Does My DS Need To See A Ed Psy

[123littlepigs]

DS has always had the same problem. Staying focused on any given task poor organisational skills and completing school work. I am told he is above average with VR/NVR scores being between 115 - 125. But yet still failed all English/comprehension exams this year for failure to complete mainly. He hates writing and loves maths, which he is good at. He is about to enter into yr4, would seeing a Ed Psy be of any use? Poss detecting something missed that could assist. Must admit I am cautious moving on this, as not sure if there will be any stigma attached having this assessment carried out and if negative, it being passed on to future schools which may narrow his chances of getting in.....Also feel, if you look for issues, something will always come up in a report ... Please help...

Any advice greatly appreciated!!!

[trinity0097]

You don't even have to pass it on to the school he is at if you don't want, let alone any other school, but that's just bloody annoying as a teacher who wants to help your child!

If you can afford it I would go for it as it will give you a very detailed idea of what your child can do, what they struggle with and advice for school and parents as to how they can help.

[trinity0097]

Oh and I wanted to say we have had children have reports and they have come back basically saying, 'your child is average' they don't always find something just because you are having a report.

[MrsJoeDolan]

Is this for a private school?

[123littlepigs]

Hi MrsJoeDolan yes it is a private school... Does this make a difference?

[LIZS]

I responded on your other thread . I think the point is that state schools can't not offer a place based on a Ed Psych report and you wouldn't even have to say you had one whereas private can. We, and ds, found it helpful to have one although we were warned it by his prep school might put the senior school off.

[123littlepigs]

Hi trinity0097 thanks loads for your response... Can see how a teacher no getting to see the report can be quite annoying, but this was not my intention for his current school. I was more concerned about where the report goes, I.e. Future schools. Especially where any areas raised are addressed. Not sure how this whole thing works and whether there is any negative stigma attached to having one of these reports carried out. I do understand I could have this carried out at home and not have to give to the school at all... But am guessing the Ed Psy would get a better/different view of my child if they went into the school and observed him in that environment. Maybe this isn't necessary... But involving the school, I think can only be a good thing....right?

[123littlepigs]

*LIZS this is exactly my fear!

[barkingtreefrog]

What does his teacher say? What are they doing to help him at school? I've no experience of private, but in my school if a child was falling behind and there were specific concerns we'd have involved the learning support service to do a series of assessments that would identify any particular issues and suggest ways that school and parents could help. This is a step before the educational psychologist.

[LIZS]

but the point is it didn't ! If it does it isn't the right school for him. You either need the support and put him in the best position or you don't bother and risk him not getting in anyway. It may well be that if he is understood better now and supported he won't need the same level of assistance in a few year's time. iirc a report is only valid for 3 years max anyway for arrangements like extra time in exams, so depending on his age it may not even be in effect at the time he sits any entrance tests.

[Hakluyt]

If you have an assessment done privately it's then up to you who sees it.

[LIZS]

Most independent secondary schools ask for a copy though, if relatively recent.

[juliascurr]

www.youngminds.org.uk/

very helpful ime

[123littlepigs]

Hi barkingtreefrog to be fair, I have pushed to get the school to take his failing grades seriously. As you can see from his VR/NVR scores, he is a bright boys but in an exam situation, it being timed, he is unable to complete the exam as he is simply too slow and is failing. The school keep telling me he is a bright boy and are not concerned but I have now put my foot down as his reading score has also fallen considerable from somewhere above 120 to barely 95. My fear is, though this score is still in the average range, every year he has seen a fall! I get the feeling that until he falls below average and enters into special measures the school would remain unconcerned. This is unacceptable to me... Not sure why we need to wait this long to do something when every year we have seen a fall in his scores.
If he had started with lower/average VR/NVR scores earlier.. Say yr1, he would be below average already by yr2. He is clearly not reaching his full potential...

[sewingandcakes]

Could you arrange to see the school SENCO and ask them to address your concerns first? In my experience, it's not set in stone whether the ed psych will see a child; they had a panel where they reviewed several children and decided to assess based on need. Obviously if you're funding this yourself it'll be different.

But, if school have no concerns, and the SENCO has no concerns, you might help him more by paying for tutoring.

[123littlepigs]

Also barkingtreefrog the school at my request have now put a ed plan together to support him in yr 4 . It seems quite basic and I am not sure if this is enough. As they only did this at my request I suggest poss getting a Ed Psy to review him. If there are no reasons for concern then it may be a case of let nature take its course and he develop at his own pace. But won't know that until an assessment is done. Since mentioning an Ed Psy, the school have offered to do their own assessments ... Just worries me that they never offered this before and whether their assessment will be worth anything....

[sewingandcakes]

I also wouldn't see the results of an Ed psych report as negative; they won't diagnose your child with anything, but will recommend strategies that the school can put in place to support your child.

[teacherwith2kids]

123,

A very basic question - do you believe that this particular school has the willingness and capability to take on board and fully implement any suggestions made? (You haven't given the impression so far that their SEN provision is particularly good - I am comparing it to a 'normal' state school and it falls well below what i would expect)

If not, you have bigger decisions to make than whether to fund a private ed Psych report.

[123littlepigs]

Hmmmm..... Moving my child has been considered... But 'he' is happy where he is! I think with private schools it's very easy for parents to shift their kids around as they are paying instead of taking the time to work with the school. So... In answer to your question... I have my reservations about the school but wish to at least give them an opportunity before making such a big decision to move... Their perceived lack of assistance so far may be based on them not seeing there to be an issue that they need address at this point.
If I can work with the school, my boy remains happy and I strongly believe this to be the right way to go until they show us that they are unable to be of any help.... Does that make any sense?

[Hakluyt]

"Not sure why we need to wait this long to do something when every year we have seen a fall in his scores."

No, neither do I. How has the school not perceived a problem?

Please don't wait too long- you honestly haven't got much time.

[Bonsoir]

OP - I would highly recommend getting a private Ed Psych report done if you can afford it. IME (not my own DC, but those of friends and family), it is helpful for DC and their parents to have an independent (ie not a school's opinion) assessment of a DC's abilities and achievements as this can often provide on its own the necessary impetus to work on areas of relative weakness.

[Toapointlordcopper]

My son was initially dx at the end of yr2 in a private school, after 18 months of us all knowing something wasn't right. The dx was useful in that it gave a dx of dyslexia and possible ADHD. School had no problems with either and put him into a group session they held weekly, and also arranged for him to have extra 1:1 reading support and 1:1 dyslexia lessons during school time (the latter being paid for on top of fees).
There was another evaluation at the start of year 4 which was far more useful. The 18 months made a huge difference in quality of dx and info and allowed head of SEN to build up a really good IEP. Turned out he was more severely dyslexic than we thought and severely dyspraxic too.
The school have not turned a hair over this, in fact this dx was the making of my son. He now gets help putting on his rugby socks and boots, instead of being shouted at, his form teacher has him sign off tick boxes so he doesn't forget things, he has a laptop for school lessons and touch typing lessons in the ICT unit. And of course extra time in exams.
Some senior schools are really shit at dealing with dyslexia/dyspraxia (it sounds like your DS has potential markers for either), but NONE of them stigmatise because of it any more. For one thing it is illegal (disability discrimination applies to private schools too), but also they know that these kids cane be really clever, too, excelling at science, maths, DT etc. it really doesn't matter to them.
It's a different story of course when you are trying to work out which senior school you want them to attend. Depending on the level of dx you have, you may have to discount current plans and seek out schools that really go the extra mile for SEN kids. It doesn't mean compromising on school choice (Eton for example seems to have good reputation), but it does mean doing a lot of legwork. There is a poster in the 'secondary' boards who has huge levels of experience on impact of dyslexia on senior choice (2 sons who have been through top flight schools and state schools and who works in a top flight school herself). If you start a thread there once you have dx she will definitely post.
But no, no stigmatism on these dx any more in any schools, IMHO. Totally different if the potential dx were on the behavioural type of SEN (spectrum-related), rather than the dyslexia type of stuff, of course.
PS if you are in south east seek out Julia Richards. Fab ed psych who I was put onto by someone who really knows their stuff.

[LIZS]

I'd agree that the reluctance of the school to date is not very encouraging . Don't be surprised if they ask you to either fund the Learning Support or suggest he may be better suited elsewhere , report or not.

[PercyPorkyPig]

The SENCo should be able to carry out some routine tests to find out if there are indicators of SpLD.. there are readily available test batteries for sequencing, visual & auditory memory - short term memory processing. This could be a first step before involving an Ed Psych.

[Ferguson]

I was a primary TA / helper for over twenty years, and did have one or two children like this.

What are his other skills like? Arts, sport, music, friendships, working in a group, empathy? Has he hobbies, particular interests, etc. What is his behaviour like?

There is more to school life - and life in general - than academic skills and progress, so personally I think you need to look at THE WHOLE PERSON, to start to find where barriers and problems may lie.

[AnnabelleDarling]

Your ds sounds very like one of my boys, both of my ds' have dyslexia and they are affected in different ways. We have a family history of dyslexia and they were diagnosed at quite a young age by a private Ed Psych as we were looking out for signs! They are now both at senior school and get lots of support and are thriving. I echo other posters who urge you to think long and hard about secondary choices, we have another dyslexic family member in a (private) school who is not having their needs met and it is dreadful to see them struggle while my boys are thriving, simply because of the attitude of the school.