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Dyslexia Dx, where do we go from here please?

17 replies

Flightattendant · 17/01/2010 17:28

I've had suspicions that ds1 has dyslexia since a few years ago...he's always seemed very bright, great vocab and good at building stuff etc but when he started school he really struggled with literacy.

So he was kind of 'below range' according to yr1 teacher, and only now in yr2 is he coming on in that respect - i feel he's doing pretty well considering.

I asked a friend last year if she would assess him as his yr1 teacher was being quite strict, keeping him in at playtime to finish work etc and I wanted him to have less pressure and more help.

It's taken this long for her to fit him in, though! Had an assessment yesterday.

She hasn't written it all up yet but just told me the following:

'V high cognitive Ability indeed.
Moderate Dyslexia, on the Index but not typical profile. Can do most things typical dyslexics can't! Will set it all out towards end of next week. More a question of maturity than actual full-blown dyslexia, I feel.'

I'm reassured on both counts...that he is bright (I assume) and that he has, or has had, problems with dyslexia which I know he has worked hard to overcome.

But I am not sure what I need to do now to help him.
I want to tell school so they can put whatever measures they need to in place, I suppose to connect better with the way his mind works and lower their expectations a bit...I'd like them to adjust to meet his needs, don't want him to have to struggle so much etc.

Does anyone have an idea as to what I ought to ask them about, or make sure they have in place? I'd really appreciate some pointers.

Thankyou.

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Flightattendant · 17/01/2010 17:33

Btw school has always resisted my questions about it saying they only take it seriously once the kids are 7 - fair enough but two friends have been approached by school in the past year regarding their children being possibly dyslexic, and this seems a bit odd that school aren't considering it with ds...or maybe they think I am deluded mummy

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Peachy · 17/01/2010 17:50

Hi FA

You might not get lots of answers on SN,SEN can be a better bet for dyslexia IME.

The only way i think yto know what to ask is to get your head around some of the many services out there- palces like bibic, the dyscovery centre, etc alloffer ideas and assessments (some at a price, bibic is very cheap though comparatively).

Read up on the IPSEA website to see about SA and SA+ and if theya re needed, ds2 has sen (dyslexia /dyspraxia /add type but no dx) and he is on sa; he has an IEP that sets out exactly what th4y are doing for him (theoretically)

cornsilt · 17/01/2010 17:54

Hi Flight is your friend an ed psych or a specialist teacher?

Flightattendant · 17/01/2010 18:02

Thanks Peachy, that's great will do. Sorry if on wrong forum!

Cornsilt (are you cornsilk?) she is a specialist - works one to one with many children from the district, during school hours at her house.

She's been doing it a good few years and has loads of BDA certificates on her walls...i was impressed

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Flightattendant · 17/01/2010 18:04

what is sa btw?

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Peachy · 17/01/2010 18:04

Please please please dont think you are on wrong fourm- you are not, but there is just mroe expertise over 'there' is all

All welcome on SN IMO

Flightattendant · 17/01/2010 18:06

Ah have found ipsea website, no need to explain! Thanks .

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Flightattendant · 17/01/2010 18:06

Thankyou P that's really kind, sorry am total ignoramus about sn/sen/variants. I will educate myself!

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cornsilt · 17/01/2010 18:11

(Yes 'tis CS - am also specialist dyslexia teacher)
Just wondering what she means by 'Moderate Dyslexia, on the Index but not typical profile.' Obviously there are loads of assessments out there - that sounds like a screener which identifies dyslexic traits.
What recommendations did she make based on her assessments? What were his specific difficulties/areas of weakness?

StarlightMcKenzie · 17/01/2010 18:11

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Flightattendant · 17/01/2010 18:19

Thankyou! Taken on board, Starlight, you're a nice bunch

Perhaps I'll post over there once I have more info next week.

Cornsilk/t she hasn't specified yet - that was all she said, although she hinted after the test thing that he looked to have developed rapidly to overcome a lot of the issues (she had some of his schoolbooks from a year ago so perhaps was comparing)

It's confusing isn't it though

She used the WRIT assessment. I remember there were some diamond shaped green things and also various pictures of elephants, and bambi with a squirrel.

I was most shocked when he was perusing a list of graduated words and suddenly read 'contemporary' he still struggles with HF words, you know, it was a bit odd!

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StarlightMcKenzie · 17/01/2010 18:28

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Message withdrawn

cornsilt · 17/01/2010 18:29

You need to find out from your friend what his strengths and weaknesses are. Ask her to suggest strategies for school to use based on her assessment. (She'll more than likely do that anyway.) When you have more info you can go into school and meet with SENCO/class teacher/T.A. and you need to tell them what the outcomes of the assessment were and very importantly the strategies and resources suggested by the specialist teacher. Do the LEA have a dyslexia quality mark or dyslexia friendly schools award? Find out as they may already be involved in something which would be great.

Peachy · 17/01/2010 18:34

So roughly- SA is school have identified a need

SA+ SA and there is outside agency involvement

sattement- legal specification of need
it's s taep up system

I have 2 on statement, one on SA but trying to get outside agency help for SA+ (buggery HT made the TA's redundant so what worked well once no longer exists)

Flightattendant · 17/01/2010 18:41

thanks...LOL starlight

I have had a look and Kent seems to have a PDF about it, ie a standard protocol for dealing with dyslexia, which is a start I suppose.

there is also a chart thing I have saved about the things they ought to put in place - a lot of which makes little sense to me but I'm sure things will become clearer over time.

I think I'll mention it to them tomorrow, one of his TAs is actually the school SENCO and she knows the friend we went to, they have had a chat in the past about him though not certain what transpired...neither was ultra worried I think.

So anyway the TA ought to be on top of what to do, really. She is a bit batty but very very likeable, and I hope effective though have had no experience with that side of her remit.

Will report back
Thanks again.

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Flightattendant · 17/01/2010 18:43

Peachy that sounds grim, must have set you back a bit when they did that.

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Peachy · 17/01/2010 18:47

I think its probably good in that about time I got off my arse and stope dwaiting forthem to do things, tbh

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