Specialist Teacher Report back...

[mrsbaffled]

Well, the report is back for DS (7.5), with some recommendations. It turns out he has "Specific learning difficulties in spelling, writing and fine motor control". The test results were very interesting. He scored over 89th centile for almost everything cognitive apart from spelling where he was 11th centile (

You do know 'Specific learning difficulties in spelling, writing' is a euphemism for dyslexia.

Word Wasp I think will be too hard for him. The Hornet Literacy Primer is the one before it.......

Although, after initially getting excited about Hornet, I'm now back to Apples & Pears - which really is better.

Speed up is good, and should be appropriate.

Does he have a move n sit cushion? This should stop him moving so much.

And here's a thread about improving fine motor skills

I took this up with my teacher friend this morning. She is a close personal friend who also happens to teach at DS's school, and she will be doing some private tuition with him. I asked her outright if he has dyslexia (or more specifically dysgraphia) and she said 'no, it doesn't mean that'......?!

She reckons once he's got over his crisis of confidence he should improve as he's so bright.

I mentioned Hornet to her (and Apples and Pears), but SENCO wants him to do Word Wasp....I suppose we could give it a go and move down if it's too hard?

We have a wobble cushion for home. He uses it at tea time, and I think it does help. I haven't got one for school, but SENCO hasn't noticed he is any fidgettier (is that a word?!) than anyone else at school.

Also, wouldn't auditory memory centile be lower for dyslexia????

Brilliant, thanks for the link.

I have bought him lots of pen-type things as well to get him putting pen to paper. Including a spy pen kit and a spyro gyro pen (quite pleased with this)....

SpLD absolutely means dyslexia. They are out and out lying to you (or very ignorant - which is of course totally possible. )

The industry made up the word SpLD so they wouldn't have to tell the parents dyslexia.

Auditory memory doesn't need to be low for dyslexia.

Dysgraphia is problems with handwriting, so very different from problems with reading / spelling.

I'm shocked by what 'she reckons'. A crisis of confidence! Um no.

As you know being bright means nothing if you're dyslexic.

I wouldn't trust this friend ever again. She does not know what she's talking about, and she's got an awful attitude towards dyslexia.

I would (and have) just provide the cushion for school. They've never had a problem with my boys using it. (It's paying for it they don't like)

I'd also do Apples & Pears myself at home. Word wasp is very hard and goes very fast. He'd need a very good memory to progress on word wasp.

He has handwriting problems too (pain and scruffy).
I trust my friend completely - always will :) However, she may not be an expert on dyslexia. BUT she's only going on what the report and SENCO are telling her.

But the handwriting problems sound like they're caused by pain (which is an OT problem) not by dysgraphia..... (And probably by the vision problems which you're also treating)

BUT she's only going on what the report and SENCO are telling her. - yes this is the problem. :( The EP gives the SENCO bad advice, and then you are stuck. All LEA EPs give SENCOs bad advice. Because they have a terrible concept of what dyslexia is.

When I told my LEA EP that DD had made amazing progress after doing AIT (Auditory Integration Training) he replied - There is no evidence AIT works. There must have been a delay in DD learning the skills and being able to apply them

So even when the evidence is staring them in the face they won't acknowledge it. But these are the people advising our schools.

You really, really, really have to stop trusting schools. Only about 0.001% of teachers know anything about treating dsylexia.

Your friend won't even acknowledge your child has dyslexia, when that is exactly what the report says he has :(

Basically Dyslexia is one of the SpLDs - but it's the one to do with having difficulties in spelling and writing.

So it's definitely what she is describing in your report.

Could it not be that the vision problems are causing the spelling problems (because he doesn't see the words in the right order), and that when we have fixed the vision, then he will 'get' spelling and therefore not be dyslexic??

Could the SpLD not be temporary??

Can you tell I am clutching at straws!!!

Oh, yes, the vision problems are causing the spelling problems.

(It's not just the words he doesn't see in the right order - it's the letters as well)

And fixing his vision problems, plus all his other problems, will cure his dyslexia / SpLD

I'm very, very close to curing DDs dyslexia now. She can read now, and almost spell.

But in order to do that I've had to fix her:

• Auditory Problems
• Vision Problems
• Neurodevelopment Problems
• Dietary problems
• Vitamin deficiency.

Go to Tinsley House to sort out all of his problems.

You are not clutching at straws. But you can't listen to the 'professionals' or teachers. Because they are not going to give you good information.

It's not that SpLD is temporary - it's that it is curable.