Help with possible dyslexia

[MeMudmagnet]

Can anyone help or advice me please?
My 6yr old dd is really behind with her reading, writing, spelling and maths.

She's in yr2 and has had an IEP since yr1 for focusing and concentration.

She's recently started with a private tutor, who is a specialist in dyslexia.

The SENCO at school said they don't assess them till they're 8/9yrs and if you get a private assessment I was told they won't act upon it.

I've found out, she could get a private assessment through dh's work healthcare program. If she was positively diagnosed, would it be worth pushing for a statement? Or would she be unlikely to get this?

At the moment she doesn't appear to be getting any extra help, apart from a bit of group reading with the rest of the IEP group now and again. She's had no one to one reading at school at all this term so far.

All of her class are starting to read chapter books and she can barely read a sentence! She can't read and write without help and she's starting to notice how far behind she is.

I'm so worried she'll never catch up and other areas of her education will start to suffer.

What can I do to get her more support in school?

[MeMudmagnet]

Anyone?

[Fredfred]

Hi,

I think that the school would be obliged to act on recommendations from a private assessment because if they didn't they would be breaking the Disability Discrimination Act which Dyslexia falls under.

As for a statement, my understanding is that they are only issued when the school/LEA believes that they are unable to meet a child's needs within the school environment. Therefore even if your child were diagnosed with Dyslexia there would be no guarantee of her getting a statement especially if the school felt they were able to act upon all the recommendations set out in the assessment report. She would have to have pretty bad Dyslexia to get a statement.

IMHO I think an assessment would be worth getting even if it was so that you could understand more about her strengths and weaknesses. I would research carefully before you get one though as the reports following assessments are all different and some are MUCH better than others. You want a report that will give you her strengths and weaknesses and suggestions how to help your daughter at home and at school. I think that reports that just give you a list of figures stating how she did in the tests and whether she is average/below average etc are not very helpful as they don't really tell you what to do next.

Hope this helps. :)

[MeMudmagnet]

Thank you so much for replying.

I met with dd's private tutor today. She feels it's likely dd is dyslexic.
I realise now, there is no way she will get a statement. Even though she's at least a year behind the rest of her class and the gap is increasing fast.

She advised us to wait until she's 7 before getting her assessed as the results are likely to be more helpful.

Although I understand, the school would be breaking the discrimination act by doing nothing, I've been told challenging them would be a very long, drawn out, expensive process and dd needs help fast.

I don't feel it is reasonable to expect her to do more exercises outside of school. She already does enough for a child of her age.
As she's at school all day nearly every day, I didn't think it was too much to ask for her to get the extra help there.

Her private tutor has asked the school if she could do sessions in school for the(many) children she sees out of school. They said no.

[Fredfred]

Hi,

I understand that 7 is usually used as the age from which to assess because some children are slower at developing, however if the gap is already as large as a year, IMHO it wouldn't make much difference if you had her assessed now or when she turns 7, but it is up to you, I guess it depends a bit on how long you have to wait for her birthday, but it might make you feel better and/or put you in a stronger position if you have a formal diagnosis.

IME parents of Dyslexic children have to be really pushy and fight fight fight with the school to ensure that their children get the support that they need. Don't give up and even if challanging the school under the DDA is a very long, drawn out, expensive process, I can't see any harm in drawing to their attention that they would be breaking this Act if they don't act on a report's recommendations. At the very least, it would make the school aware that you knew your daughter's rights under the DDA. You could also ask to see their school Disability policy.

I don't think that a report would necessarily tell you to do additional work with your DD outside school, rather it would give you suggestions how to encourage her, help her self esteeem etc. It might suggest ways of reading with her that would encourage her to read for pleasure, or it might suggest games that you can play with her that would help her with spelling, reading or her memory. It might also suggest useful books for you to read. Brain training computer games might also work for her depending on what her difficulties are. Supporting her at home doesn't necessarily mean making her do more work.

I agree that the school should allow her to have lessons during the school day, but without any proof of her difficulties (ie no assessment report), I can see it would be difficult to force them to as it would mean funding (which schools don't have much of). If you were intending to pay the tutor privately then I don't really see the problem, although maybe there would be employment issues if she was not employed by the school but was working on the school site. I do think the school sound like they are being very unsupportive, but I would keep pushing them if I were you.

Poor you, I really hope you get it sorted. I really feel for you you must be very worried about your DD. :(

[MeMudmagnet]

We will get her assessed.
Even without a report, the school should be able to see something is wrong.

I'm going to offer to go in and listen to her read in school myself. I'll even offer to do some other approved exercises with in school each day. Her tutor has told me about a good program (Lexis?) that I could do with her if the school will allow it.
I'd also be happy to support her in class regularly if they can't/won't get someone qualified to do it. That would surely be better than nothing?

[Fredfred]

Any help she gets will be better than no help. Hope it works out for you. Good luck.

[noche]

Hi

I'm a dyslexia specialist teacher and assessor. I would very strongly recommend that you get her assessed. A report from the BDA or equivalent will give strategies for the school to use to support your DD-a lot of their recommendations will be very practical and 'doable', certainly to begin with. If she is not making 'average progress' the school should be looking into it anyway, regardless of the possibility of dyslexia.
Once you have the report, go in and make a fuss! You may not be popular but who cares?
Hope this helps-let me know if there is anything else.

[MeMudmagnet]

Oh God. I know from from what I've read up about dyslexia and school support, I should be prepared for a fight.

I'm pretty useless at that sort of thing usually. I end up getting angry and upset.

I've phoned for an another appointment to meet with the SENCO and am going to offer to go in and help myself if they'll let me.

I'm very aware that something has to happen quickly.

[figleaf]

Memudmagnet, I took my son out of school on Wednesday afternoons for 6 months a few yrs ago.He had bilateral coordination problems so I taught him to touch type and did O.T exercises with him. I had the support of a doctor but even without this I was going to get my own way as I was all my son had. If you think your child would be helped by the tutor during the school day, just do it! Write a calm letter (or go in and see the head) and politely but firmly inform her that your daughter will be partly educated off site by a tutor with x,y,z qualifications on an afternoon to be agreed as suitable by both the school and you. There are register codes to allow this to happen . We only stopped this with my son when he reached 10 w.p.m typing speed and had transferred to doing all his writen work on a lap top (which we also bought). He now types at 24 wp.m and is happily settled in the top sets of the second year in high school. If I had left him languishing in primary school this would not have come to pass.

Totally agree about the kind of report that makes recommendations about how to help the child by the way. Once you have it in black and white from a person with little letters after their name it makes a mighty big stick to use in the fight for what your child needs.

Good luck - chin up and be firm!

[MeMudmagnet]

Bringing her home to work with me during the school day, would be another option I could suggest to them if they don't want me working with her in school.
Do you need permission from any authority to do this legally?
When I originally asked if she could leave school 30mins early once week, to see her tutor. The head refused. She now sees her tutor before school once a week.

The head said, "Officially, we're not allowed" although I know other children who do this. He's pretty difficult.

[maverick]

www.dyslexics.org.uk/should_I_options.htm

'5. Privately arranged specialist tuition. Carefully chosen remedial reading tuition can be the solution if it can be afforded, and as long as the child is happy to attend. For school-attending children specialist tuition can take place, legally, off the school premises during school hours at the discretion of the school, as an 'Approved educational activity off-site'. For the youngest children, 6-7 yr. olds, this is really essential as they are far too tired after school. Parents should approach the school in a spirit of co-operation and negotiate a mutually agreeable time to withdraw their child for tuition. It is, after all, in the school's interest to have their pupils able to read and write effectively.

In law it is always the PARENTS' duty to provide a SUITABLE education for their children, including catering for any special needs. Normally parents delegate this duty to a school. If parents believe that the school is failing to provide their child with a 'suitable' education then the parents are obliged to do something about it. It would irresponsible of them if they didn't do so. By arranging specialist tuition during school hours, they are merely trying to fulfil their lawful duty by setting up what the school can't/won't provide. The school needs to have a very good reason to withhold consent - is the school is able to provide equivalent tuition (time, a quiet room for one-to-one with a TA in attendance, plus expertise in using synthetic phonics remedially) on the school premises, paid for by the school? Probably not! If the school refuses, then the parents should contact their LEA's SEN department and explain the situation'

[figleaf]

As I say, there are register codes for being educated off site.My son was marked 'in' using these on a wed p.m for 6 months. I'd say maverick has given you the basis for a nice letter to the head.

[MeMudmagnet]

Do you think there is any way of organising that without going through the head?
As I said he's pretty difficult, but if I could go to him with things more or less agreed by powers above him already......

[figleaf]

I'd write the letter as if it was a done deal (bar the chice of day). Failing that, You could try the LEA as maverick suggested. If he is a difficult man could you see him with husband /partner / friend as back up?

[Danthe4th]

I've just paid for my son to have a private assessment and have today received the report that tells us he is dyslexic.

I've have suspected this since he started school. he is now in yr 4 and can't read.

The school refused to test him so I went ahead.

I've been on the parent partnership website which has some useful information. It states that if the school refuse to except our private assessment then we can go to the chief education officer to insist.

I am photocopying the report and will be giving the head teacher and senco them to read over the half term.

I await the outcome, but from what I read, I don't hold out much hope of support, roll on year 7 and support from high school.

[Danthe4th]

I was also told you can apply direct to the chief education officer for a statement and an assessment, you do not have to go through school.
Our Ed psych said that some of the best statements had been done by parents with no support from schools.