Tell me about getting your child tested for dyslexia

[Anonymous]

I have a rising third grader who is a struggling reader (reading at beginning 2nd grade level, so almost a full year behind) and has a dyslexic grandparent which I just found out about. With this new knowledge, I am wondering if the school saying "oh, it's okay, we'll just keep working hard" is all wrong and we need to get her tested ASAP. What do we do? I don't trust the school, they've told us all along that everything was fine, she's just a little behind. She does have a tutor she meets with weekly, which has helped a lot but I imagine a diagnosis would get her more help in school, but I've read that FCPS will not diagnose dyslexia so we need to go private. I'm very confused and could use your guidance!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a rising third grader who is a struggling reader (reading at beginning 2nd grade level, so almost a full year behind) and has a dyslexic grandparent which I just found out about. With this new knowledge, I am wondering if the school saying "oh, it's okay, we'll just keep working hard" is all wrong and we need to get her tested ASAP. What do we do? I don't trust the school, they've told us all along that everything was fine, she's just a little behind. She does have a tutor she meets with weekly, which has helped a lot but I imagine a diagnosis would get her more help in school, but I've read that FCPS will not diagnose dyslexia so we need to go private. I'm very confused and could use your guidance!

If you have reason to be concerned, do private testing. Get a report that includes specifics of what supports are needed.

[Anonymous]

If you can afford it OP, private testing for dyslexia will be more comprehensive than any battery that FCPS would run. Also, private testers will review the results with you (it's part of what you're paying for), give you a list of specific recommendations for home, school and outside help if beyond the expertise of the school, answer your questions, etc.

Sally Shaywitz's book Overcoming Dyslexia lists red flags for dyslexia across a range of ages. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/801940.Overcoming_Dyslexia

Decoding Dyslexia Virginia has a Resources page on their website: https://decodingdyslexiava.wordpress.com/resources/

[Anonymous]

FCPS has a dyslexia handbook that may be helpful for you. https://www.fcps.edu/academics/academic-overview/special-education-instruction/dyslexia-handbook

Wrightslaw.com is also helpful to learn about testing, requesting testing, 504s, and IEPs.

Fairfax SEPTA is also helpful, they are work8ng with other groups on Literacy.

There is also a Facebook group for parents with children that have reading issues and live in Fairfax County. It also includes some professionals. FCPS Parents for Literacy

[Anonymous]

Get a neuropsych under medical if you can - we went to Kennedy Krieger...eventually cost 600 bucks (I think 3500 to 4000 without insurance). Know that if you are in public school all of them use a wait to fail model. Meaning they won’t do anything until 3rd grade - and even then, teachers are not neurological geniuses. They just want the easiest day possible in public schools (they are union members after all). So, after the neuropsychology results come back you will need to move towards tutoring - depending on severity this will mean 3x a week or more. To find a pro tutor go to the Atlantic Seaboard Dyslexia Educational Center (ASDEC). They are in Rockville - of course MCPS doesn’t use them for teacher training - but they are great. You can find a tutor or take classes yourself to help your child. My advice - hire a tutor. So much emotional suffering comes from not keeping up with your peers you are going to have to be a good source of nurturing for your child. Then donate to Decoding Dyslexia- so they can keep up the long fight against our criminally corrupt public school systems.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Get a neuropsych under medical if you can - we went to Kennedy Krieger...eventually cost 600 bucks (I think 3500 to 4000 without insurance). Know that if you are in public school all of them use a wait to fail model. Meaning they won’t do anything until 3rd grade - and even then, teachers are not neurological geniuses. They just want the easiest day possible in public schools (they are union members after all). So, after the neuropsychology results come back you will need to move towards tutoring - depending on severity this will mean 3x a week or more. To find a pro tutor go to the Atlantic Seaboard Dyslexia Educational Center (ASDEC). They are in Rockville - of course MCPS doesn’t use them for teacher training - but they are great. You can find a tutor or take classes yourself to help your child. My advice - hire a tutor. So much emotional suffering comes from not keeping up with your peers you are going to have to be a good source of nurturing for your child. Then donate to Decoding Dyslexia- so they can keep up the long fight against our criminally corrupt public school systems.

Schools may try to do this, but the law says you do not have to wait to see what the RTI is -- response to instruction.

I agree that if you suspect dyslexia or other language disorders early (i.e. before 3rd grade), don't wait -- get as much private tutoring as early as you can afford. The ripple effect of falling behind really has a lifelong impact both academically and in terms of social interaction (both peers and teachers) and self-worth.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Get a neuropsych under medical if you can - we went to Kennedy Krieger...eventually cost 600 bucks (I think 3500 to 4000 without insurance). Know that if you are in public school all of them use a wait to fail model. Meaning they won’t do anything until 3rd grade - and even then, teachers are not neurological geniuses. They just want the easiest day possible in public schools (they are union members after all). So, after the neuropsychology results come back you will need to move towards tutoring - depending on severity this will mean 3x a week or more. To find a pro tutor go to the Atlantic Seaboard Dyslexia Educational Center (ASDEC). They are in Rockville - of course MCPS doesn’t use them for teacher training - but they are great. You can find a tutor or take classes yourself to help your child. My advice - hire a tutor. So much emotional suffering comes from not keeping up with your peers you are going to have to be a good source of nurturing for your child. Then donate to Decoding Dyslexia- so they can keep up the long fight against our criminally corrupt public school systems.

Schools may try to do this, but the law says you do not have to wait to see what the RTI is -- response to instruction.

I agree that if you suspect dyslexia or other language disorders early (i.e. before 3rd grade), don't wait -- get as much private tutoring as early as you can afford. The ripple effect of falling behind really has a lifelong impact both academically and in terms of social interaction (both peers and teachers) and self-worth.

This x10000. seriously, early intervention is key. get tested ASAP. KKI has a waiting list of a year plus. If you can scrape up the $$ to get private testing from another place, it's worth it. That will tell you exactly what's going on with your child and get help in place ASAP. Schools will lie their butts off so they don't have to do any sort of intervention (which costs$$$). Our PS in MCPS lied like over and over saying "she'll catch up, just give her time, she'll pick it up sooner or later, she's a late bloomer, etc." Aka kick the can down the road. Lemme tell you, the more you wait, the bigger the gap gets and remediation gets harder and harder.

We did have a tutor that we saw 1x a week, but that was a waste!!! When we tested our DD and found out she had dyslexia and dysgraphia, we kicked that tutor to the curb and got her intensive OG support. That's when things finally began to have traction.

[Anonymous]

+1 re: other PPs.

Don't wait. Get tested now. Move forward without the school. Get OG intervention privately. Repeat - don't wait for the school and don't expect the school to remediate your child. That will not happen.

[Anonymous]

OP here, thank you. I am planning to call Mindwell soon to try to get a test either before school starts or at the beginning of the school year - is that who people in Fairfax County typically recommend for this sort of thing? I don't think my health insurance will cover the testing and I'm not sure we want to wait a year to get medical testing anyway, right?

Also, will the dyslexia testing alone cost the $3000-4000 that everyone says this costs or will that be less since we're not testing for ADHD?

[Anonymous]

OP again - I should add my husband (whose father is the one with Dyslexia, btw) is super resistant to this. He thinks she's making great progress. She went from reading at a late K level at the beginning of second grade to an early second grade level at the end of second grade - is that great progress? He thinks I'm nuts and doesn't want me to spend all this money on testing, this has been some of the hesitation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here, thank you. I am planning to call Mindwell soon to try to get a test either before school starts or at the beginning of the school year - is that who people in Fairfax County typically recommend for this sort of thing? I don't think my health insurance will cover the testing and I'm not sure we want to wait a year to get medical testing anyway, right?

Also, will the dyslexia testing alone cost the $3000-4000 that everyone says this costs or will that be less since we're not testing for ADHD?

If you do a full educational neuropysch, they shouldn't be pre-choosing a diagnosis so, yes, ADHD might be in there as well. They should be looking at everything.

As for waiting a year for cheaper testing, it depends on how you want to go about it. TBH, the diagnosis itself doesn't matter as much as moving forward and getting appropriate instruction. You can do that now. The school isn't going to do that much academically or support-wise for a 3rd grader so an IEP isn't a huge deal. You can talk to the school special ed department and your child's teacher and see if you need a 504. You don't really want the school's extra instruction anyway. It's not worth it. What you would want is maybe extra time on tests, a space to ask questions, and perhaps something re: spelling.

Figure out what you want to do financially re: testing. Try to do it now or wait. But, in the meantime, dive in headfirst into an OG tutor for multiple times a week. If DC responds well within,, say, four months or so, you'll kinda have your answer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP again - I should add my husband (whose father is the one with Dyslexia, btw) is super resistant to this. He thinks she's making great progress. She went from reading at a late K level at the beginning of second grade to an early second grade level at the end of second grade - is that great progress? He thinks I'm nuts and doesn't want me to spend all this money on testing, this has been some of the hesitation.

If you don't agree on spending the money on testing, put that the money towards a tutor instead. Start it right now. See where she's at by winter break.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP again - I should add my husband (whose father is the one with Dyslexia, btw) is super resistant to this. He thinks she's making great progress. She went from reading at a late K level at the beginning of second grade to an early second grade level at the end of second grade - is that great progress? He thinks I'm nuts and doesn't want me to spend all this money on testing, this has been some of the hesitation.

If you don't agree on spending the money on testing, put that the money towards a tutor instead. Start it right now. See where she's at by winter break.

OP read Overcoming Dyslexia by Shaywitz. It scared the heck out of me to realize that without intervention DD would keep falling further and further behind her peers. DD was less than a grade level behind and teachers thought she was fine in 1st and 2nd grade but her confidence was already rapidly eroding.

[Anonymous]

Get the testing. It may be dyslexia, in which case there are certain strategies that will help significantly. On the other hand, it may be some other thing that you haven’t thought of. More information is better. Plus it’s good to have a paper trail stretching back many years when you’re asking for accommodations on the SAT, etc.

[Anonymous]

I think testing is over rated and takes too long. Pour all that money into tutoring! You know your child is not a on grade level. What is the reading tutor doing with your child? Is it intensive phonics? If they advanced from k level to beginning of second in one year with the tutor, maybe increase tutor to three times a week.