What do I do now to get support for dyslexic DD?

[roamingespadrille]

I don't know where to turn for help with DD. She had a private ed psych assessment 15 months ago when she was in year 2. School had suggested 'dyslexic tendencies' but that they would not be able to fund an assessment. Report showed very poor phonological and spelling skills and very high levels in other areas such as verbal reasoning and vocabulary.

I have met with class teachers and SENCO at least half termly since. DD has made no progress in writing. Her writing is below Year 1 expected level I think. She is now approaching the end of year 3.

So far, school have provided: a fortnight of not doing class literacy but working on a 'project' instead. 6 ad hoc sessions with a TA - outcome of which was 'yes, she has got lots of gaps'. One session with the SENCO using a THRASS chart. A place at the front of the class directly in front of the board.

At my insistence they have finally dropped weekly spelling tests of 'year 3 words', having told me that she 'must learn them because all year 3 need to know them'. It isn't clear what she does when the class do these tests. I get different responses each time I ask. I suspect she reads quietly.

She appears to be a very able reader (Little House on the Prairie, Harry Potter, younger Terry Pratchetts, as examples) and comprehends what she reads. We still read to her too. However, she cannot decode new words out of context.

After trying a few different things at home, I have been doing Apples and Pears for three months with her. She is on the second part of Book A and does well in the sessions but there is not yet any discernible improvement in her free writing.

Writing and any homework is now hated. She does everything possible to avoid it.

Please could I have any suggestions about what to do now? What else should I be asking of the school? I have asked for the head to be present at some of our meetings but she hasn't been. She retires at the end of term.

Changing schools isn't an option. She has already moved once (as we moved areas) and is a sensitive type at the best of times. She loves her friends and the wider curriculum of the school. Reception sibling is settled well. Ofsted have just been and just the school 'good'.

Thanks.

We did "toe-by-toe" - about £30 on amazon. Look it up.

It took us 6 months to complete at 15 mins a day (after breakfast and before going to school).
It it deathly boring and the source of some arguments - but we persevered and his reading age went up by 2 years in those 6 months.

Getting a kindle can help - there is an inbuilt dictionary - so easy to look up meaning of unfamiliar words and you there is a special dyslexic font that can help with reading.

Good luck - but if it's only mild, I think you have to take matters into your own hands.

www.amazon.co.uk/Toe-Structured-Multi-sensory-Reading-Teachers/dp/0952256401?tag=mumsnetforum-21

Thanks. It isn't at all mild so I do need to get school on board somehow. I don't think Toe by Toe would help any more than Apples and Pears, as her reading age is above chronological age. Glad it has helped your DC though.

Another tip - I used the timing function on my iPhone to go off after 10 or 15 mins. Knowing that there was a hardstop to the activity helped in persuading my son to just get on with it and do it.
On days when he messed about / pretended to need the loo, I paused the timer. He soon learned that it was quicker to just get on and do it.

Is there an educational psychologist you can pay to get her assessed by. If you can get hed diagnosed properly surely school will need to put proper help in place.

My sons reading age was also above his chronological age but he still had phonological gaps.

This scheme helps to fill in the gaps.

Google opticians that test for scotropic syndrome. This is done using coloured overlays and testing to see which combination of colours help. I was skeptical, but the difference between DD2's reading was astounding. They get them to read gibberish, so they can't guess what is coming next. It may or may not help, but it is definitely worth trying. It can help with handwriting etc. DD2 is very dyslexic and has some very unusual problems with it (while able to discern circles, triangles etc, she can't see shapes in jigsaw pieces for example) and she has just completed university with joint honours in history and politics and is going on to do a master's in September. You need to push much, much harder at school. Go to the LA if you are getting brushed off. 'Dyslexic tendencies' is meaningless. She has it! Can you afford a private diagnosis? I think you need to go back to school and make a huge pest of yourself until your DD is helped. Alternatively, can you move her to a different school? I did this with DD2 and she got the help she needed immediately, and it was all the same local authority. I appreciate that this can be more difficult in England than it was here in Scotland. Good luck.

Even if you get help at school - there is only so much help they can provide and it often means your child has to miss other lessons.
That's why I'm such a huge fan of toe by toe.

Thanks again - I think Apples and Pears will do the same but will try Toe by Toe if things don't improve by the end of the scheme.

GotoGet - I had her 'diagnosed properly' 15 months ago. School continue to not put any support in place!

Thats shocking. Pretty hard if school arent putting proper help in place. What country are you in?

What sort of 'harder pushing' can I do at school? Each time I go (and I always ask for the meetings, they never do), they tell me that they've done nothing, or that they've 'tried' a game of Trugs (once) or that they've 'given her a word mat but she can't use it very well'. Or 'she can read really well so it'll come'. But mostly, the class teacher says 'she's doing fine'. She isn't doing fine. I'll post an example later. It's no longer just a spelling problem. The quality of her writing generally has dipped significantly too.

England.

Leafy, green, semi-rural, reliant on middle class parents paying for extra tuition etc...

"So far, school have provided: a fortnight of not doing class literacy but working on a 'project' instead. 6 ad hoc sessions with a TA - outcome of which was 'yes, she has got lots of gaps'. One session with the SENCO using a THRASS chart. A place at the front of the class directly in front of the board."
So nothing at all to address her poor phonological skills (which obviously impacts on spelling skills).
Removing her from literacy why? She needs a quality intervention in addition to normal lessons delivered by someone who knows what they are doing which apparently they don't.
What phonics programme does the school use?

My 10 yo has just been assessed by a private Ed Psych. She's had help in school for a while tho. They've put in interventions for handwriting, spelling and maths.

A programme we've found really helpful is Nessy. They give you a week's freee trial and DD has really got on well with it.

Thanks, mrz. Yes she does need a quality intervention from someone who knows what they're doing. It appears there isn't anyone.

They use 'Letters and Sounds' and then a RWI spelling programme in KS2. I'm not sure they 'believe' in phonics, although foundation stage was just judged 'outstanding' for its approach.

It certainly doesn't sound as if they believe in phonics and unfortunately your child has been a victim to their belief.
Poor phonological skills can be improved with good teaching but I suspect what you are doing at home may be undermined by school practice.
Apples and Pears and Bear Necessities can be very effective (personally not a fan of Toe by Toe for young children) but it isn't a quick fix and you need to convince her to apply what you are teaching at home in school.

Convincing her of anything is difficult in itself. She is particularly stubborn and very much of an 'I know it already' nature (at home, not in school). Her difficulties are masked, I believe, by her good reading, vocabulary, expression. She behaves well and quietly, and is 'no trouble' (frequently said to me at school! I want them to trouble themselves).

So if they are not doing as they should, what can I do now? I cannot understand why they are not more concerned.

You sounds very similar to my DD now 13. She had high CAT and PIP scores, read well and big vocab. Spelling truly awful, so many tears. School felt there was nothing wrong no need to intervene. My family has high numbers of dyslexics and individuals on the spectrum ( I am dyslexic). I raised possible dyslexia in years 1,2 and 3 all dismissed. Private assessment in year 5 combined with behavioural optometry.
The behavioural optometry really helped a lot, the only intervention from school was support for comprehension. SATS - SPAG paper total and utter disaster barely achieved level 3.
She continued to read widely now coming to the end of year 8 the spelling is beginning to come.
She did have good phonics knowledge, but ed psych commented she could not relate this to her phonemes for spelling.
I really rate the behavioural optometry it helped in so many ways ( prior to it she was plagued by migraines I believe due to having to concentrate really hard).

Clearly her reading is fine it's just her writing that's an issue so invest in a laptop and start her typing all her work? That can then be used in secondary and further as a way to do exams while at home spend an hour working on basic writing skills so she isn't hindered too much in later life

Place marking as I have a dc like this.

Thanks for sharing your experiences lonecat. How does your DD cope emotionally now?

Babyonboard - I'm afraid that not all families have 'an hour' (presumably you mean daily) to work on basic writing skills, nor do 7 year olds who've struggled all day have the resilience to do so! We have got her a laptop although school won't let her use it there. She isn't currently any better on it as doesn't yethave the typing skills required.

Tbh many schools don't totally accept private diagnoses of dyslexia as completely authentic and don't feel the need to act on all the recommendations with alacrity. It's a very contentious area. I know several parents who've become frustrated with their children's lack of progress in school and self funded assessments. Without exception they've all been diagnosed as such, it just seems as if you can pay, you'll get a diagnosis. It's a devalued process.
It sounds as if your daughter has a specific spelling problem. Focus on that very specifically.

Roaming she is fairly resilient now. Junior school was quite frankly horrid so much emphasis on SPAG. I actually totally stepped back from anything at home as she was so unhappy about school. Instead she joined a musical theatre group.
She suffered a lot with confidence in year 7 and there was a small amount of bullying by others who thought because she couldn't spell she didn't deserve to be in certain sets. Fortunately school jumped on that quickly.
Year 8 she has grown in confidence and is well settled into senior school. Musical theatre has turned out to be her thing she has a beautiful singing voice, dances and is a pretty good actress. She started Shakespeare at school this year and loved it.

Thanks Lonecat. Sounds like your DD has found what suits her. I try to let mine do the things she likes, but she hasn't found a niche yet. Likes swimming, cycling, Brownies but not interested (terrified of!) in dance or drama.

llhj - I don't think the diagnosis is the issue here. It is blindingly obvious to anyone that she cannot spell and now produces a few sentences per day that are about at the level of a 5 year old. The recommendations from the ed psych were to give the school an idea of where to pitch their interventions, not to provide DD with an excuse/ label or whatever the schools who don't 'believe' in SPLD think the parents are trying to get.