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Hi.   This is a school related thing (as my son, currently being homeschooled through a district program, will be going back to the classroom next year).  I know there's people here who like us, go back and forth with homeschool so I figured someone here might be able to give advice.   This is kind of long.
 

The following was the "Recommendations" listed on the last page of our Triennial testing through my son's school.  I am homeschooling him through a district program now but he will be in the classroom next year.  I am wondering if the following is appropriate for a child with ADHD and Dyslexia and if there is anything further you would push for if you were in my place.   Also, I have some things I've already thought about pushing to be added on his IEP and would like your opinion of how likely I am to get this or how appropriate it is.   We are in California.  

 

 


1. Keep directions short and use visual when possible.

2. Highlight important information within word problems/comprehension questions.

3. Limit the number of new facts, words, concepts presented in one session.

4. Provide activities to increase rate and fluency (e.g., flash cards, speed drills, educational software).

5. To increase fluency,confidence in reading, and memory of language, have student engage in repeated reading, or reading the same story several times at his instructional level.

6. Provide frequently misspelled word list.

7. Provide drill and practice for memorizing of spelling words. Use cover, copy, compare strategies for spelling.

8. Having longer assignments broken into smaller parts.

 

---

I want to push for following modifications in addition (or in one case in stead of the above).  


1.   READING:  I'd like him to get one on one or small group Orthan Gillingham reading tutoring through the school.

2.   SPELLING I am concerned about the suggestions for spelling.   My son has difficulty with rote memorization, and the spelling suggestions seem to rely primarily on rote memorization strategies, once which the school used in 2019 and which did not seem to help.  What has been shown to help in the past is to teach primarily through teaching spelling rules (through an Orthan Gillingham program) and only relying solely on rote memorization when those rules are insufficient (rule-breakers).  If it possible to specify that he receive specific instruction in spelling rules?   I am willing to continue to teach spelling at home through All About Spelling if that REPLACES what is being done at school (is that even something you can ask?).   I'd also would like spelling lists to be 15 words or less.   The last time he was in school (5th grade) he had 30 words lists and it was just too much for retention.


3.   TECH SUPPORT.   I'd like him to have access to a speech to text program for major writing assignments.  I'd like him to have access to speech to text to speech programs or dictation for content area reading (Science, History) done in class.   The whole school got chromebooks due to distance learning so I think this won't be an undoable request.

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Tech is so integrated in the schools that it doesn't really look special/different for a while. Is the OT doing an assistive tech eval for you? The OT did for our IEP tri-ennial update this year and he was very thorough. That data drives the recommendations. Being able to type is normal. Needing a scribe gets specified. My ds' IEP specified how mch he could be required to write by hand and when it switches to scribe/type. Frankly his issues are enough that typing is only *slightly* easier than writing anyway, sigh. But in 5th they weren't really making goals for typing. They look at what regular students are doing, and if it's formative for them then they sorta just watch how it unfolds and don't make goals. IE. you get goals once it's a disaster, lol.

Our school mainstreams anyone unless behavior dictates otherwise. It's just the vibe, the goal, heavy inclusion, as absolutely often as possible, even if it's crazy. So that's inclusion classroom with intervention specialists in the room and a resource room for specialized instruction. ED classroom if he can't function in the inclusion classroom. So it really just depends on what kinds of classes your school has. Our school is very cognizant that putting my ds in a more restrictive placement also means kids with more behavior issues. They want him in the best behaved class he can survive in, if that makes sense. 

On the reading goals, that would depend on what the evals show. My ds has had decoding goals, spelling goals, comprehension goals. I would think a 5th grader would be working on comprehension at this point. Does your school have someone who is OG trained? Our school has reading specialists, and they're trained in whatever they're trained in. In our school it's complete (remove not nice word) and at another school OG. Just varies. Your school is likely to write goals that fit the data they get with the evals and then use a combination of specialized and gen ed instruction. But if the gen ed person can do it, that's what they'll do. If they can hit both spelling and reading/decoding with a morphology goal, that's what they'll do. 

While you can ask for what you want and advocate, reality is you're working within the system of how they do things. If their reading specialist uses xyz, then that's what they use. If you want something else, that's after schooling.

If what you're doing currently is a good mix, what about continuing next school year?

1 hour ago, goldenecho said:

1. Keep directions short and use visual when possible.

2. Highlight important information within word problems/comprehension questions.

3. Limit the number of new facts, words, concepts presented in one session.

4. Provide activities to increase rate and fluency (e.g., flash cards, speed drills, educational software).

5. To increase fluency,confidence in reading, and memory of language, have student engage in repeated reading, or reading the same story several times at his instructional level.

6. Provide frequently misspelled word list.

7. Provide drill and practice for memorizing of spelling words. Use cover, copy, compare strategies for spelling.

8. Having longer assignments broken into smaller parts.

A lot of this is listed at the end of my ds' IEP as sort of a methods thing, just one long run on sentence of teaching clutter. So yes, they'll probably have a whole standard list they'll write in. GOALS are much more specific, the actual specialized instruction that needs to happen. That will be things like Johnny will answer questions with x % when given a source, etc. 

The main thing on your end is to give them the information to compel them to do thorough evals. My school wanted to blow off the tech thing, when it's actually a whole line of its own in the eval planning form!! They're like oh not this and I'm like no really YES THIS. So the OT spent a solid hour or more going over just tech, comparing his typing and writing and dictating and doing all kinds of stuff to assess functionality. But you don't get thorough evals every time because they sorta move people on through. So any data you have that can drive more thorough evals is what you want to provide. That's the big win. Once they have that data, they'll know how to make the goals, easy peasy. But they screw you by not running the evals in the first place.

So if you think he has decoding issues or comprehension issues or handwriting issues or whatever, you have to say it and compel them to run the evals.

 

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6 minutes ago, PeterPan said:

Being able to type is normal. Needing a scribe gets specified. My ds' IEP specified how mch he could be required to write by hand and when it switches to scribe/type. Frankly his issues are enough that typing is only *slightly* easier than writing anyway, sigh. But in 5th they weren't really making goals for typing. They look at what regular students are doing, and if it's formative for them then they sorta just watch how it unfolds and don't make goals. IE. you get goals once it's a disaster, lol.

We've tried both typing and writing at home and it's no better.   Maybe once he gets faster at typing but he's not there yet.   Regardless, it's the getting the words from his brain to the screen that's hard.   Just copying a paragraph by typing takes an hour.  Writing a paragraph by hand takes and hour.   He can dictate a whole essay, with organization and everything, in an hour.   That's the difference it makes. 

It's not that I don't want him not to do any writing (by hand or typed).   I think the short answer stuff has been good for him to do at least some of the time by hand.   But in middle school they are getting into new forms of writing that they haven't practiced much if at all in elementary, and I'd like the "learning how to write content" to be separated from the act of writing it down because it's just too much for him to process together.   He's so slow that by the time he physically writes or types half a sentence he's lost his thought...like the process of how to write the words takes his full concentration. 

6 minutes ago, PeterPan said:

 

On the reading goals, that would depend on what the evals show. My ds has had decoding goals, spelling goals, comprehension goals. I would think a 5th grader would be working on comprehension at this point.

His reading is still interfering with comprehension.   When he reads out loud he is missing so many words that he's misunderstanding the text because of it.  And while some of it is longer/harder words he still commonly has trouble with blends (from and form he mixes up a LOT, for example.  So many times reading a science text he's mixed those up in ways that would greatly alter meaning.). 

6 minutes ago, PeterPan said:

 

If what you're doing currently is a good mix, what about continuing next school year?

 

There's some other reasons I think he needs to be in school now.   And I know that doing stuff "after school" doesn't work well unless it can replace homework (he can't do extra...he just can't.   Burn out is real).  Like I'd totally be willing to just handle spelling myself using the curriculum we have after school if it could replace what they were doing (he gets a break in school when they do spelling, and no spelling homework save what I do).   But for some reason I can't imaging a school doing that. 

The elementary school that bleeds into this one has good special ed classes.   There were very little behavioral issues there cause frankly they took time for that.   Behavior isn't his issue (apart from shutting down or breaking into tears when stressed).  I've heard good things about the Special ed classes and we've been working with the special ed teacher once a week with this district homeschool program and I like her. 

 

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28 minutes ago, goldenecho said:

We've tried both typing and writing at home and it's no better.   Maybe once he gets faster at typing but he's not there yet.   Regardless, it's the getting the words from his brain to the screen that's hard.   Just copying a paragraph by typing takes an hour.  Writing a paragraph by hand takes and hour.   He can dictate a whole essay, with organization and everything, in an hour.   That's the difference it makes. 

It's not that I don't want him not to do any writing (by hand or typed).   I think the short answer stuff has been good for him to do at least some of the time by hand.   But in middle school they are getting into new forms of writing that they haven't practiced much if at all in elementary, and I'd like the "learning how to write content" to be separated from the act of writing it down because it's just too much for him to process together.   He's so slow that by the time he physically writes or types half a sentence he's lost his thought...like the process of how to write the words takes his full concentration. 

You're going to tell the this and push for the assistive tech eval. That's how they quantify it and that data drives the IEP goals.

31 minutes ago, goldenecho said:

His reading is still interfering with comprehension.   When he reads out loud he is missing so many words that he's misunderstanding the text because of it.  And while some of it is longer/harder words he still commonly has trouble with blends (from and form he mixes up a LOT, for example.  So many times reading a science text he's mixed those up in ways that would greatly alter meaning.). 

What reading intervention is he currently getting? Are you sure his diagnoses are complete? That sounds like there could be more going on, say with vision or the auditory phonological processing. Has he had any private evals? Dyslexia + ADHD might not be a complete explanation, hence the slow response to intervention. The school is not going to be well equipped for visual processing and auditory processing evals. There's a little bit they can do, but private might help here.

33 minutes ago, goldenecho said:

I've heard good things about the Special ed classes and we've been working with the special ed teacher once a week with this district homeschool program and I like her. 

This is really good! And is she contributing to the evals and working on the team? That should help, definitely, because she'll know him. We've had the same intervention specialist on our team almost the whole way, and it helps immensely. She remembers him from year to year and can give really good advice. 

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Yes to text to speech and add access to a free chrome extension, such as grammarly.

In the tech eval they will time writing, typing, and voice dictation. The discrepancy will drive the allowance for the chrome book. 🙂 

I would also be looking for extended time for testing to allow for breaks. 
 

You might also consider a grading for content not for length accommodation.

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Some that come to mind:

Orton Gillingham instruction

Extended time on tests

Access to a quiet space for tests

Directions read orally as well as written

Unless he's being tested on decoding, having reading passages and assignments (and math/science problems) read to him. 

Access to audiobooks for any reading he needs to do for school

Do you know what his cognitive profile looks like? I took a really neat class this winter on threading accomodations from the student's cognitive profile and how to get the best matches. 

 

I'm a middle school special educator.

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On 5/12/2021 at 4:13 PM, AmandaVT said:

Some that come to mind:

Orton Gillingham instruction

Extended time on tests

Access to a quiet space for tests

Directions read orally as well as written

Unless he's being tested on decoding, having reading passages and assignments (and math/science problems) read to him. 

Access to audiobooks for any reading he needs to do for school

Do you know what his cognitive profile looks like? I took a really neat class this winter on threading accomodations from the student's cognitive profile and how to get the best matches. 

 

I'm a middle school special educator.

Thanks!   I'm not sure about his cognitive profile or whether they did one of those.  The tests we took this time were...

Psychologist:
● Behavior Assessment System for Children, Third Ed. (BASC-3)
● Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-V (WISC-V)
● Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing- 2 (CTOPP-2)
● Test of Orthographic Processing (TOC)
● Conners- 3 rd edition
● Test of Auditory Processing Skills- 4 th edition (TAPS-4)

SDC Teacher:
Woodcock-Johnson IV Tests of Achievement (WJ-IV Ach)

Speech and Language Pathologist:
The Social Language Development Test- Adolescent (SLDT-A: NU)
The Clinical Assessment of Pragmatics (CAPs)
The Test of Problem Solving Adolescent 2, (A test of Reasoning in Context)
The Test of Narrative Language 2 (TNL-2)
The Stuttering Severity Instrument 4 (SSI-4

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The WISC V is a cognitive test. What you want to look for is any scores that are lower than the average. So, for instance, if the Full Scale IQ is 100, Fluid reasoning is 99, Verbal Comprehension is 101, and processing speed and/or working memory is in the 80's, that can be a flag for a learning disability. If processing speed is low comparatively, you are probably going to want to make sure things like extra time on tests are built in to his IEP. 

Did the CTOPP come in low? 

Double check all clusters of the Woodcock Johnson - he may qualify under Basic Reading Skills (dyslexia) but if other areas are low (ie. spelling, written expression), he can (and should) qualify for services in those areas as well. 

Happy to answer any specific questions you might have!

 

 

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4 hours ago, goldenecho said:

Speech and Language Pathologist:
The Social Language Development Test- Adolescent (SLDT-A: NU)
The Clinical Assessment of Pragmatics (CAPs)
The Test of Problem Solving Adolescent 2, (A test of Reasoning in Context)
The Test of Narrative Language 2 (TNL-2)
The Stuttering Severity Instrument 4 (SSI-4

Did they give you the results of any of those? That's a lot of great stuff. 

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23 hours ago, AmandaVT said:

The WISC V is a cognitive test. What you want to look for is any scores that are lower than the average. So, for instance, if the Full Scale IQ is 100, Fluid reasoning is 99, Verbal Comprehension is 101, and processing speed and/or working memory is in the 80's, that can be a flag for a learning disability. If processing speed is low comparatively, you are probably going to want to make sure things like extra time on tests are built in to his IEP. 

Did the CTOPP come in low? 

Double check all clusters of the Woodcock Johnson - he may qualify under Basic Reading Skills (dyslexia) but if other areas are low (ie. spelling, written expression), he can (and should) qualify for services in those areas as well. 

Happy to answer any specific questions you might have!

 

 

We've had the first half of our IEP since I wrote this.   Even though the triennial only says signs of dyslexia, they are changing the IEP so that he qualifies for Specific Learning Disability (they are adding it as a 2nd, as they still think ADHD should be primary as it affects more areas of learning...I'm not sure how important 1st or 2nd categorization is).     We the beginning of our IEP meeting last week but it went long so we are finishing up Tuesday.

He definitely flags for learning disability based one what you said.
On WISC V fluid reasoning was below average last triennial but it's a high average this time (75th percentile...jumped way up - 79/103).  Verbal comprehension was also average both times (98/103).   Processing speed is well below average (53/60).  Auditory working memory was 60 last time (not tested this time--or at least it wasn't named the same thing) and working memory was 72 this time.     If you say an "80" is an indicator when the other two were higher, that definately sounds like it.  

CTOPP was low both this time and last time though it seemed like they tested different things this and last time.

Last time (3 years ago) they tested Phonological Awareness Composit and he was well below average in Elison (?) and blending words but was average in phoneme isolation.   They didn't test on any of that this time.   This time they tested RAPID SYMBOLIC NAMING and he was low in both Rapid Digit Naming and Rapid Letter Naming.    

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