Getting assessed for dyslexia (school seems reluctant)

[ManateeEquineOhara]

I am going to be raising the subject of a dyslexia assessment with DDs teachers anew next term, any support/advice appreciated as so far they have been entirely dismissive.

She is in year 3 and has always struggled with certain things (names of numbers, pretty much everything with numbers, muddling similar words, difficulty remembering abstract stuff such as spellings even with words she knows), but does not underachieve. However she works very hard to keep up. She moved schools last Easter and when I raised it with her old teacher he did agree about the problems with abstract things, and that her poor spelling may give the impression at the new school that she is less bright than she is.

I have spoken with her new teachers a couple of times and they have always left me feeling a bit silly, like I am making something of nothing. I mentioned specifically getting 'where' and 'there' confused in reading all the time and her teacher said it will be because she is looking at the end of the word! (Well...yes, but!).

My brother is dyslexic so I do know a bit about it and am not just plucking a condition out of thin air. My mum was a year 3 teacher until she retired 3 years ago and now tutors (some of the children she tutors are dyslexic), and agrees that she seems dyslexic/ has dyscalculia (sp?!).

If anyone has any suggestions/experience with this I would massively appreciate any advice :)

Diagnosis of dyslexia is by a specialist teacher (SpLD) or by ed pysch. The school are not likely to call in the EP if they have no concerns. I would (and did eventually) get private assessment by a reputable EP (specialist teachers/centres that are cheaper are trying to flog their interventions). It should cost around £600.

DD will not receive specific intervention (say for phonological processing) unless you have a diagnosis if the school believe that these skills can be acquired through normal teaching/differentiation as a matter of course, even if it takes her longer than other DC. A diagnosis is an indication that particular skills need to be explicitly taught. A diagnosis (EP assessment) is also essential to qualify for extra time in SATs, GCSEs etc.

Assessment may be negative but at least you will know at an early stage. It may seem too great a cost to put your mind at rest but in terms of achievement you should bear in mind that progress in KS2 can grind to halt as the demands of the curriculum increase and that this can have a devastating effect on self-esteem.

DS1 was level 3 in maths at KS1 but still level 3 in maths at KS2. Days before the private EP assessment the head/senco said that he had 20 years experience and he could guarantee that DS1 was not dyslexic. He is. He is also dyspraxic and dyscalculic. Working memory 0.3 percentile but they did not notice. Further medical assessment also demonstrated that they missed the severe auditory processing disorder and ASD.

Don't tell the school you are doing it. Don't share your concerns with them further. That way if it is negative they need never know.

I would absolutely echo what keepon said.

Good luck xxxx

Keepon, that in so infuriating that you were told your DS is 'definitely not' dyslexic! I cannot afford to have DD privately assessed so I am going to have to go through school but would love to be able to bypass the school and just present them with what they need to know.
I also have a friend whose school is denying the possibility her DS is dyslexic when she (a teacher herself) is sure he is. I thought we were both quite unlucky with the school's responses but perhaps this is standard

I also have a friend who's school stated 'categorically' that her ds was not Dyslexic. He was.

My dd1's school spent three years not listening to my concerns. Eventually I went for private Ed Psych assessment which cost £500 by which time it was obvious my dd was Dyslexic. Dd's academic self esteem was on the floor by this time.

School still believe they can meet my dd1's needs through the bog-standard differentiation. This is pretty much all they will do for your child, EP report or not. However my dd1 does qualify for a reader for maths tests/extra time, due to her diagnosis. Because intervention from school is pretty patchy and inept schools tend not to look for it in the first place (ie why would you identify it if you are going to do naff all about it.....derrrr). My dd1 goes to a specialist tutor once a week which is a life line, but an expensive one. Don't forget an EP report will have information for you as well as school. If you are having to get your dd assessed through school I think you will have quite a fight on your hands. I don't think you can bypass them, but you can ask to speak to HT and SENCO to try and persuade them. IME they can be pretty obstinate, in my case our SENCO disregarded evidence from the specialist tutor whom she sends her own Dyslexic daughter to. It is pretty depressing.
Good luck, handywoman xxx

Keepons experience is not unusual I am afraid Mana.

manatee - this is standard practice. Even the lea EP called in did not do dyslexia assessments but told me that she did not think that he was dyslexic as he could 'read and write'. This may sound bizarre but from the lea pov they do not become aware of dyslexic children until they are 5 years behind the average attainment of peers. In year 6 this means level 1b.

She also said that even if DS1 were dyslexic he would not be entitled to any more or any different support. This is not true. Diagnosis brought Wave 3 interventions (Acclerwrite/read), a voice recorder and teaching of touch typing.

You will never get anywhere with the school - they will not bear the cost of assessment unless they have concerns. In my lea the school has to pay for EP assessment. I persisted in raising my concerns and the school responded by reporting me to SS. Unfortunatey these things do happen. Having concerns that are not shared by teachers is seen as a red flag for mad mbp momma.

Does anyone know if you can pay the LEA via school for the EP's time?
Already fallen foul of the LEA not accepting any evidence other than their 'own'.
Not that this will be my first 'shot' at getting DS1 assessed, but would be interested in knowing if anyone has done this.

What is not being accepted? - not allowed btw - see the Rose Review on dyslexia.

Evidence obtained through measures/assessments such as WISC should be the same regardless of who employs the EP. lea accepted my indi EP report and then did their own for SA - similar but greater severity than the indi report. They can only refuse to accept if the findings are contradicted by their own assessment.

ime schools are just as likely to dismiss official advice with regards to provision.

God, this is all pretty depressing reading!

I work at a Uni and this all fits actually - a large number of students get a diagnosis for the first time at uni. Usually it has not been picked up on at school because they are not behind.

I'm going to look into funding it myself actually, I should be able to afford it in April. Not easily but the school route sounds bad enough to warrant scraping together the money :(

Medical reports from OT, SALT etc were 'not accepted' in regard to primary application as they were not in their opinion 'medical professionals'
This is why I try to get, wherever possible, reports that they cannot 'dispute' as being from a medical professional
Our school is quite good if they see NHS /LEA on top of the letter. I think they assume that a parent hasn't paid for the information, so it must be more accurate

I had this with Dd2, all the way through school I went in time and time again, I told every teacher every year that I was concerned that she was dyslexic.

No one ever listened to me. In the end we went down the Behavioural Optometrist route, she had coloured lenses in her glasses and worked on her tracking. Her reading age/speed improved massively due to this but not her spelling and understanding of punctuation rules.

Amazingly she managed to pass her GCSE's including english, thanks to her hard work and some great teaching at secondary school. Though they still didnt recognise her dyslexia.

The first week of 6th form college and every new student was screened for dyslexia and hey ho she gets flagged up as being dyslexic. She is 17!!

Sorry this is so long but you are really going to have a battle on your hands if you want the school to do anything.

Good luck