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do we REALLY need an Ed Pshyc for DS?

29 replies

4oh6 · 12/03/2016 06:12

Hello long time lurker here looking for some perspective here. Ive had a few little niggles about DS who is coming up towards the end of Y6 now - doesnt display any of the usual signs of dyslexia i dont think - however have explored recently with his form teacher as to whether he needs assessing in some way.

Socially hes ok - not necessarily one of the in-crowd. Theres a border line personality clash/bullying with a couple of other boys which is on and off (yes i am aware i hear only 1 side etc etc) - however i digress ....

His teacher seems to think this is a possibly a good idea - im still musing it through as am not keen to label him particularly but at the same time dont want to miss anything crucial.

I asked teacher what i should say if i ring ed psyc ... this is her response: "When you contact the educational psychologist tell them that XXXXXX is an ‘enigma’. His interests and vocabulary suggest high ability and his CATs scores show very high Verbal Reasoning scores. His written work is, however, weak and he struggles to punctuate and structure his written work appropriately. He also works quite laboriously. We are now wanting to investigate whether there is an underlying reason for this discrepancy".

Am interested in other peoples experiences - is the above enough of a marker to warrant firther investigation?

TIA (will prob name change after this post)

OP posts:
scoobyloobyloo · 12/03/2016 06:19

I think in general teachers tend to refer to the ed psych only when they really feel it's needed. I can't see it doing any harm as long as it's explained well to your ds and it may be really useful for accessing any support needed now or in the future.

Good luck.

Noitsnotteatimeyet · 12/03/2016 08:23

Why would you not want to child to be able to access appropriate help?

It sounds like he's struggling with written work now despite being bright and that must be frustrating for him. It's also only going to get harder as he goes through secondary school and the academic expectations increase.

There are many other things apart from dyslexia that ed psychs will consider - maybe there's a processing problem - but if everyone around him knows what's going on they should be able to use appropriate strategies to help him and he may get extra time in exams etc

LIZS · 12/03/2016 08:27

Definitely. A mismatch between intellectual ability and written expression can indicate an underlying Spld.

junebirthdaygirl · 12/03/2016 08:49

There are some red flags there for dyslexia. Often children can have great vocabulary and are very good on discussion but can't hold their ideas in their head long enough to get it on paper. They can think or write but not both at the same time. This can cause them huge frustration and often only becomes apparent as they go up they school when more writing is called for. Think the teachers remarks are excellent and it's good she gets him so well. An educational assessment would be useful for teacher for you and ultimately for your ds as this may get more pronounced with all the writing required in secondary. Having a report for his teachers there would make things easier for him and hopefully he would get more help meantime.
I

HocusCrocus · 12/03/2016 16:10

is the above enough of a marker to warrant firther investigation?

Yes.

Flappingandflying · 12/03/2016 17:29

Depends where he is off to school. You could wait until year 7. He could just be a late developer. She sounds like she's hinting that he is rather quirky. There are pros and cons of getting diagnosed in primary. No scores can be used for access arrangements but then the secondary will know about him and put differentiation in place. The sooner a child owns any difficulry and manages it the better.

stupidgreatgrinonmyface · 12/03/2016 17:58

Why isn't school referring him if they think it necessary. I know that funding may be an issue - in the area where I work, each school has to prioritise their students for ed psych and only the first two, or maybe three on the list will be seen. Even so, I would still be talking to the SENCo/IncCo as they may need to write a letter detailing the difficulties your DS has. Also, if the school believe there's a possibility of sold, they should already be putting some strategies in place, they don't need to wait for an ed psych report to do that. Given the state of school funding, it's unlikely that he would get funding for 1:1, as I think the first ten or twelve hours per week, have to be funded by the school. I have worked with a number of children with spld over the years, some quite severe and the most 1:1 any of them had was ten hours.

cressetmama · 12/03/2016 20:58

I was you! We were recommended an Ed Psych assessment when DC was starting to get labelled stupid and it revealed very poor visual processing. Everyone was relieved, child was taught and assessed more appropriately and allowed more time in exams, and is now much more confident just knowing that certain tasks are likely to take more time than it would take peers.

TeenAndTween · 12/03/2016 21:24

Yes.
DD had some issues in primary which were dismissed / ignored / put down to other things.
Difficulties became more pronounced in secondary but school did not join dots and I didn't know what I was looking for. Would have been so much easier to have earlier assessment and help.

ps. have you looked into signs of dyspraxia ?

getoffthattabletnow · 13/03/2016 16:14

Yes.
I have also been in this position.Ds1 couldn't spell,write coherently or punctuate properly.Now diagnosed with Dyslexia and with appropriate help he is now being taught correctly and is 100% more confident in himself.
Dyslexia used to be considered a ' label ' but not any more.

Whotookmyruler · 13/03/2016 20:32

I have also been there and was quite defensive about Ed Psych involvement. I would do it - you will find out more about your child, how they learn and how best to support them

ElephantsB4me · 14/03/2016 14:14

Sorry to highjack your post OP - I am currently looking into an Ed Psy assessmemt for my DS and researching what i need to do.

What happens at these assessments and where are they usually usually held?

I feel so alone as dont really want to discuss this in RL amongst school mum friends.

Whotookmyruler · 14/03/2016 17:51

Hi Elephants - I know what you mean, but honestly there are more children than you think have these done!

My experience is that they observe the child in a lesson/assembly/playtime and do reading/maths/English assessment as well as a WISC IV (IQ test - which may highlight areas. Hope this helps.

ElephantsB4me · 14/03/2016 17:56

Thanks Who

AliciaMayEmory · 14/03/2016 18:01

Yes I would take the appointment with the information you've given. If they find something it's not a label, it's a diagnosis and as such measure will be taken to make things easier for your DS.

Doorkey · 21/04/2016 06:22

Hi I am the OP here - name changed .....

My D'S had his assessment recently and as suspected it has flagged him up for dyslexia - his weak area is short term memory processing - at least I thibk that's what his EP said - it all became a blurr for me after the word Dyslexia and I found it hard to take in the information myself and ask any relevant questions. The formal report is due this week so u am looking forward to reading that thru and in the meantime I have emailed the EP with a few questions and asking for some background reading for me to understand how I can help D'S.

The EP got my D'S to a T and although it came as a surprise it wsnt unexpected iyswim - and just sort of made sense of it all.

So now I have to absorb what this all means amd approach his secondary school - my question here is what do I need to ask them and whether the EP will go against him in any way.

PotteringAlong · 21/04/2016 06:27

Why on earth will having an EdPsych report with a diagnosis of dyslexia go against him in any way? Just tell the secondary school - it will all be in his handover meeting from primary anyway. Ask to speak to the Senco, ask what help will be in place. Ask about (when the time comes) exam concessions. Job done.

Doorkey · 21/04/2016 06:30

Thanks Pottering - showing my ignorance I suppose Blush.
What other questions do I need to ask the Senco? I suppose setting up a meeting this term with her/him is a good idea .... sorry but I am totally clueless

Toffeelatteplease · 21/04/2016 06:41

Yes definitely.

It is not about just "labelling" your child.

It is about looking at what are the blocks to your child achieving their full potential and can any strategies or provision be put in place to overcome these. If these come in a recognisable set of named symptoms like dyslexia that great; because chances are the right help package of help will already be known about and therefore be easier to access.

The right help can make a massive difference to a child who might not even have realised how much they were struggling.

Toffeelatteplease · 21/04/2016 06:51

Door Key:

You may find it helpful to go through the report and list any additional help or input that is recommended. I would do this under three headings "resources" eg colour coded keyboard, "interventions" eg any help that is required by a computer program or therapist or trained person and "adjustments" eg extra time in exams. This essentially gives you a shopping list of what you are looking for from a school.

I would then ask the SENCO "what provision and interventions are already in place?" A good inclusive school may already have some provisions in place. They response also gives you an idea on their attitudes to inclusion and intervention generally. Then I would ask have they would look to put in place the rest.

WhoKnowsWhereHerMajestyGoes · 21/04/2016 06:58

My DD (yr 5) was assessed and found to have dyslexia earlier this year (privately, at my instigation not the school's). Although I had suspected it for a long time it was still a shock having it confirmed, I felt quite tearful. I sat on the report for a week or so before doing anything with it. We are still at the stage of choosing secondary schools so I made appointments with all the SENCOs of the local ones. When you get the report it should have a list of the types of support that will help, this falls into two categories, the first being "reasonable adjustments", for example homework being given on worksheets instead of having to copy it from a whiteboard. The school should be able to accommodate these without too much difficulty. The second are specific areas for extra teaching which may be harder to obtain, some people engage a private tutor to help with these, sometimes the school will provide some intervention. So, ask the SENCO about these. Also ask how all the subject teachers will be made aware of the additional needs. Also ask whether subjects (especially English) are streamed and if so how this would work for your child. Good luck.

TJEckleburg · 21/04/2016 07:11

Please don't be frightened of dyslexia. And please don't let your negative reaction spread to your child. A diagnosis of dyslexia doesn't mean there's anything wrong with your child, it means you have an explanation of why they struggle with the way they bare being taught at the moment and the detail of the report will give your child's teachers pointers to how to help them in the future.
Dyslexia doesn't mean your child is stupid, they just think differently to the majority. And that can make them more brilliant - my dyslexic 14 year old dd is now now flying at a super academic school when at 7 she was miserable and "average" according to her crap primary. 1 year of intensive remedial phonics (we used a computer program for 30 minutes a day but book systems like like toe by toe are good) and now 30 minutes a fortnight of learning support to help with stuff like mind maps, visual planning of essays, proof reading to add punctuation/wow words post first draft. And she has just got 100% in an GCSE level RS exam and is in top set maths (but will probably be dropping languages at GCSE). Small adaptions can make. A huge difference

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Doorkey · 21/04/2016 17:20

I didn't think my reaction was negative Blush - it's a positive thing I've done to have him tested so that I can help him achieve the best he can - I'm just in a fig about how to go about doing that now I am about to get the formal report.

Doorkey · 21/04/2016 17:21

Fog*

PotteringAlong · 21/04/2016 19:28

I think it's the way you asked about it "going against him" as if it's something to be judged as a black mark against his name that makes your reaction seem negative.

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