HS age DC having issues with reading and comprehension

[Anonymous]

DC says they can't focus on reading if it's more than a 5min read. I was thinking this is an attention span issue, but over the past year, DC has been getting very upset over reading text books like for their History class. They said the words are jumbled, and they have to reread the same paragraph several times, and often gets lost reading the paragraph.

It's not just about reading a boring topic. DC said the same thing happens when they read books that they enjoy.

Do I see DC's pediatrician? Or some other specialist for this?

DC does have anxiety but no other SN diagnosis. I've tried finding a therapist for DC, but it seems almost impossible to find one who takes our insurance and will see teens.

[Anonymous]

Would get a neuropsych evaluation for sure. Have they ever struggled with reading in the past? How have their ELA scores been? Is there any way this could be a learning disorder or developmental issue that they've found ways to conceal and work around before? Or do you think it's just a brand new problem?

If this is a new issue, I might also reach out to a neurologist for scans and testing. An abrupt shift in reading comprehension and focus is concerning.

[Anonymous]

Does your DC have an ADHD diagnosis? It could be an attentional issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Would get a neuropsych evaluation for sure. Have they ever struggled with reading in the past? How have their ELA scores been? Is there any way this could be a learning disorder or developmental issue that they've found ways to conceal and work around before? Or do you think it's just a brand new problem?

If this is a new issue, I might also reach out to a neurologist for scans and testing. An abrupt shift in reading comprehension and focus is concerning.

I don't think it's a new issue. I think they've just been getting around it and managing it. But, it's really hit hard this year because DC is taking APUSH which requires a lot more reading than in the past.

They were never a big reader to begin with, but now looking back, I have to wonder if this is why. They always wanted me to read to them, but I would also have them read for like 20min at bedtime since they were young. They probably weren't reading that much.

ELA MAP scores have been steadily declining since MS. I attributed some of that to learning loss from covid, but now I'm thinking it's more than that.

I don't have any reading issues. I don't think DH does, but he does read slower than I do, and probably has slower reading processing speed (DH is an engineer). I think my sister might have some of these reading issues.

How do I get a neuropsych eval?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does your DC have an ADHD diagnosis? It could be an attentional issue.

Pediatrician did an initial assessment and said they didn't think DC had ADHD.

I think it's just the reading. Their math scores are pretty good. Like 90+%ile, high level math class.

If I look at the MAP R vs MAP M scores, there's a clear gap, almost a 20 point difference.

[Anonymous]

Definitely neuropsych. Ask for recommendations here based on where you live and you can figure this out this school year if you start now and can afford the $6-8k for testing.

If you can’t afford that, it will be an extra year of waiting for somewhere that takes insurance. So if there is any way to swing private pay, do that. Most places have interest free payment plans so you don’t have to front the cash.

[Anonymous]

It sounds like it could be dyslexia. Sometimes that doesn’t show up until the work gets harder. Definitely recommend getting your own neuropsych eval if you can afford it.

[Anonymous]

I’d get a thorough reading evaluation to pinpoint issues.

[Anonymous]

OP here.. How do I find who does these evaluations? Should I start with the pediatrician?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here.. How do I find who does these evaluations? Should I start with the pediatrician?

Your pediatrician likely won't know much. The cheapest way to get an evaluation is to ask the school. You'll have to show evidence of him struggling -- easy if his difficulty with reading is impacting his grades, harder (but not impossible) if his grades are good.

The more thorough but also more expensive way is through someplace like Stixrud, which will do a many-hour deep dive into his learning needs and strengths.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here.. How do I find who does these evaluations? Should I start with the pediatrician?

Contact the school to see if they know a reading specialist. Let them know you are willing to pay out of pocket (if you want this done quickly) and they’ll probably be able to point you in the right direction.

imo don’t see the point of getting ADHD testing if you’ve already spoken to a physician about this. You can certainly get a neuropsych eval though, the wait for these is usually about a year. Call your insurance.

[Anonymous]

Thank you all for your inputs. I've made a note to call the school, stixrud and the pediatrician's office for recommendations.

[Anonymous]

Don't expect anything in the way of reading testing from the school. If your kid has made it this far and this is public school- they won't test. It could be dyslexia or it could be the terrible reading curriculum the schools had when your kid was in elementary. There are several studies now showing that a generation of kids struggles with reading because of the Lucy Calkins/whole reading approach that is a total failure. As reading gets more complex, issues come out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thank you all for your inputs. I've made a note to call the school, stixrud and the pediatrician's office for recommendations.

Ask on here too - just post your location. You can try having the testing through the school but they usually decline if the kid isn’t failing.

[Anonymous]

Hi. I have an adult friend who is not dyslexic and is bright but had trouble with reading in college.

He sought help at college and was advised to try colored plastic overlays and it did help him.

I picked the link below because it does call into question the use of this kind of tool for dyslexics. I can't vouch for any research. I just wanted to share an example of late identified reading issues and a solution that helped.

And to say that APUSH is a pain for everybody.

Good luck, OP.


https://speechify.com/blog/using-colored-overlays-for-reading-difficulties/#:~:text=Colored%20overlays%20are%20designed%20to,the%20eye%20to%20the%20brain.