned differently and knowing what those differences were was a HUGE relief and a tremendous help. The kids were happy (and so were we) to have answers. They both were secretly beginning to believe that they were stupid and incapable. Instead, they have some great strengths, along with some areas of struggle. Seeing that explained helped a lot. In fact, it was a tremendous weight off our shoulders. If she is really worried about the labels, what helped me and my DH and the rest of the family was reading The Mislabeled Child and The Dyslexic Advantage both by Brock and Fernette Eide before reading anything on specific ways to address labeled learning issues. It helped us see the big picture and it also helped to see the flip side of the coin, to see that many, many people who have learning differences have incredible gifts, too. They just may not be very obvious. Hope that helps....best wishes and good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petepie2 Posted February 24, 2014 Author Share Posted February 24, 2014 This is all very encouraging...Thanks so much...I'll be passing all of it along.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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