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Still no support for dyslexic dd

105 replies

Sleeperandthespindle · 28/01/2017 07:39

I've posted several times about this. DD (7 in y3) is dyslexic. Her spelling is not improving at all. The last piece of work I saw, a really long and good piece for her - 3 paragraphs - had every word (except for 'said', 'and', 'the' spelled wrong at least once.

I have been meeting teacher and SENCO half termly all year. Nothing they agree to or suggest is put in place and continued. They provide something for a week or two and then it stops.

Currently they have said they can give her a session with a TA twice a week. This has happened 5 times since the beginning of December. They can't tell me what she's been doing with the TA, or what is planned for them to do.

I am at the end of my tether with worry for her. To make it all worse, I am a teacher myself and know exactly what would help. I can also see that she is weaker in spelling than practically every other child I have taught (unless they have had SLD or ESL). None of my expertise is helping (and I do approach the school as a concerned parent, not as a know-it-all). Efforts at home are not working (other than reading) as she is not able after a long day to tolerate more work, and I am not prepared to push this if the same strategies are not followed in school.

What do I do now? Meetings are not helping!

OP posts:
user1484226561 · 30/01/2017 18:35

...which is exactly what I said at 10.31 on Sunday.....

mrz different things work for different children, you can't make a blanket statement that such and such an approach doesn't work. Dyslexia in not one specific condition, there is no typical child or typical approach, its just an umbrella term for a huge range of neurological difficulties which impact on perception and expression.

mrz · 30/01/2017 19:23

My point is that although everyone thinks they know what "dyslexia" is the label is frequently used for any difficulty with reading and/or spelling regardless of the cause and that the only thing experts can agree on is that it isn't a visual problem despite the industry around coloured lenses/overlays and other discredited methods being promoted.

mrz · 30/01/2017 19:31

http://www.ldonline.org/article/14907/

user1484226561 · 30/01/2017 20:37

but it me it is HUGLEY a visual problem, perception is the single biggest issue I have

mrz · 30/01/2017 20:50

Then it's a visual problem but not dyslexia

user1484226561 · 30/01/2017 21:20

well, the definition of dyslexia keeps on changing, but I get a bit tired of the niggly little pendants who try and catagorise every one in this exact definition, or that.

Dyslexia is an umbrella term for neurological abnormalities leading to difficulties in visual/tactile perception and/or expression.

As in difficulty reading, because you cannot interpret what you can clearly SEE.

But anyone with any common sense would realise that if you are unable to work out exactly what you are looking at when you are looking at WORDS, then you are also going to have difficulties working out exactly what you are looking at when you are looking at other things too.

such as maps/ sequences/faces/colours etc.

There isn't one part of the brain that interprets letter shapes, separate from other parts of the brain interpreting other things. Its not like just the letter perceiving part of the brain can go wrong and leave your brain able to do other related tasks - because the related tasks are done by the same part of the brain.

I am dyslexic, because, in spite of a genious level IQ, I am not able to read easily. or spell easily.

But the issues with writing are not the only manifestation of neurological perceptoal and expressive abnormalities. Of course they wouldn't be.

Colours make a HUGE difference to me - I am using sunglasses to read the computer screen right now. I can't see ( ie perceive) high contrasts at all. I can see how coloured overlays would help a lot - I have some somewhere, but sunglasses are easier.

By most of your definitions I am dyslexic, and it IS a visual problem - not seeing, but percieving ( I also have poor tactile perception, can't tell my keys from my money in my pocket, for example)

however, my memory is excellent, short and long term, so although I clearly fall into the catagory of "dyslexic" I don't fit your stereotype of no visual problems, and poor memory.

in fact, I think a lot of dyslexics develop their memory to closer to its full potential, compared to non dyslexics. I am much better at reading sentences than reading lists, for example, because I can follow the line more easily than I can jump forwards and backwards to read each item on a list. Therefore, although I do write shopping lists, I don't rely on them. I remember them too.

HarveySchlumpfenburger · 30/01/2017 22:04

I don't think that the problem is the definition keeps changing, it's that there are multiple definitions in practice at anyone time, which makes it impossible to know what any one person means by dyslexia.

It's an umbrella term that might include a range of neurological abnormalities leading to difficulties in visual/tactile perception but isn't limited to that. But it isn't limited to that and includes a whole range of other issues too e.g. phonological issues

goingmadinthecountry · 30/01/2017 22:50

My son is very dyslexic. Overlays helped him hugely. No, of course they didn't magically cure his dyslexia but they meant that he could work at reading etc for longer without getting the glare from very white paper. Colour coding work at school helped. Learning to touch type helped. Cards with sounds on helped. Helping improve his L/R tracking with the use of a highlighter helped... Of course none of these "cured" him, but trial and error and lots of input helped. Structured phonics too - but that is available to all children in school.

It's about a whole package of stuff that helps an individual whether or not they have a label/diagnosis. Some of it is trial and error. He'll never enjoy reading like his sisters but loves audio books. He's learning to play to his strengths.

mrz · 31/01/2017 05:38

"Dyslexia is an umbrella term for neurological abnormalities leading to difficulties in visual/tactile perception and/or expression." Is that your definition?

user1484226561 · 31/01/2017 06:07

Is that your definition? its a definition, although it isn't specifically visual/tactile. for some people its aural. Not for me.

mrz · 31/01/2017 06:18

So you don't agree with neuroscience and the experts?

user1484226561 · 31/01/2017 06:30

So you don't agree with neuroscience and the experts?

what a meaningless thing to say . I am an expert.

mrz · 31/01/2017 06:33

IYHO?

Toottootcar · 31/01/2017 08:50

How does this help the OP?

fuckingwall · 31/01/2017 12:14

This doesn't help the op at all does it? Mrz came on initially to criticise specialist dyslexia teaching, which is ironically something that possibly would help the op's dc.

Thisismynewname123 · 31/01/2017 13:24

I haven't read all the comments, but I have a similar dd, 7 in Y3. She has suspected "dyslexia" - I know it won't be diagnosed - as well as a number of other learning difficulties. Just wanted to comment on the spelling tests

She no longer does school spelling tests (a stupid battle that I 'won' on her behalf)

We had a similar battle last year, which I won. We later had an Ed Psych assessment, and the ed psych said that wasn't necessarily the "right" thing to do in her case. By sitting out of spelling tests, she was being shown yet another way that she was "different" and can't do what others do, yet another knock to her confidence. Instead, she should have a small number of spellings - 3-5 - with a couple that she is confident in, then a couple that she will struggle with. Each week, repeat the ones she gets wrong until she has got them right consistently. That way, the spellings are being differentiated for her, and she isn't being singled out as "incapable" of taking a spelling test and feeling like she's failing in yet another way at school.

Waitingforsleep · 31/01/2017 15:02

Would toe by toe help?
I have decided to intervene myself and am working on this at the moment. Dd is mildly syslexic and has dysgraphia. I know school should m do more but I can't fight it all anymore so putting my energy into researching how to teach her these things at home. Also booked a tutor who specialises for every two weeks

mrz · 31/01/2017 21:15

"something that possibly would help the op's dc" and the tutor even more so if they are using consonant blends and flash cards

mrz · 31/01/2017 21:16

I'd recommend Bear Necessities or Apples and Pears for primary aged pupils over Toe by Toe

rollonthesummer · 31/01/2017 21:27

Mrz-how do Bear Necessities and Apples and Pears differ? What sort of things does each cover?

I'm looking for something to use with a 6-7 year old who knows phase 2 sounds, but is struggling to learn to read/write phase 3 and can't blend to read. He is also struggling to hear rhyme and detect syllables.

HarveySchlumpfenburger · 31/01/2017 21:32

Bear Necessities tackles reading and Apples and Pears spelling.

rollonthesummer · 31/01/2017 21:35

Thank you-are they suited to ks1?

HarveySchlumpfenburger · 31/01/2017 21:47

Yes they are aimed at 4-7 year olds, but could be used in KS2 as well.

Worth a go if he's really struggling. Lots of MNers have had success with it.

Sleeperandthespindle · 01/02/2017 06:42

I've bought the first book of 'apples and pears' to do with her. Reading is good.

I don't actually care about the diagnosis of dyslexia. It doesn't matter. What DD does have is a huge mismatch between her spelling skills and her verbal ability. She cannot remember which GPC to use in any given word, so chooses whichever she thinks is right.

Being told she will 'just get it as she's a good reader' is amongst the least helpful things school have said.

Interesting discussion, but I really asked for help with how to get what DD needed from school, not what I could do at home. I'm sure the difference is perfectly clear!

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