severe dyslexia - any experience of specialist schools?

[everymummy]

DS who is 8 and in Y3 saw an educational psychologist last week and has been diagnosed with very severe dyslexia. He's in the bottom 2% in all areas. We were prepared for it to be bad, but very shocked that he will probably be best off in a specialist school.

His current school have been fantastic - he is very happy and with the hard work of his teachers has been accessing the curriculum and achieving well in other subjects, but I don't think this is really going to be enough for him in the long term. She said he has a highish iq so bridging the gap will be easiest in a specialist school.

I would be really grateful if anyone on here had any experience to share of dyslexia schools or severe dyslexia. Thanks!

Hi Everymummy your DS sounds like DS2 - an EP saw him aged 8 and said he was severely dyslexic. He loved his school, friends, teachers and had extra lessons with the SEN teacher but the demands of the classroom were getting further and further beyond him and it was affecting his self-esteem.

We’ve moved him to a small specialist school for dyslexia and he is much more on an even keel. There was no progress in his reading before, now I can see the building blocks are slowly being put in place. He can see improvement too.

Before, he would talk about his friends or what he did at playtime or lunch; now he tells me about the lessons. He is calmer and happier and it is worth the extra journey.

The fact is his teacher didn’t know what to do with him before because he was so different. His new teachers have the qualifications and experience to help him.

Do you have a new school in mind for your DS? It’s hard to move them when they are happy - DS2 is a happy soul despite his difficulties - but now I can see how much stress he was feeling underneath.

Hi eyeofthestorm thanks very much for your post. It's really encouraging to know that your DS is flourishing at a specialist school. Do you mind telling me what part of the country you're in? We're prepared to move for the right school, but probably looking at the Unicorn School outside Oxford.

I'm reeling a bit as I assumed we would be able to bridge the gap particularly as he is getting so much help and one-on-one attention at his current school. Like your DS, his reading hasn't really improved over the past year although his touch-typing is coming on really fast. We really thought things were getting better but it's clear from what he said to the ed psych that like your DS he is feeling stressed under the surface. She even said with the extreme gap he has to bridge between his intelligence and his ability, in a more stressed environment he could have developed a stutter (he already gasps quite a bit). I find that gut wrenching.

We're going to have a meeting with his school to discuss the report but I think the only option is to move him in the summer. We introduced the idea last night and although he said he would feel a bit sad to leave his school I was surprised how open he seemed to moving.

Thanks again for your post. I'd be really interested to hear more about specialist schools on the inside. Are a lot of kids there on funded places? The one we're looking at is about 30k per year.

It’s a north London school and we travel in from st Albans way. It is private and costs about what you said but I think some children are funded if they have an ehcp. Most of the children - it’s very small - are full time and some come in from mainstream for a day or half a day for specialised lessons.

DS2 is in a class of 6 and they are taken out in pairs or threes for maths, reading etc and they are grouped by ability not age although it works out that they’re all similar ages.

The lessons are not simplified (if that’s the best word for it) - they have studied the silk route, the printing press, Egyptians etc and there is a lot of creativity. Afternoon lessons include art, yoga, street dance and martial arts. It fits DS2 because apart from reading and maybe maths, his general ability is absolutely fine.

DS2 has older siblings who are mainstream so this is our first experience of specialist schools but it’s working. I was also surprised when DS2 was happy to move schools. Even though he liked I his old school, he knew it wasn’t working too.

He is calmer, happier, comes out of school telling me how much he enjoyed his day. Sometimes it feels like DS2 will never read - but parents of similar children further down the track tell me that eventually he will.

Have a look at Bruern Abbey - feel free to PM me

My son attends a specialist school as his dyslexia is catigorised as "profound", however he is cognitively able. If your son's dyslexia is very severe, you may want to consider applying for an EHCP. The school our son attends is independent and the reality is we would never be able to afford the fees without having the funding. Take a look at www.crested.org.uk/register.html
Even some of these schools don't take the very severe cases. The school our son attends also takes kids with other learning needs such as ASD. You will need to keep an open mind as there is so little provision out there sadly.

Can I ask what you decided to do about schools. I am so confused as to what to do with my 10yo. Discalculia not dyslexia but bottom of class for everything and just don't want him to lose his confidence and current joie de vivre!

If an independent school is an option for you, I would suggest Bruern Abbey.

What about Fairley House in London?