language based LD?

[Anonymous]

We learned today the results of our 6 year old's school evaluation. He has a language based LD. He has very good/great cognitive ability -- weaknesses in areas involving small motor control, auditory-verbal language and memory skills, short term working memory amd long term memory and retrieval....

we are overwhelmed by this news. We would love to hear from anyone who has a child/ren with a similar profile and perhaps advice on how to proceed to first grade (and what the IEp must include!) thanks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We learned today the results of our 6 year old's school evaluation. He has a language based LD. He has very good/great cognitive ability -- weaknesses in areas involving small motor control, auditory-verbal language and memory skills, short term working memory amd long term memory and retrieval....

we are overwhelmed by this news. We would love to hear from anyone who has a child/ren with a similar profile and perhaps advice on how to proceed to first grade (and what the IEp must include!) thanks!

When is the IEP meeting? You must be exhausted and scared. It will be okay....because you care so much and love your son.

Please see www.jhursey.com Summer Program. She is doing one just for entering first graders taught by SPED teacher. There is one student in the group already with processing speed SLD.

Also, check out Writ's Law! Very helpful.

[Anonymous]

I am sure you are overwhelmed by this news, but the good news is your child is bright. Children can not be diagnosed with any type of learning disability unless they are achieving below their ability (ability meaning IQ). I am a speech language pathologist in the public schools and work mostly with language based LD kids. They do great, they just learn differently and need more visuals and repeition of information.

[Anonymous]

I am the OP -- PP: thank you so much! I really, really appeciate this feedback. His IEP will include in class and pull out OT, speech, and literacy and math support. The specialists and his teachers really do seem to love him.
I feel so lucky that he is getting the help he needs. I've been so worried about him....probably will be forever...

[Anonymous]

OP, I certainly identify with your feelings of worry. It seems like that's a constant part of my existence. I have a 6 year old boy who is still in the process of being tested, but clearly has a language/auditory processing LD as well as significant social delays. He attends private school (for the small class size) and gets speech and language therapy twice a week. He did excellent in K, given his strong rote-learning skills and because he's been reading since he was 3. This sounds like good news, but actually it is a problem because we cannot get any testing done by the public school system until he is failing. And we have been working so hard to have that not happen, but the writing is on the wall as the need for abstract language, inference, critical thinking and so forth increase dramatically starting in first grade. But the thing that always worries me the most is the social delays ... watching him not get picked for teams, invited to parties, and so forth is very difficult. Makes my stomach ache at night. So you are not alone! Hang in there!

[Anonymous]

OP here, thanks for your supportive words PP....and I'm right there with you with social worries.

[Anonymous]

Not getting invited to parties? That is very sad. Regardless of how the invites go out, kids know when others are having parties. What are parents thinking when they do this??!!

[Anonymous]

Yes it is sad, but the truth is, you cannot make other children like your child. You can only try to gently guide your child towards behaviors that other children will find acceptable/okay. Social skills play groups help a lot. A child with both language and social delays has a hard road ... it is like expecting the other 6/7 year olds in the k class to want to play with a 4 year old. They don't mind it now and then, but seek out playmates better able to play the games that THEY can play. So even though the interactions are not necessarily cruel and mean, the subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) exclusion happens a lot. My hope is that these differences/delays will close over time and that children who may not care to play with my child now will do so later. If their opinion is more permanent, then a change of school may be in order. But not until son has better skills, or same thing would just happen again.