New Dyslexia Diagnosis - any advice welcome

[Anonymous]

My 8 year old was just diagnosed with dyslexia and I would love any advice about navigating the IEP process and recommendations for finding a tutor (we are in Baltimore). I've been perusing the archives and it seems like most people on this board have not had much luck with finding schools with Ortan Gillingham reading specialists (or other appropriate training to support dyslexic students). Anyone in a public school in the Baltimore/DC area where they are happy with the support their dyslexic students receives? We would seriously considering moving to find a school district that would meet our daughter's needs. Also, for those of you who do outside tutoring, it seems like most people are recommending 3-4 sessions a week. If you went that direction, how long did your child require tutoring at that level - 1 year? 2 years? their entire school career? Thank you so much for any advice - we are new to this and want to do our best for our daughter.

[Anonymous]

My son was diagnosed at age 6, had an IEP, and I had to pull him out at the beginning of third grade because he was still reading at the beginning of a kindergarten level. My mother and I taught him at home and he's now reading where he should be, so I sent him back to public this year, where they allowed him to skip a grade. We worked very closely with him at home because while he was in early elementary, I could not keep up at night enough to help him with what he was not being taught during the day. My advice is to watch closely and make sure that your child isn't slipping through the cracks. My husband is dyslexic, but he just retired from law enforcement. My son uses him as a role model, because he realizes that he can be anything that he wants to be. Someone just has to care enough to work closely with them.

[Anonymous]

A lot of your questions will depend on the severity and the nature of your daughter’s dyslexia. We ended up at Oakwood by the 3rd grade (identified before 1st grade). That school was life changing for our daughter.

So if I were you and living in Baltimore I would look at the Jemicy School and compare other options to it.

Good luck- it is a long journey but honestly the dyslexic brain is pretty amazing once you figure out how to leverage it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son was diagnosed at age 6, had an IEP, and I had to pull him out at the beginning of third grade because he was still reading at the beginning of a kindergarten level. My mother and I taught him at home and he's now reading where he should be, so I sent him back to public this year, where they allowed him to skip a grade. We worked very closely with him at home because while he was in early elementary, I could not keep up at night enough to help him with what he was not being taught during the day. My advice is to watch closely and make sure that your child isn't slipping through the cracks. My husband is dyslexic, but he just retired from law enforcement. My son uses him as a role model, because he realizes that he can be anything that he wants to be. Someone just has to care enough to work closely with them.

My son is now in third grade and I am at the point that I am seriously thinking that I need to pull him out to homeschool him in reading, spelling, and writing intensely for a year. I thought I really wanted my son in special education thinking naively that they would help and it has ended up being far worse than if he never got in. Last year he was lumped in with all the special education students (students with dyslexia, autism, intellectual disabilty, adhd, speech issues) in one general education classroom with a part time special ed teacher and full time aide. The teacher and aide just dealt with behavior problems and rarely got around to teaching reading. The did a great deal of patting themselves on their back about - Inclusion works! Isn't it great! I requested in writing a pull out reading program but then during the IEP meeting the special education teacher couldn't adequately explain how she would teach reading or what curriculum she would use. I respectfully said that I know they don't have to include the methodology in the IEP but it would be helpful for me to get a sense of where to supplement. I realized the only option to get adequate help would be for him to stagnate for a couple of years, hire a lawyer and sue for a private placement. However, I don't want my child to not learn and we don't have money for a lawyer. At that meeting I told the team to exit him from special ed and to put him in 504 plan and the following year do not place him in the inclusion class. This year his teacher is so much better than last year, there aren't major behavior problems in the classroom, and he gets more help because he gets help from a general education reading specialist.

That being said, he is not on grade level in reading yet, despite having a very high verbal IQ. I bought the Wilson reading system and have been using it at home. It works but it takes an hour or more a day to complete one lesson. We made a lot of progress in the summer because he was not tired from the school day. I think if I could work with him intensely for a year he would really take off. So OP if you can throw money at the problem and hire an OG tutor, or buy Wilson or Barton reading, or send him to Linda Mood Bell ($10,000), the sooner you do it the better. If not the gap just gets wider. The other thing that helps is that I read books to him for 30 to 45 minutes a day above his reading level - so around 5th to 6th grade so he hears the vocabulary and longer sentence structure.
Sorry to be a Debbie Downer, but realistically don't expect much from the most public schools.

[Anonymous]

OP here - thank you for the feedback! My husband is also dyslexic so she also has him as a role model. It sounds like early intensive interventions are the way to go. Unfortunately I'm not in a position to do homeschooling. She has been listening to a lot of audiobooks lately, so hopefully that will help with vocabulary acquisition. From what I have been finding here and other resources, it sounds like school interventions are useless unless it is a specialized school. So frustrating!!

[Anonymous]

PP with child who attended Oakwood.

We have always done a lot of reading as a family. So although our daughter’s decoding is behind, her vocabulary and comprehension have always been excellent which helps with class discussions. So definitely keep up the audiobooks as she can stay on grade level or above there.

For us the cost of private school worked out to be not that much more than the cost of the tutors/ nanny to drive her there and therapy for anxiety. There is also financial aid available at some schools.

[Anonymous]

Np here - we’re in the same boat and would love to hear guidance from anyone who has been down this road.

[Anonymous]

As a special ed teacher, let me say that we just aren't staffed so that your child can get the kind of instruction needed. For severely dyslexic kids, you should do all you can to find tutors or a private placement. It's very frustrating to know that we just don't have the time to work with your kid as we should.

[Anonymous]

We also have a dyslexic child. We are considering Oakwood, but the commute would be awful (and then I'd get to commute into D.C. afterwards and that's a big consideration. No busing. We are considering hiring an ASDEC tutor to work 4-5 days/week with our child at a local parochial school. Why? Bc unlike big, public systems, small independents sometimes will allow private tutors into the school building during the school day. Our son is maxed out at the end of the day so after-school tutoring isn't a great choice. And the tutor plus the parochial tuition is almost half of the typical $40K tuition. Food for thought!

[Anonymous]

My six year old was diagnosed over the summer. She is getting daily pull outs for at least 30 minutes with an OG-trained teacher. I’m also doing the Barton program with her at home. We’re about 3.5 months in, and it has definitely made a difference. She started first grade at a DRA 2/3 level, and is now at level 8/10.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a special ed teacher, let me say that we just aren't staffed so that your child can get the kind of instruction needed. For severely dyslexic kids, you should do all you can to find tutors or a private placement. It's very frustrating to know that we just don't have the time to work with your kid as we should.

Thanks for admitting that! If the schools could just be honest (I know, federal law and all that), it would save a lot of pain!

OP, get a private tutor ASAP. Susan Barton (Barton method) can send you list of certified tutors in your area and even remote tutors. My DD does remote tutoring (she is older so maybe more able to handle remote, but it's an option). She did another OG program first and now does Barton. She thinks Barton is better than the other one. She's almost 13 and has been doing various forms of tutoring since she was 9. You are lucky to know early! My advice is to empower her. My DD was so much happier once she understood her learning disabilities and got it that she wasn't stupid, she just learns differently. She owns her dyslexia and it has been empowering for her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son was diagnosed at age 6, had an IEP, and I had to pull him out at the beginning of third grade because he was still reading at the beginning of a kindergarten level. My mother and I taught him at home and he's now reading where he should be, so I sent him back to public this year, where they allowed him to skip a grade. We worked very closely with him at home because while he was in early elementary, I could not keep up at night enough to help him with what he was not being taught during the day. My advice is to watch closely and make sure that your child isn't slipping through the cracks. My husband is dyslexic, but he just retired from law enforcement. My son uses him as a role model, because he realizes that he can be anything that he wants to be. Someone just has to care enough to work closely with them.

My son is now in third grade and I am at the point that I am seriously thinking that I need to pull him out to homeschool him in reading, spelling, and writing intensely for a year. I thought I really wanted my son in special education thinking naively that they would help and it has ended up being far worse than if he never got in. Last year he was lumped in with all the special education students (students with dyslexia, autism, intellectual disabilty, adhd, speech issues) in one general education classroom with a part time special ed teacher and full time aide. The teacher and aide just dealt with behavior problems and rarely got around to teaching reading. The did a great deal of patting themselves on their back about - Inclusion works! Isn't it great! I requested in writing a pull out reading program but then during the IEP meeting the special education teacher couldn't adequately explain how she would teach reading or what curriculum she would use. I respectfully said that I know they don't have to include the methodology in the IEP but it would be helpful for me to get a sense of where to supplement. I realized the only option to get adequate help would be for him to stagnate for a couple of years, hire a lawyer and sue for a private placement. However, I don't want my child to not learn and we don't have money for a lawyer. At that meeting I told the team to exit him from special ed and to put him in 504 plan and the following year do not place him in the inclusion class. This year his teacher is so much better than last year, there aren't major behavior problems in the classroom, and he gets more help because he gets help from a general education reading specialist.

That being said, he is not on grade level in reading yet, despite having a very high verbal IQ. I bought the Wilson reading system and have been using it at home. It works but it takes an hour or more a day to complete one lesson. We made a lot of progress in the summer because he was not tired from the school day. I think if I could work with him intensely for a year he would really take off. So OP if you can throw money at the problem and hire an OG tutor, or buy Wilson or Barton reading, or send him to Linda Mood Bell ($10,000), the sooner you do it the better. If not the gap just gets wider. The other thing that helps is that I read books to him for 30 to 45 minutes a day above his reading level - so around 5th to 6th grade so he hears the vocabulary and longer sentence structure.
Sorry to be a Debbie Downer, but realistically don't expect much from the most public schools.

Hey pP can you share what district or school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son was diagnosed at age 6, had an IEP, and I had to pull him out at the beginning of third grade because he was still reading at the beginning of a kindergarten level. My mother and I taught him at home and he's now reading where he should be, so I sent him back to public this year, where they allowed him to skip a grade. We worked very closely with him at home because while he was in early elementary, I could not keep up at night enough to help him with what he was not being taught during the day. My advice is to watch closely and make sure that your child isn't slipping through the cracks. My husband is dyslexic, but he just retired from law enforcement. My son uses him as a role model, because he realizes that he can be anything that he wants to be. Someone just has to care enough to work closely with them.

My son is now in third grade and I am at the point that I am seriously thinking that I need to pull him out to homeschool him in reading, spelling, and writing intensely for a year. I thought I really wanted my son in special education thinking naively that they would help and it has ended up being far worse than if he never got in. Last year he was lumped in with all the special education students (students with dyslexia, autism, intellectual disabilty, adhd, speech issues) in one general education classroom with a part time special ed teacher and full time aide. The teacher and aide just dealt with behavior problems and rarely got around to teaching reading. The did a great deal of patting themselves on their back about - Inclusion works! Isn't it great! I requested in writing a pull out reading program but then during the IEP meeting the special education teacher couldn't adequately explain how she would teach reading or what curriculum she would use. I respectfully said that I know they don't have to include the methodology in the IEP but it would be helpful for me to get a sense of where to supplement. I realized the only option to get adequate help would be for him to stagnate for a couple of years, hire a lawyer and sue for a private placement. However, I don't want my child to not learn and we don't have money for a lawyer. At that meeting I told the team to exit him from special ed and to put him in 504 plan and the following year do not place him in the inclusion class. This year his teacher is so much better than last year, there aren't major behavior problems in the classroom, and he gets more help because he gets help from a general education reading specialist.

That being said, he is not on grade level in reading yet, despite having a very high verbal IQ. I bought the Wilson reading system and have been using it at home. It works but it takes an hour or more a day to complete one lesson. We made a lot of progress in the summer because he was not tired from the school day. I think if I could work with him intensely for a year he would really take off. So OP if you can throw money at the problem and hire an OG tutor, or buy Wilson or Barton reading, or send him to Linda Mood Bell ($10,000), the sooner you do it the better. If not the gap just gets wider. The other thing that helps is that I read books to him for 30 to 45 minutes a day above his reading level - so around 5th to 6th grade so he hears the vocabulary and longer sentence structure.
Sorry to be a Debbie Downer, but realistically don't expect much from the most public schools.

Hey pP can you share what district or school?

I don't want to say what school but most schools do not provide intensive reading help. Like the special Ed teacher posted, they just aren't staffed appropriately in order to teach a similar group of students 60 to 90 minutes in a group of 3 to 4. My sister teaches upper elementary school and at the her school they don't provide intensive reading interventions. Additionally, if your child is fortunate enough to be pulled out and is being provided with a researcher based program, they are missing something in their classroom. It would be more helpful if people posted what schools DO provide Wilson, Barton, Seeing Stars, any OG program in a small pull out group at least 60 minutes a day. Seeing what it takes to teach a Wilson lesson, I am doubtful it can be taught well in 30 minutes or in a group over 4 students. One lesson involves 10 specific activities and it takes 90 minutes.
https://www.wilsonlanguage.com/programs/wilson-reading-system/overview/lesson-plan/
In the summer and weekends when I teach one lesson to my son it actually takes 2 hours because we work for 45 minutes, walk the dog/play outside/iPad time/have a snack for 30 minutes then he is focused enough to do the next 45 minutes.

[Anonymous]

I’m a different poster. We’re in similar circumstances. We’re having our child meet with a tutor after school every day, and I work with him at home as well. We are in public school(4th grade) and he’s got a 504, but no Iep. I think we’re going to give the tutoring a chance to work before switching to private or homeschooling. I have no idea if that’s a smart plan, but this is all new to us as well.