SN kiddo's education

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LiveWhatULove
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My middle DS is severely dyslexic, with some other learning disabilites & sensory issues. Despite intense IEP's, tutors, dedicated parents & siblings, LOTS of work on his part, he is essentially entering the 3rd grade unable to read. And he cannot write basic sentences.

Orton Gillingham is the most well-known & studied method to teach dyslexic children, and it is not offered in the public school. The ONLY school in my area that offers it, is 35 minutes away (longer in rush hour traffic). Currently we are doing tutoring with the school this summer.

I met with the school admin today and they obviously feel my DS would have more growth & opportunity in their school that caters to students like him the entire school day, since he is very behind his grade level and has made little progress in a public school. I know part of their conversation is marketing, but I think there is also a large element of truth. They were kind and supportive, not really pressuring me, but I left feeling guilty that we can't pay for such an expensive school right now. I think in 2019, our budge & my work schedule will be in a better place to afford it, but I know he will be that much farther behind by then.

If I knew it would be effective, I guess I could immediately take my other two children out of all their activities, stop all plans to repair our home, cancel plans to finish the basement, stop all planned vacations and put him in the school. But it's such a large sacrifice, and what if it doesn't even work? How is that fair to his siblings?

Parenting is so hard. It breaks my heart to see him struggle so much.
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AubreeGrace17
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That sounds like a hard spot to be in. I think that waiting until 2019 would be best. Perhaps you can work with him after school and on the weekends with some supplementary material?
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Thanks, your heart is in the right place.

But we have tried everything we possible can since he was 4, he is now turning 9, and not gotten anywhere working with him after school & on week-ends. It's so frustrating. Tutoring after school when he is tired and over-stimulated after a 7 hour school is $65/hour. So that's a tough call too.
AubreeGrace17 wrote: Tue Jul 10, 2018 9:11 am That sounds like a hard spot to be in. I think that waiting until 2019 would be best. Perhaps you can work with him after school and on the weekends with some supplementary material?
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AllofFive19
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There are videos that show the Orton Gillingham method in addition to related free apps and worksheets, maybe you could utilize those.
“Don’t let yesterday take up too much of today.” – Will Rogers
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Appreciate the suggestion, but he is so severe, he really needs to be immersed in it 5 days a week during the school day and homeschooling really is not an options for us.

I guess I am just venting. It may sounds like I am making excuses and being gritchy, (sorry) but I have lived this & tried to help him for 5 years. We have dedicated 1000's of extra hours above and beyond to assist him. I have read lots of books, articles on his sensory & learning disabilities, with associated behavior issues.

But really he's tired after a 7 hour school day. We do use multi-sensory methods for short lessons on the week-ends, and we have gotten no where, since I have a child reading at a KG level. Plus we have other behavior and life skills we work on as well. I am just exhausted, frustrated and angry at all the obstacles.

But we will continue to do our best, thanks for listening.
AllofFive19 wrote: Wed Jul 11, 2018 10:49 am There are videos that show the Orton Gillingham method in addition to related free apps and worksheets, maybe you could utilize those.
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LiveWhatULove wrote: Wed Jul 11, 2018 12:19 pm Appreciate the suggestion, but he is so severe, he really needs to be immersed in it 5 days a week during the school day and homeschooling really is not an options for us.

I guess I am just venting. It may sounds like I am making excuses and being gritchy, (sorry) but I have lived this & tried to help him for 5 years. We have dedicated 1000's of extra hours above and beyond to assist him. I have read lots of books, articles on his sensory & learning disabilities, with associated behavior issues.

But really he's tired after a 7 hour school day. We do use multi-sensory methods for short lessons on the week-ends, and we have gotten no where, since I have a child reading at a KG level. Plus we have other behavior and life skills we work on as well. I am just exhausted, frustrated and angry at all the obstacles.

But we will continue to do our best, thanks for listening.
AllofFive19 wrote: Wed Jul 11, 2018 10:49 am There are videos that show the Orton Gillingham method in addition to related free apps and worksheets, maybe you could utilize those.
It sounds as if he needs a shorter school day.
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My son is also dyslexic. He was DX in the 2nd grade. They used the orton Gillingham program and for a while it didn't seem to work. At the end of his third grade year he was reading at preprimer level. By the middle of his fourth grade year he started to pick up on the program and he took off from there.

I owe a lot to his teachers and the program. But the number one thing that really helped him above all else was the time and dedication we all spent on his confidence, because that was the biggest wall that kept him from moving forward. I can 100% attest to the importance of confidence.

To give you an example of what your son can achieve. My son went from starting the 4th grade reading at preprimer. He is now going into the 8th grade with a lexile of 1600. This number is above the average 11th- 12th grade lexile reports. He has scored in the top 5% of his grade in state testing in past 2 years. He has also already taken his SATs through the duke tip program. He just finished reading the Silmarillion for the third time lol.
So many people told me that my son would struggle all his life and basically he would only be a mediocre student at best because of his LD. I didn't believe that for a moment and I didnt let my son believe it either. Yes his LD will be a struggle, and he struggles in a lot of other ways. It takes him a lot longer to finish his work, to take tests. He still spells like a second grader, and writes like one too, but the rest of that is B.S.. He certainly isnt a mediocre student.

Also check into nearby schools who offer dyslexia programs. Where we are, if your child has an LD or special needs, and they cant provide adequate programs for your child, they allow you to go to the nearest school that suits your child's needs. I believe it's called a hardship transfer here. They might have something like that where you reside.
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Lovehurts wrote: Wed Jul 18, 2018 3:40 am My son is also dyslexic. He was DX in the 2nd grade. They used the orton Gillingham program and for a while it didn't seem to work. At the end of his third grade year he was reading at preprimer level. By the middle of his fourth grade year he started to pick up on the program and he took off from there.

I owe a lot to his teachers and the program. But the number one thing that really helped him above all else was the time and dedication we all spent on his confidence, because that was the biggest wall that kept him from moving forward. I can 100% attest to the importance of confidence.

To give you an example of what your son can achieve. My son went from starting the 4th grade reading at preprimer. He is now going into the 8th grade with a lexile of 1600. This number is above the average 11th- 12th grade lexile reports. He has scored in the top 5% of his grade in state testing in past 2 years. He has also already taken his SATs through the duke tip program. He just finished reading the Silmarillion for the third time lol.
So many people told me that my son would struggle all his life and basically he would only be a mediocre student at best because of his LD. I didn't believe that for a moment and I didnt let my son believe it either. Yes his LD will be a struggle, and he struggles in a lot of other ways. It takes him a lot longer to finish his work, to take tests. He still spells like a second grader, and writes like one too, but the rest of that is B.S.. He certainly isnt a mediocre student.

Also check into nearby schools who offer dyslexia programs. Where we are, if your child has an LD or special needs, and they cant provide adequate programs for your child, they allow you to go to the nearest school that suits your child's needs. I believe it's called a hardship transfer here. They might have something like that where you reside.
Thanks, right now I am really angry that a public school of 30,000, (when it is estimated that 1 out of 10 have dyslexia, so that is 3000 students) does not have someone who specializes in Orton Gillingham. And they put a para with my child, does she even understand multi-sensory methods of learning? Nope. Does his main teacher understand multi-sensory methods of learning? Nope. So he gets 1 1/2 hours of special ed, per day, BUT he's in with all the other LD kids who often have other issues going on, so once again, it doesn't cater to what my specific child needs. So what exactly are they doing with my son, *sigh*
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LiveWhatULove wrote: Wed Jul 18, 2018 3:07 pm
Lovehurts wrote: Wed Jul 18, 2018 3:40 am My son is also dyslexic. He was DX in the 2nd grade. They used the orton Gillingham program and for a while it didn't seem to work. At the end of his third grade year he was reading at preprimer level. By the middle of his fourth grade year he started to pick up on the program and he took off from there.

I owe a lot to his teachers and the program. But the number one thing that really helped him above all else was the time and dedication we all spent on his confidence, because that was the biggest wall that kept him from moving forward. I can 100% attest to the importance of confidence.

To give you an example of what your son can achieve. My son went from starting the 4th grade reading at preprimer. He is now going into the 8th grade with a lexile of 1600. This number is above the average 11th- 12th grade lexile reports. He has scored in the top 5% of his grade in state testing in past 2 years. He has also already taken his SATs through the duke tip program. He just finished reading the Silmarillion for the third time lol.
So many people told me that my son would struggle all his life and basically he would only be a mediocre student at best because of his LD. I didn't believe that for a moment and I didnt let my son believe it either. Yes his LD will be a struggle, and he struggles in a lot of other ways. It takes him a lot longer to finish his work, to take tests. He still spells like a second grader, and writes like one too, but the rest of that is B.S.. He certainly isnt a mediocre student.

Also check into nearby schools who offer dyslexia programs. Where we are, if your child has an LD or special needs, and they cant provide adequate programs for your child, they allow you to go to the nearest school that suits your child's needs. I believe it's called a hardship transfer here. They might have something like that where you reside.
Thanks, right now I am really angry that a public school of 30,000, (when it is estimated that 1 out of 10 have dyslexia, so that is 3000 students) does not have someone who specializes in Orton Gillingham. And they put a para with my child, does she even understand multi-sensory methods of learning? Nope. Does his main teacher understand multi-sensory methods of learning? Nope. So he gets 1 1/2 hours of special ed, per day, BUT he's in with all the other LD kids who often have other issues going on, so once again, it doesn't cater to what my specific child needs. So what exactly are they doing with my son, *sigh*
First and foremost, does he have a 504 plan? I want to make sure that you are aware of his legal rights as a child with an LD. I wish I could tell you that there is an easy solution to this, but there's not. It takes a lot of hard work, dedication, and bucking to advocate for your child. And probably include some harsh sacrifices. Sacrifices you might think you cant make now, but down the road you may have to if it comes down a simple choice. I dont mean to sound bleak, but we have all been there and done that, and it sucks. So in case you havent been there yet, I wouldnt want to lie to you. Where my son is now wasnt by chance or without its hurdles. And we are not done, so we have many more roadblocks to overcome.

Don't let the school pursued you that THEY are your childs true advocate. Nope! That is your job and don't let them tell you any different. Sure it would be nice, as parents, not having to worry if the school really has the best interests for your child and that they do know whats best. Truth is, its not often the case. Expect to have this struggle everywhere you go with your son. and probably every year once your child is in middle school. Some teachers are so AWESOME when it comes to your childs needs. They really care and want you child to succeed. Unfortunately, I have ran into some teachers who didnt care to bother themselves. My son's 6th grade year was by far the worst. His math teacher would bury my son in class work and homework, so much that he never had enough time to finish his other homework. Many times I had to stay up late into the night with him, trying to get his work done, so he wouldn't receive a failing grade in math. He would be in tears tired and just wanting to go to sleep but he was too worried about failing math. Eventually, I would have to do some of his other homework for him. No it wasnt technically the right thing for me to do and I wouldnt advise it in any other case, but it wasnt right for him to be put in that spot to begin with. Not after he had made so much progress then started to slowly drop down again and lose interest in learning all over again. Id be damned if we were going to start that whole process over again. The math teacher and I went head to head many times that year. His LA teacher and I both cornered her ( nicely) in the hall one day because the both of us saw what it was doing to my him. As a parent you do what you have to do even if that means breaking a few rules. Your childs future and sanity are whats important. As anyone can tell, my strange efforts didnt hurt him any. And I only did the work that I new he could probably do in his sleep. He's a wiz at science and history. I would just ask him if he knew this and that and he would give me the quick answer like it was nothing. He still had to do the work he was struggling on.

Your child deserves better and nobody has more stake in your childs future than you do. So be ready to FIGHT! Even now, with my son having graduated from the program, I know I still have a long ways to go. I heard high school is the hardest of them all. Knowing that is my focal point to push back and push as hard as I can. I was wanting to get him as ready for high school as I possibly could because believe it or not, by that time kids with LDs will get left behind. I dont know why, but I've been warned by many parents whose kids have been through it as well as his own specialists. So by all means necessary do whatever it takes right now to get him where he needs to be, or as much help as he needs. If that means digging your heals in the ground and demanding they help you figure out a better solution, biting the bullet and sending him to an expensive school, or just moving altogether to a better district then so be it. I dont know what is a viable option for you, but whatever you can figure out would help you out in the long run.

We actually moved for this purpose. The district my son was in wouldnt even test him for dyslexia. I knew way before they did, that he had it. In kindergarten, I told the teacher, in first grade I told the teacher. I told his reading specialist too his first grade year. I got " we are very knowledgeable about the signs of dyslexia and we just dont see it". His reading teacher finally called me the last day of his first grade year to tell me that she thinks he is dyslexic. Then she tried to explain to me what that was, as if I hadn't known about it before. That was my decision to move. We had to move an hour away, to a well to do town that is not very budget friendly to us. We get by but we have made many sacrifices in order to get him the best education we could possibly afford. Which is sad because its a public school, but I digress lol. As it stands, it really has paid off in a much bigger way. Sure we are not able to afford much of the extras many parents would like to be able to afford. We cant afford to put our kids in extracurricular activities. We are living in a crappy house -though its a roof and four walls so it works, and we live as basic as we can. But we know that our end game is in sight and our son , as well as our other children, will have a much better chance here than living in a place where they dont value a childs right to education or they simply cant afford it.

A lot of times it depends on the town/city you live in. I hate to sound bouge, because thats just not me, but I have learned that many of the better options you will find in education are the districts in suburban cities with high taxes. Not in every case but most cases I have seen that in my area. It makes sense because a lot of the tax money goes towards the cost of education in most towns like the one I live in. They can do better in some areas, but at least they have a higher standard and are able to afford better opportunities.

Oh and I forgot to add that the number of dyslexic students is rapidly growing. Just this coming school year, my sons school alone as received 50 student transfers, all with dyslexia. The last year, there were 40 dyslexia students. Its not a very big school either.
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I looked around for some websites that might be able to offer some more advice. I hope something would come of use should you have the time to read them over. Of course, this is assuming you are in the states. If not maybe it would give you an idea of what to look for in your place of residence, by simple keyword searches.

http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/fape.dyslexia.kate.htm
https://sites.ed.gov/idea/
This is a .PDF http://mra.onefireplace.org/Resources/D ... ssible.pdf
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