School psychologist report

[TheSunnySide]

My 13 year old asked to be tested for Dyslexia. Results have come back from the Educational Psychologist with no over all concerns aside from some slow processing.

When I filled in the form to request a test, there was a section called ‘home concerns’ in which I provided info RE my concerns about literacy. I assumed that was what they wanted rather than wider concerns about school life.

I have just had the full report back and in ‘School Concerns’ a member of staff has written, that there are no concerns regarding academic progress and attendance is at 99%+ but has also added, among other things, that there is ‘extreme anxiety’, they can’t cope with other students’ views if different from their own, that they are ’very immature with friends’ and will go to their well-being area when others have ‘been rude’ but is difficult to get back into lessons if they have ‘decided not to go‘.

Is it normal to mention all of this for a dyslexia test?

There has been some anxiety (particularly in the transition year), and some bullying, but these concerns of things being ‘extreme’ or of him having issues with other people’s opinions, have never been raised with me so I am quite surprised. I have been so proud of my child for seeking out help and solutions while in school. Now I feel like their emotional openness is seen as a problem!

*I work in a school so I know how much pressure well-being teams are under.

It sounds like a thorough assessment.

I think they are trying to be helpful and to provide observations. Probably best you know what's going on there. Have you any concerns about ASD and masking?

YABU

I would guess that they simply manage your child's anxiety and refusal to do things. Emotional openess means what? By including these observations they are ensuring that the EP get a full picture of how your dc is in school.

Yes these issues would all be relevant when seeking an assessment of any sort of SEN

It sounds like staff have concerns around ND, autism/ADHD in particular can affect processing speed (on top of the other concerns). If your DC is experiencing lots of anxiety then they might need some extra support and input. The teacher is just being thorough.

EP’s don’t just do a “dyslexia assessment.” They explore all concerns so the assessment is thorough. School are right to express their concerns although you should be aware of them too.

I’ve actually never heard of a child asking to be assessed for dyslexia & school getting the EP in. EP’s are a rare & expensive commodity here.

I don't know if you have just got used to the way your ds is but on a previous thread you talked about exactly this kind of behaviour when he was at primary school. Maybe he is neurodiverse? Some of the things you described there do ring some bells for asd. Being dramatic and holding onto grudges. Getting upset when minor things go wrong and feeling this spoils the whole day etc. He could just be a sensitive soul but he could equally have additional needs. Surely this should be shared with the EP.

Sounds like they are potentially describing the impact of dyslexia or could be school concerns within the wider spectrum of neurodiversity. You mention some common areas of difficulty, transitions, tolerating the opinions of others etc. A busy high school environment is really tough and fraught with these added stressors. What kind of support do you think would help him cope in school and beyond with how his dyslexia presents. You mentioned your thoughts on his wider literacy skills, how does he manage with comprehension tasks, how is his communication in general, working memory.

yes, those things are relevant even to an assessment looking at dyslexia - things like anxiety, refusal to go back to class etc can be signs that the child is finding that particular topic difficult or is embarrassed (e.g. about having to read aloud) or whatever. Often children exhibit various behavioural patterns to avoid doing things that might show their weak areas or if they're worried about what others might think etc, or defensive about their opinions because they're not sure if they're right/ if they've read things right, or whatever. So it's all useful information and can point to signs that they might have some kind of literacy difficulty that they are trying to work around in some way (consciously or not)

Most cognitive skills, in this test, are average to high average. Working memory was within the average range. Suggested a sight test.

Communication between us is great but we have known each other for 13 years, not always great with the well-being team but I have put that down to their approach which has resulted in fewer visits as help is not forthcoming. Teachers at the recent parents evening said quiet in class, no disruption, great at maths and IT but not interested, motivated or skilled in handwriting, English etc. I have had concerns about literacy, particularly handwriting, probably posted here before about it.

I don’t agree about a lack of tolerance of the opinions of others but of course I don’t see what goes on in school. It could be that general upset about what is said and done by others is seen as not being able to cope with things.

I think support wise, information and tasks given in small chunks with regular check ins that things are understood would be great.

my child an assembly on it and asked me to ask. It took almost a year to get tested and only got the recent test without warning because another child was absent on the day.

I didn’t ask if I was but thank you for reminding me that Mumsnet is still the good old Mumsnet that it always was. It is nice to see that some things remain solidly the same 🤣

Thank you all so much for your replies and to those who took the time to look at previous posts and remind me of concerns I had previously in case I had forgotten them. this has confirmed that I do need to have a further conversation RE the possibility of neurodivergence even thought the school have only suggested an eye test so far.

Does the school provide a device to enable access to digital resources and make it easier for him to evidence his understanding. If handwriting & processing is an issue there are many excellent apps that really help dyslexic students. Depending on your location schools can refer for a device to assist dyslexic or pupils with difficulties writing, dysgraphia or auditory/visual processing. Support in class can be a problem but the chuunking approach you mention makes sense. Some children in the busy, shouty environment find it hard to tolerate when others are saying or doing 'the wrong things' which causes more stress and some children will intentionally wind up the kids who will say or do something in response. Lots of children sit exams and assessments via devices and there are lots in classes. Quite discreet, either a laptop with access to your local authorities resources or iPad with small ear buds. Can make a real difference when they are shown how to use the apps to the max.