Please help me with these CTOPP results

[destinyohio]

Without overwhelming everyone with the history, here was my post from November explaining "symptoms" we'd noticed (http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/575444-what-would-these-symptoms-suggest-to-you-please-help/).

 

Fast forward a few months...DD just turned 8...we decided to do dyslexia screening (with a Barton approved screener...can't diagnose obviously).

 

I'm going to put the results below.  I guess what I need help with is what to do next.  I never would have guessed DD was so "below average" until the test results.  And those close to us would describe her as "bright".  I feel like I've failed her.

 

My main three questions right now...

1) Because she picked up on reading fairly quickly I never really followed any full phonics program.  Also, we've been pretty laid back about school.  Like we haven't really focused on spelling yet.  So is it possible that THAT is what has caused these scores?  

2) Honestly, I don't see many issues with her reading and she comprehends well to me...most of the issues that have stuck out to me more are not able to memorize math facts, can't grasp time on an analog clock, poor spelling, thinking she "can't" read more than Level 2 readers, and quirky things like perfectionism, sensitivities, etc.  I'm stressing myself out trying to figure out WHAT to do with her next.  Does she really need Barton?  Should we work through AAR and AAS?  Or something else?

3) I'm also contemplating what to do with math?!?!?  We have MUS now, but it is like pulling teeth for her to do it.  It is too repetitive for her.  And do we move on from basic facts if she doesn't have them memorized?  She "gets" the concept of addition.

 

Sorry for all of the mumbling...I am just confused right now.  Thank you for your help!!!!

 

 

RESULTS:

 DD has many of the common warning signs of dyslexia including the following:

• Handwriting difficulties with spacing, using the lines properly, improper use of lower-case and upper-case letters

• Letter or number reversals continuing past the end of first grade

• Slow, choppy, inaccurate reading:

o guesses based on shape or context or picture clues

o reads a word on one page but does not recognize it on the next

o skips or misreads prepositions (at, to, of)

o ignores suffixes

o ignores punctuation

o can’t sound out unknown words – despite being taught phonics

o is fatigued after reading a short time

• Terrible spelling

• Difficulty telling time on a clock with hands

• Confuses letters with a similar shape such as b-d

• Trouble with math

o memorizing basic math facts

o directionality

• Dislikes school and argues and complains a lot about schoolwork.

Word retrieval difficulty when speaking

o Lots of “whatyamacallits†and “thingiesâ€

• Family members with a history of reading difficulties (father, uncle)

 

READING: DD has struggled a lot with reading and she does not like to read. She only wants to read Level 1, very easy books. She guesses a lot, feels overwhelmed and makes excuses not to read. Her spelling is terrible. Despite all of that, her reading seems to have progressed this year because she knows more words now. She has used a reading curriculum, All About Reading, that has some of the components of a structured literacy program.

 

SCHOOLWORK: Two schoolwork writing samples showed some of DD’s difficulties with spelling and other difficulties typical of students with dyslexia: b-d confusion, many sight words misspelled, most other words misspelled, sound confusions such litr for little, and she did not consistently capitalize.

 

FLUENCY: A one minute reading fluency test at the second grade level showed that DD seemed to be “on track†with her WCPM for her grade level. However, DD was unable to adequately comprehend what she read. True literacy is NOT simple word identification. True literacy is reading with comprehension. It is a myth that students with dyslexia do not read at all. Many do read, but they read inefficiently as described in the warning signs. It takes them so much brain energy just to identify the words they do not have energy left to actually comprehend what they read.

 

Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing

This normed, standardized test assesses phonological awareness, phonological memory, and rapid naming. A deficit in one or more of these language processing areas is the most common cause of a reading or spelling disability. A weakness in one or more of these areas is a hallmark of dyslexia.

DD’s uneven development of phonological processing is obvious when looking at his standard scores on these subtests:

 

Subtest-Standard Score-Percentile

Elision 7 (16 %ile)

Blending Words 8 (25 %ile)

Phoneme Isolation 6 (9 %ile)

Memory for Digits 10 (50 %ile)

Nonword Repetition 6 (9 %ile)

Rapid Digit Naming 7 (16 %ile)

Rapid Letter Naming 8 (25 %ile)

Blending Nonwords 12 (75 %ile)

Segmenting Nonwords 11 (63 %ile)

 

When the subtests are grouped into skill categories, DD’s composite scores were:

Composites Composite Score Percentile

Phonological Awareness 21 (12 %ile) Below Avg

Phonological Memory 16 (21 %ile) Below Avg

Rapid Naming 15 (16 %ile) Below Avg

Alter. Phonological Awareness 23 (75 %ile) Avg

 

A Phonological Awareness composite score at the 12th %ile is a weakness. But DD’s average Alternate Phonological Awareness composite score shows that she has partially developed phonemic awareness. It shows that she can blend nonsense words. Notice the Blending Words subtest was also her highest score on real words. DD has had instruction this school year with the All About Reading curriculum, which specifically teaches the sounds of our language at the beginning and works on blending skills as well. This is the easiest skills to remediate, and her Alternate Phonological Awareness is likely high due to this structured teaching. She may also have done better with nonsense words because she did not try to picture the words. Since her visual memory for symbols is weak, trying to picture the words would not help.

 

But she can't do 3 steps at once, which is what the Elision subtest requires: break, delete, and blend back what's left. That's why her Elision score is so low. She also had difficulty identifying and breaking out specific phonemes (individual sounds) from a word. These wo difficulties lowered her Phonological Awareness Composite score. So analysis of the two composites indicates that DD has uneven development of phonological awareness, an absolutely critical skill if one is to become a good reader and speller.

 

A Phonological Memory score at the 21st percentile is a weakness. Phonological Memory measures DD’s ability to temporarily store sounds in his memory. The CTOPP scoring manual states that phonological memory is useful when attempting to decode new words, particularly words that are long enough to decode bit by bit, as a means of storing intermediate sounds. A phonological memory weakness can hinder the ability to learn new written and spoken vocabulary. Since this score is low, it is a strong indication of DD’s weakness in storing sounds.

 

Rapid Naming measures DD’s abilities to work with letters and numbers. A score at the 16th %ile is a weakness. The letters and numbers are an indicator of how DD deals specifically with print. It is also an indicator of possible weak word retrieval skills, which, in fact is one of DD’s warning signs of dyslexia.

According to the CTOPP scoring manual, a weakness in one or more of these composite areas is a hallmark of dyslexia. DD is weak in 3 areas: phonological awareness, phonological memory, rapid symbolic naming.

 

 

Edited March 30, 2016 by destinyohio

[freesia]

Having dyslexia is not a failure on the part of the parent. put that thought to rest and take a deep breath.

[Incognito]

Having trouble reading doesn't negate your daughter being smart or bright or even gifted.  It means that reading is really hard.  

 

There are a lot of different ways to approach each area of struggle with dyslexia, but you might like to read the book Dyslexic Advantage to get a more positive spin on the whole thing before you get too bogged down in remediation.

 

For what it is worth, you probably didn't know how hard it all was for your daughter BECAUSE she is so bright and is working so hard she is able to compensate for her struggles.

 

As far as what to do - pick ONE thing.  That is my best advice.  You can't do everything, but you can do ONE thing.  Choose a program and go with that, be sure to have fun with learning in areas that come more easily, and plug away at the really hard stuff little by little.  If everything is going along smoothly after a couple of months, maybe you will be ready for something else or something more, but try not to rush or feel pressured.  Rome wasn't built in a day, and dyslexia is not remediated in a day either.

 

ETA: If you want a specific program - we had immense success with Fast ForWord.  I feel like they should pay me for how glowingly I talk about them.  They are not a good fit for everyone, though (and I believe they are boring as anything if your child has played any real fun computer games these will be a hard sell).  You can look on their site and see the activities and see if they target what might be helpful for you.

Edited March 31, 2016 by Incognito

[PeterPan]

If you're in Ohio, you can use those scores to get an IEP and qualify for the Jon Peterson scholarship.  

 

Obviously they're objectively low, but even more telling is that you say she's so bright.  That means you probably have high discrepancy with IQ.  You want a full psych eval to see if there's more going on like ADHD.  

 

If you want the Jon Peterson, don't begin Barton until you get the ps evals done.

[geodob]

The explanation could be with the Rapid Naming scores, and also the 'Word retrieval difficulty when speaking.  Lots of “whatyamacallits†and “thingiesâ€

 

What is behind this, is the simple fact that we save visual images in our Visual cortex, and save sounds in our Auditory cortex.

In different regions of the brain.

The connections between our Auditory and Visual Cortex, are something that needs to be developed and strengthened.  To point that an image instantly connects with its sound, and vice versa.

But when their isn't a fluent connection, then this will be reflected in Rapid letter and digit Naming scores.

 

Though the difficulty with letters and numbers, is just part of this difficulty. As it will extend to the Rapid Object Naming.

With the "Lots of “whatyamacallits†and “thingiesâ€, being an example of this.

 

But importantly, research has shown that this can developed through practice.

Which develops the connections between the Auditory and Visual Cortex.

That uses photographs with lots of known objects.  Which are pointed, and then have to be named.

If you tried this with your DD, you would most likely find that she is generally very slow with naming them?

 

Yet if you practiced this with her daily for about 5 minutes?

You would very likely notice her getting faster and faster at naming objects.

With a noticeable difference, over a week.

Where it actually builds neural connections, between the Auditory and Visual Cortexes.

This will carry over to more fluent connections between letters and numbers.

 

Magazines or books with lots of photos, can be used to practice with.