Dyslexia - what testing/services are you using?

[Anonymous]

I feel like I'm having everything thrown at me to see what I'm willing to pay for. Educational evaluation determined delays in decoding, phonemic awareness, etc. That coupled with a significant family history, gave us the dyslexia diagnosis (and concerns about fine motor skills). I'm looking for a specialized tutor/educational therapist for an O-G based reading program and OT for an evaluation. I thought that was enough - but now the OT is suggesting a Developmental Optometrist for potential vision therapy - and it was suggested we might need a Speech-Language evaluation and an Auditory processing evaluation to get more information about the specifics of his issues. The OT said that vision specialists can diagnose dyslexia - which sounds odd to me when the Yale Center for Dyslexia, the International Dyslexia Association, etc. never make mention of a Developmental Optometrist or vision therapy in diagnosing/treating dyslexia. If a child has issues with tracking and convergence, I can see how that could exacerbate or even mimic some symptoms of dyslexia, but that has nothing to do with phonemic awareness.

I'm just concerned that we're going to spend thousands of dollars on evaluations and end up with therapeutic recommendations a mile long. I'd love to hear from someone who's been there, done that and how it panned out for you and your DC.

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

One of our OT always recommended vision therapy every year. We've not done it. (I eventually did get my kids assessed. It was recommended for one and not the other. That was with Kraskin. I feel like too many of the vision folks I hear about will always recommend pricey therapy, so I felt like at least he was more honest than most.) I don't think it's true that they can diagnose dyslexia. I think the theory is that they help with eye tracking.

The speech, low tone--fine & gross motor issues, and language based LDs often go together. If you're working with an OT and someone to help with the reading aspect give it some time b/f you decide to tackle other therapies. (In regards to APD, not sure why it didn't come out in the original educational assessment.)

[Anonymous]

vision therapy is one of those things that people disagree about. Some say that there isn't any data to support its efficacy.

On APD and SPL evaluation -- I found these both to be useful. Since the APD is a type of hearing test, we did it thru a preferred provider in our insurance network and it was fully covered. Auditory processing problems can be a component of the underlying aspects of dyslexia (not understanding the phonological components of reading sometimes comes from not being able to adequately process what is being heard, which is different from not hearing the words. The sound input can be accurate but the brain's interpretation (i.e. processing) can be faulty.)

The SPL evaluation provided us with the best info on what our child's specific areas of need were -- better/more micro than that provided by the educational evaluation. If you have doubts, ask the SPL you are considering to do the eval what additional tests they would recommend beyond what was done in the educational evaluation.

[Anonymous]

We never did a hearing test to assess for APD. It was readily assessed with various speech and educational evals.

[Anonymous]

DC is in 9th grade. We started down the path rather late in the fall of 2nd grade. He went to a reading tutor from mid-2nd grade to mid-7th grade. 2-3 Day a week during that time, summer included. She was a reading specialist at a nearby ES and was very experienced in several programs- most notably Level II certified in Wilson (which was the program we all felt was the best for DC). DC also received one on one Wilsondaily at school, but only for 20-30 minutes. He has several "flavors" of dyslexia, auditory being the most profound. He has/had trouble with phonemes, RAN and decoding.

We went to a private evaluator in 3rd grade when we discovered the inadequacies of the school's evaluation in 2nd grade. DC was diagnosed with dysgraphia at that time. He was also diagnosed with ADHD, combine type, a year later- once we had pulled/worn down the walls he had built up and his "true" self was revealed. Depression probably dampened some of the ADHD issues, the rest seemed to overlap with his other diagnoses. We was receiving OT at school and we chose not to do anything private and concentrate on the reading, but he did practice typing at home for several years.

IME, it is very easy to get caught up in all the treatments and "experts". Research and ttrust your instincts. You are the expert in your child and you know what would be overload. My DC needed and still needs quite a bit of down time- so we can't over schedule him. He also needs to have "regular" activities. He is a tortoise and not a hare. So, we chose not to do a intensive summer programs like Linda Mood Bell, but the slow and steady progress of a one on one tutor several times a week for a longer period.

I recommend reading 'Overcoming Dyslexia', 'Proust and the Squid', looking at the LDonline.com website, wrightslaw.com is very informative and their online classes/books are very good and the best deal. Be aware that there are also some 'snake oil' salesmen out on the internet and if something seems unlikely it probably isn't true.

DC is doing very well in HS and has a much better attitude and outlook, but still has a high anxiety level and uses technology to access the curriculum. Good luck to you and your DC.

[Anonymous]

Please run far away from anyone suggesting vision therapy to treat dyslexia!!

The American Academy of Pediatrics, International Dyslexia Association and many other professional groups have been warning about vision therapy for years. (http://www.aao.org/about/policy/upload/Learning-Disabilities-Dyslexia-Vision-2009.pdf)

Dyslexia is a phonological problem that needs to be addressed with high quality multisensory language instruction- it is not a visual problem. Orton-Gillingham is widely considered the gold standard for remediating dyslexia. Many brand name programs, including Wilson Reading, are based on the Orton-Gillingham approach.

I second the previous comment- "Overcoming Dyslexia" and "Proust and the Squid" are great books for you to learn more about what exactly dyslexia is and is not. I also highly recommend "Parenting a Struggling Reader" by Susan Hall and Louisa Moats. It is an excellent resource for parents trying to navigate the maze of getting help for their child.

I speak from experience as a certified reading specialist trained in Orton-Gillingham, and Wilson Reading.. I have taught many students with dyslexia. Some had previously tried vision therapy and it always resulted in wasted money and frustration for the student and parent.

If you'd like to speak further, I'd be happy to provide my contact information.

[Anonymous]

Thank you for the feedback and the book recommendations.

It's good to hear what you all think and I appreciate the thoughtful responses. At first I was just nodding along as if I were going to schedule all these evals asap, but now I think I'm just going to slow the heck down. Nothing's on fire.

[Anonymous]

Finding a Wilson Reading tutor was the most effective thing I've done for my dyslexic dd. I found ours through the interdys.org resource list. Barton Reading, which you can do yourself, is also well regarded. It is not easy to find a tutor, though. Ours only takes one student at a time as she has a full time job too. If you do go the Wilson route, you can try calling Wilson to see if they can help you find someone local who's certified. Certification MATTERS with Wilson.

As for the vision thing, I'd always been very cautious about it. But our recent (OT) IEE found problems with tracking, convergence, and visual-motor integration. On a whim, I took dd to get a vision evaluation. They found the same things, and also screened for dyslexia, as they said dyslexia is often mistaken for vision problems. The OD was very clear that vision problems and dyslexia can look similar, but they are very different issues, and that dyslexia is a phoenimic issue, not a vision issue.

Because the OT and OD found the same issues, and we've been addressing the dyslexia through Wilson (sigh, if only the school would just do their job...), we're going to sign up for the vision therapy. We've discussed this with dd's pediatrician and her neuropsych, and they agree that IN OUR CASE, vision therapy is worth doing. We plan to start after the new year.

Our OD's office has been doing VT locally for 20+ years and is well regarded by our other doctors. Trust your gut, and don't bite off too much at a time.

Good luck!