Aibu to think a lot of teachers do not know how to teach dyslexic students

[Pantsfullofsmarties]

My ds is 14.
He has always struggled with learning maths and the written word.
His self esteem is suffering and he is behind but his teachers don't seem to take his difficulty into account. Often leaving him to stare in space and seemingly "refuse" to work.
He had an assessment with the education psychologist who stated he was severely dyslexic.
Aibu to think that secondary school teachers need more training in this area? or is ds being difficult

My DD is dyslexic.

If I had a pound every time I was told she didn't need help because she was doing okay I'd have enough to pay for a specialist tutor!

They don't get it; esp when it affects maths.

Also if they are coping...that seems good enough.

More training, more understanding, more commitment to each child reaching their potential needed in my experience.

And breath.

It's not as simple as training teachers.

Every Dyslexic person is different.

I am Dyslexic

I also have friends that are Dyslexic.

None of us learn the same way. I am 50 yrs old, by the way, not a youngster

how many students are in DS's class?

Your right. Beach ..my ds dosen't "get it"
But, like you said the teachers say "oh he's fine" he's not bloody fine he cannot tell the time or add up, don't start me on the rest of year 9 maths teaching. I'm losing him, he is withdrawing and angry.
I just want to help but his school have no help available.
Themadd, I understand that, but even more "ideas" for dyslexics is better than leaving students behind, esucationally. Which is what is happening.

My DN struggled with severe dyslexia at school. She'd been diagnosed (my sister said it was the only test she'd ever passed ) but I was shocked at how often the school failed to pass on this information to her teachers. One of them even told my sister there was no such thing and DN was just lazy and unco-operative.

Definitely more training is needed.

Educationally

If your DC is diagnosed with dyslexia (or it's even suspected) the school should ensure that the teachers of the child are adequately trained with dealing with this. If they aren't then the school is at fault. As a secondary English teacher I would say that I have had to learn as I go as SEN training has been woeful. I think I can teach most dyslexic children to a decent level but I'm aware that some would greatly benefit from a specialist dyslexia teacher.

If, as a parent, you have concerns then really get in touch with the school ASAP rather than sit and wait. It might prompt a training session or two.

Teachers have no training in dyslexia unless they choose to go on a course. It's not covered on a PGCE. Some schools have sencos who are trained and they should co-ordinate a whole-school policy for each child's learning.

If I had a pound every time I was told she didn't need help because she was doing okay
...
Also if they are coping...that seems good enough.

I'm dyslexic and pretty sure two of my DC are likely to be and I've been told one of my DD wasn't struggling enough to be helped other a boy they pretty much had low expectations with.

Every Dyslexic person is different.

But also recognise this. I have a different set of problems to my DC - there is overlap and can see they have different areas they struggle with.

One reason we haven't yet had our primary school DC tested is because DH as a lecture and I a dyslexia have encountered people with dyslexic and other who think they know what dyslexia is and use it as a limited potential.

I've honestly had people tell me I can't read upon being told I am dyslexic- despite knowing I have degrees and having witnessed me read things. .

As I said mine are primary school - so for maths we are using mathsfactor - £10 per DC a month to give more lessons and practise in the basic maths. Maths is one of those subjects were you need to build on understanding. I'm not sure what is out there for secondary school level - might well be asking on the education boards - but little and often has made a massive difference there in confidence and ability.

Spelling - apple ad pears deals with punctuation and some grammar as well.

But yes - bit more about dyslexia and other common issues DC can have would be helpful in all teacher training I think.

You're absolutely right. I worked as a teaching assistant and have a diploma in teaching students with dyslexia. I had a huge problem with dealing with class teachers who knew very little about dyslexia yet discounted my input because I was a teaching assistant. Also I found most of the attention of Sencos seems to go on pupils with behaviour problems or children with autism. I really felt sorry for the children with dyslexia.

Champion. , he is in an average class size, around 30. With LSA support.
Tanith. I'm sorry to hear about your niece. At the very least the school recognise his dyslexia but.... The information doesn't get passed on. even after his assessment.
Xena, thanks for your insight, I am very proactive always asking what can I do to help him, what are the school doing to aide his learning, it is so frustrating to hear "oh, I didn't know, or he will get extra time in tests". That's it.. He needs a scribe, he is intelligent and articulate but the disparity between what he can record is immense. These are words from a couple of his teachers, why is he not able to have a scribe do you think xena???

Same at mine lem

I'm a teacher. I haven't ever taught two dyslexic students with the same needs. Just like all students they are individuals and all individuals learn differently and need a range of strategies to help them. Just because your child is struggling, it doesn't mean that his teachers aren't trying their best to support him.

I feel for you. It must be very difficult to watch your child get down like that. How does he respond when you help him at home?

The reason a scribe is not on hand is that SENCO has not set it up, The buck stops with the senco. You need to make an appt with them- this is what their job is- I have good friends who are dyslexia trained and sencos in schools. If the senco is useless then write to the governors. if the school fails to educate your child according to their disability ( and dyslexia is classed as a disability) you could sue them in the future for not meeting your child's learning needs. You need to write to his head of year, and ask them to pass the report / assessment onto his subject teachers. They need to have a cross-curricula plan for him. Go in and -politely- demand they sort it!

OP, my son was exactly the same as yours and so was his school. They denied he had a problem and needless to say it all ended in tears and I took him out of that school. I found a teacher who was qualified to teach people with learning difficulties outside of school.

She taught him for an hour a week for 18 months and by the end of it he could read perfectly. She used a system called Toe by Toe which worked a treat for him. He is now 16 and is a different boy. He is confident and has friends and no longer has to hide a massive secret. He had anxiety and thought he was stupid.

The teaching cost £25 per hour each week. I am a single parent whose exh does not support his children financially so for me it was very tight. I ended up in debt but I can honestly say that I would have done anything to get that money and seeing him now I couldn't care less if I spend the rest of my days paying off the money. I know that not everyone can access a loan but if you can I recommend that you the contact British Dyslexia Association to see if they can recommend a qualified teacher in your area.

I feel for you and your son. It was an awful time for him and for me. I got a letter from the school at the time telling me that they saw no point in arranging any further meetings with me as he was doing fine. They just saw me as a nuisance. At this stage he was about 8 and couldn't read words like 'was' or 'the'. It was a dreadful time and I hope things improve for your son.

Pants how your child works in class will partially determine the support he gets when taking exams. So for example I have children who bring their own laptops/tablets into school and use them for all English work. Because this is their regular way of working they will have this facility when it comes to GCSEs. The same is true for those children who have a TA who scribes or reads for them in class. I would say it's important that a child in secondary school gets loads of practice in using a scribe/laptop/reader/extra time as this will make it easier when doing so in an external exam.

There is also a software package (called Dragon I think) where children speak into the computer and it types up their words. This has been popular in the past but again children need plenty of practice in using it.

I would say for dyslexic kids the biggest fear is seeing the blank piece of paper which they have to fill.I provide writing frames, planning frames, key words and even scribe myself at times to get a child writing. I never mark the spellings of a dyslexic child in the same way as one who hasn't got it. I will only correct a maximum of 5 words per A4 page but this is always after giving the child time to edit it themselves. (Reading aloud and editing it with a coloured pencil is good). I tell children only ever to check 5 spellings themself and we use an ACE spelling dictionary which is aimed at people with spelling difficulties and is really useful.

Not sure what else to suggest other than speak to the SENCO and maybe ask to be kept aware of new topics which your DS can read around prior to beginning in class to help boost their confidence.

Oh and I've seen toe by toe and apples and pears mentioned. The SEN department at my school deliver these every lunch time to different children and I think they have had some success with them.

toe by toe is okay but there are better and newer ways of teaching phonics. It depends what his problems are. At his age spelling may not be the biggest issue- it might be more to do with essay planning and organisation of ideas into an essay.
If you can afford a tutor OP out of school then that is the answer- though I agree that the problem should be met in school but the reality is it isn't very often. The staff are just not trained and even if they are they can't devote enough time- an hour a day is ideal - to each child.

You can read about what to do as a parent on the BDA Dyslexia website and also Patoss is helpful for finding a tutor. Not cheap though- £35-40 is the going rate as it is specialist teaching akin to A-level for the teacher working with a child.

Does the diagnostic report set out what heop he needs? Has he got a statement?

I agree that a tutor out of school may well be the answer. It was the only thing that had any success with dyslexic DS2.

He won't have a statement- these are reserved for pupils with a host of problems, not 'just' a SpLD and very few children receive statements now.

Pink you are spot on the spelling problems masked a range of other issues such as planning, processing and organisation skills.

My DS is doing his GCSEs and his teachers say that whilst he is great in class his examination results don't reflect his ability. Luckily the teachers in his school are extremely supportive and have put him on tracking, not for behaviour, but in relation to planning and processing skills.

He has been assessed for extra time in examinations but doesn't qualify.

OP it is a complex issue. My son uses words that don't exist sometimes and his imagination is extraordinary to say the least. These are some of his best qualities but unfortunately they don't do him any favours when he has to sit exams. I think when he leaves school he will find his way. I really hope that your son gets the help he needs because not being able to read has a devastating effect on a person.

My DS used to stare into space a lot at school. When he finally learned how to read he told me that the teachers might as well have been speaking chinese for all the sense it made to him when he couldn't read.

That's disappointing about not needing extra time- have you had him assessed privately maybe by an ed psych? The criteria for extra time have been tightened each year and they have to 'tick' lots of boxes now, BUT unless you have had an ed psych's assessment on this then maybe worth pursuing? Have you asked his school why he doesn't qualify- it will be because his reading speed, writing speed and processing are too 'good'- but worth checking they have done all the right checks on that.

Pink, that's very interesting. The school told me he was in the higher percentile and didn't qualify for extra time in exams. The last ed psych assessment was done when he was 8 and he then learned to read and seem to be coping well.

I will go back to the school and get further information because maybe he is in the higher percentile for reading ability and not for processing. He writes really really slowly and I have never been able to understand this.

Thanks very much for commenting, I will contact the school tomorrow.

They have to fulfil something like 5 criteria and it's nothing to do with intelligence, but if he's in the top percentile for processing speed and comprehension etc then he won't qualify for extra time- ask to see his test results and make sure they have done the right tests.

Pink Thank you so much for your advice which is hugely appreciated.

Apologies OP for hijacking your post.