Can I pick someone's brains about dyslexia please?

[librarycard]

Hi there,

If you know anything about dyslexia, would you mind having a look at this please :)

DS3 is 7 (July born, left-hander)
On SEN register at school since YR1, now YR3. Originally put on register for 'failure to progress', 'failure to reach age related expectations' (using the word 'failure' about a five year old distressed me at the time and still niggles me now!) At that point dyslexia was mentioned by his year one teacher.
Since then he has had phonics booster groups, daily one-to-one reading with an adult, T.A. help in class and differentiated work.

His levels as of now, spring term, year 3 are :
Reading 2A
Writing 1A
Maths 2A

In spelling, he can learn the 10 spellings for that week, get them all right, but cannot use them in his writing, even if he were to try immediately after the test.
In his writing he spells phonetically and misses out most of the vowels.
He reverses b,d,p,f,t in writing and when trying to decode reading (but with reading, he self-corrects to make it make sense). He also misses out short words (like 'on', 'up' etc) when reading.
He regularly reverses numbers, both the numbers themselves (e.g.3 backwards) and the number order (e.g. 21 instead of 12)

He had early speech and language therapy and has been dsicharged, but still struggles with certain words. He still says 'b'sketti' instead of spaghetti, he has been going to tae kwon do for a year but still says 'twae kon do'. There are a lot of words like this. He also struggles to remember names and new long words that are names of things. He still uses the 'ed' suffix' on words inappropriately (e.g. bite-ed instead of bit, cut-ed instead of cut)

School will no longer talk about dyslexia with me, despite it being them who originally mentioned it to me! They say that DS3 is already getting support that is individually tailored to his needs so the cause of his difficulties is irrelevent... I feel though, that if DS3 has a condition that could impact his learning throughout his life, the sooner we all know about it, the better!

So, I suppose my questions are: Does this sound like dyslexia or something else you are familiar with? If so, what do I do next? Do I have to do what the school says and just watch and wait? Or is there anything else I can do?

He is happy and loves school, btw :)

I was diagnosed as being dyslexic when I was a little older than your dc, I had some of the same things your ds has (mixing up letters, b/d p/q vowels I still mix up!) I wouldn't have been able to learn 10 spellings, maybe 2 or 3 and then the ones I learnt I would be able to use when writing. I never had any speach issues. I would mirror right individual numbers and I wrote 8 as 2 circles (like drawing a snowman) until I was about 12 but apart from writing the numbers mirrored I was good at maths and excellent at anything to do with problem solving or shapes.

I seem to remember that the way they diagnose dyslexia is to compare the child's reading, writing and spelling skills with their other skills (maths, problem solving, verbal reasoning) and if there is a large discrepancy between the reading and writing skills and the other skills dyslexia is diagnosed where as if the child has similar ability in all areas they wouldn't get a diagnosis of dyslexia.

I had special coloured glasses which helped somewhat, that is the only help that was dyslexia specific, I'm not even sure if they give children coloured glasses anymore but if they do that would be a reason to push for a diagnosis.

If he is dyslexic it really isn't such a huge issue, I actually quite like being dyslexic, I feel the positives outweigh the negatives.

This does sound like dyslexia.

School probably are doing all they can do. And an official diagnosis probably won't help them.

They've seen hundreds of reports from ed psychs with recommendations about how to help. They're already using all of those recommendations.

But if it'd put your mind at rest you can get a private diagnosis. Costs £400 - £800

Or you can research dyslexia yourself without a diagnosis.

You could be really awkward with the school and insist they use some of the £6000 part of their notional budget for a child on the SEN register to pay for a dyslexia assessment.

It is likely the school are always doing the interventions that they would do once he got the dyslexia diagnosis, however thay doesn't mean they shouldnt request a specialist assessment if he is still struggling.

It looks like school is doing everything they can to help your child; a diagnosis is not going to make a difference for them; but it would be good for you to know. I will try to do it through the GP or privately; if you have a diagnosis you can learn more about it and try to help him yourself or get more professional help so he doesn't fall behind too much.

It would be worth trying to find an optician who can test for which colour of glasses (if any) would help your DC. DD2 got this in her last years at secondary school and they made a tremendous difference. It doesn't help everyone, but often more than one colour is needed to stop the words 'jumping' on the page. I think I would also look for a private tutor, if you can afford it, who specialises in helping dyslexia, as the school appear to be rather inept. Not all dyslexics respond in the same way to the same help tools. Phonetics was, and is, a closed book to DD2. she is at university doing a joint degree and gets loads of help.

good luck with it. Stick to your guns!

Snow - you're misinformed. A child on the SEN register brings no extra funding.

You're getting confused with a child with a statement.

This child is level 2s in Y3. He's not struggling that much. His dyslexia is not severe.

MsShellShocked- I am a SENCO!

Schools are expected to fund the first £6000 of SEN support for a child from their normal school budget. After this they can request top of funding by requesting a statutory assessment in the hope of the child being given an EHCP (new statement).

Therefore you can expect the school to spend up to £6000 to meet your child's needs if they are on the SEN register. Obviously some children won't need anywhere near this amount and that's how schools survive, they onviously couldn't spend £6k per child. But from the sounds of it the OP child has some complex needs and so to ask the school to fund a specialist assessment using this morning is not unrealistic.

Bloody autocorrect!

Money- not morning!

Also to add- just because a child is performing at the right NC level at a young age does not mean they do not have severe dyslexia. It is far better to have an early diagnosis and intervention before the child develops their own coping strategies which may impact on them making progress at secondary school.

Thanks for your comments, I can see have much to think about!

I am generally very happy with the school and feel that they do give my son a lot of individual support. The support is very specific with regards to frequency, content and anticpated results. He is monitored constantly and is making good pregress. As someone pointed out, his level 2 attainment in reading and maths is very promising. They are very pleased with his reading and maths and the gap between him and his cohort is narrowing. The opposite is true for writing, he is at level 1a and the gap is widening... (what is the level age related expectation at this stage of year 3, does anyone know? DS1 and DS2 both got level 3 in yr2 SATs so level 2 in year 3 seems low... is it?)

So is it helpful to know why a child is having problems or not? Does it not matter what the cause is, as long as the child is being supported correctly for his individual needs... A quick google on the Dyslexia support websites advocates early diagnosis...

redhead glad you mentioned his eyes, he had a problem on his last eye test and they want to see him again in 3 months - will look into that further.
ineedacleaningfairy so lovely to hear your positive experience of having dyslexia :) Would you say, long-term, that it's better to have a diagnosis? As Msshellshocked said, it might not alter what the school do now, but will it have an impact on his life-long learning?

snowberry896 Do you have any advice on what to do next with school. I don't feel as if I want to go and get a private assessment without them knowing - I feel as if I want to keep them 'in the loop' as they are such a big part of his education for a few more years, but I am happy to pay for an assessment if it will help DS3. At the end of the day, I want what's best for him...

Difficult to tell because dyslexia isn't normally diagnosed before around age 7-8, precisely because many of the traits (including those you've described) are still within normal range.

I'd go with your gut feeling - maybe a cop-out, but...

Or negotiate with the school. If he hasn't overcome those difficulties by the end of this coming term, I.e. By the time he’s approaching 8, he should be assessed for dyslexia. In the meantime, the school can try whatever intervention it believes may help, as long as it informs you of what intervention, intended outcome and actual outcome.

It may well be that your DS just needs another couple of months (and is still within normal range...), but if not it's good to have a plan B.

X-posted!

There is a current debate running on the DfE Senco forum about the way to assess "dyslexia"

Taken from Identifying and Teaching Children and Young People with Dyslexia and Literacy Difficulties, Sir Jim Rose, June 2009:

Dyslexia is a learning difficulty that primarily affects the skills involved in accurate and fluent word reading and spelling.

?? Characteristic features of dyslexia are difficulties in phonological awareness, verbal memory and verbal processing speed.

?? Dyslexia occurs across the range of intellectual abilities.

?? It is best thought of as a continuum, not a distinct category,

and there are no clear cut-off points.

?? Co-occurring difficulties may be seen in aspects of language, motor co-ordination, mental calculation, concentration and personal organisation, but these are not, by themselves, markers of dyslexia.

?? A good indication of the severity and persistence of dyslexic difficulties can be gained by examining how the individual responds or has responded to well founded intervention.

I found a diagnosis useful, I had extra time in exams and also lots of support through university (a free computer and free books, I'm not sure dyslexic students still get this though.)

It also helped me to know that I was dyslexic rather than feeling like I was maybe not working hard enough or stupid, ironically the only place I have had a negative experience regarding my written English as an adult is mumsnet!

Just to add, you can only use the funding if your child has an EHC plan. Not just if their on the sen register..
Does your child have an EHC plan? Can you access your LA's local offer?

blackbird they have mentioned his age and have said that he might still be playing 'catch-up'. He is the youngest child in his year.. I think you're right, I need to keep talking to the school. We won't have another scheduled meeting until July so I'll try and see if they'll agree to meeting again earlier (the class teacher was actually off on the day of the last meeting so I have genuine grounds for requesting a meeting on the basis that I have not actually had a formal meeting with his class teacher since October)

That's interesting mrz, so it's not a black or white, yes or no...

ineedacleaningfairy It's good to know that you found diagnosis useful. My friend was not diagnosed until after uni when she went to work as a social worker. She got assessed through work and now has special books, dictaphone, read-back software etc that help her to do her case reports accurately.

Not sure what an EHC plan is, so I'm assuming he does not have one! He is on the 'Special needs register - school action'. That's what it says at the top of his I.E.P.

A new SEND code of practice was introduced in September 2014. EHC plans replaced statements. School action was the lowest level of the SEN register but no longer exists under the new code of practice.

Definitely not black or white or even shades of grey.

Oh right, so his I.E.P. is not up to date with the latest code of practice? I know so little about all of this. I'm lost :( What is SEND? Is there anywhere I can get advice? Shall I start with school?

Special Educational Needs & Disability

Have a look at a parenting sen website called special needs jungle . Just google it, it should come ups that has a wealth of information about different sen and funding options. To be honest if your child is only on school action plan, then he won't have a statement and actually, your lucky he's getting additional support in school. Dyslexia, sadly, isn't enough of a disability for schools to spend money on.

also, I'd be inclined to visit your senco and ask for an update on where your child stands within the new code of practice and how his needs have been transferred ver to an EHC. The answer to that will tell you whether he is entitled to additional help.

Thank you. Just googled it. 292 pages!

It does and it also sounds like the school is responding appropriately to it. The school cannot test for it, but might be able to screen him later on for probability. However, they would carry on and support him the same way. Dyslexia requires overlearning and other visual learning strategies that you could do at home too. Also, be aware it can affect maths as in learning sequences (times tables) and he'll probably need extra support with this too.

It really sounds from your original post that his probkems arise from his language difficulties and my first suggestion would be to ask for a re referral to SaLT.