Jump to content
beach chick

dyslexia - any other parents with dyslexic kids?

Recommended Posts

just wondered if I am the only one dealing with trying to get a dyslexic child into the 'right' secondary school next Sept?

if not, add your woes and worries here!!

 

I'll start:

1st choice school: caters to her talents (arts etc). also has a farm, and she loves all that. a renowned SEN dept - BUT they can only guarantee support if she ends up in classes with a child with a statement.

we dont' have a statement, but am looking at trying to get one (tho school says it is impossible).

2nd choice school: best in the county for dyslexia. BUT is 12 miles away, and no local transport available. initially not a problem, but will present social/independence probs later on.

3rd choice school: well not currently a choice, but our local school so we are guaranteed a place. had dreadful rep for many years, but now has new head (ex-grammar) and sponsorship from Microsoft, so loads of dosh going in.

 

meanwhile, we are planning a Davis Learning Programme... megabucks, but still cheaper than private education (which is in poor supply where we are anyway.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's a tough choice :(

 

I have a son and daughter with dyslexia, (OH is too, but only got it confirmed at about 40, and he had really struggled at school :( )

 

Getting a statement now is like finding hens teeth, due to changes in the budget systems etc.

 

Does she have an IEP or what ever combination of initials your school uses? If so don't let them take it away, due to 'good progress', but hang on to it, and it will be passed on to the secondary school, so that the SEN department are aware of her, which ever school you choose.

 

karen x

Link to comment
Share on other sites

my little sister has quite severe dyslexia but she goes to a normal secondary school.

she has special tinted glasses to help her read and my dad is going to get her a laptop with a dyslexia programme or soemthign like that.

maybe she could go to the farm school (which sounds awesome) and use a computer programme like that?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My OH also uses voice activated software, which may be helpful for essays etc, it takes a bit of time to prime them to your voice, but it makes writing long articles easier.

 

The trouble with using a laptop in class, my son should use one, but won't because no one else does, and he doesn't want to be different :(

 

You could try getting her Irlen screened which may show that she needs a coloured overlay which may make reading script easier too :D

 

karen x

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm dyslexic and only found out when I was 27. I had always felt stupid because I wasn't as academically clever (I am very creative though and love to make things) and felt very much like an outsider :oops: .

 

I would definately recommend the school with the farm which is 12 miles away, it will be better in the long run and if it caters for children with dyslexia at least your son or daughter won't be made to feel stupid.

 

I also had a voice activated programme on my computer and was alot easier to work with. I was also told that I can read better on dark grey pages so had a plastic grey sheet to put over work, so much easier.

 

Good luck with whichever you decide :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My younger son has Asperger's Syndrome and all the accompanying problems including severe reading and writing difficulties. He used to go to the same prep school as his older brother but we realised when Older Son did Common Entrance at 13 that Younger Son would never cope with the workload and standards of presentation required for CE.

With heavy heart we looked for and alternative (I am very much wedded to the private system, but lets not debate that here) and found a school in Surrey which caters for dyslexia,dyspraxia, ADHD and Aspergers. YS does not have a statement as we feel that can shut as many doors as it opens, and so we pay the fees.

Schools sometimes mislead on this issue- the prep school my kids went to boasted a Learning Support programme, which amounted to YS being removed from the classes he was having difficulty with and doing work in isolation :? , make sure you know exactly what is involved in any scheme the school offer and talk to other parents who use it and to the workers who operate it.

Of course you can get a statement if that is what your child requires, who on earth told you its impossible :x ?

Hope that was of some help

Rhapsody

Link to comment
Share on other sites

hey!

 

Ross is statemented dyslexic.

 

Its hard to get statemented these days. His mom and had to literally fight for it. For 3 yrs, day after day. [she tells me about it over and over]

 

I think the school with the farm would be best. As it seems to offer more. Although what does your little one think? Which one did she like best??

 

[[ I think the government needs to do more to help dyslexic people.and also can someone tell me what the voice activated programme is called please as it would be a great help with ross's MA.]]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

OOOh dont worry hunny! We dont mind, im very open. Not only is he dyslexic but hes also disabled [not wheelchair bound ] and so is Seth , so i find it easiier to talk about stuff than not talking.

 

 

Hes a graphic designer and is sooo talented! Im so proud of him.

 

ross is doing a MA in Graphic design/marketing/Advertising.

 

Ross wanted to go back to Uni to get something to get above others, as unfortunatly alot of people have Degrees and because of his dyslexia [which is a bonus really in the creative industry as they see things differently- more creative ] He often doesnt get jobs because of the dyslexia or because of his disability .

 

At the moment hes coping Well, although some pretencious American lecturer tried to be clever and gave him a peice to read.

 

and it was awfully complicated. For example: Instead of writing :

'' In the practise you will come across soon''

he wrote:

 

'' In thy practees thee may encounter inforseabily '' (sorry if its all spelt wrong.)

 

 

What a jobsworth!

 

Anyway! hes coping well! I would love to know the name of this VOICE activated thing ! xxxx

 

Thanks! xxxx

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thought I'd chuck my tuppence in ...

 

Although the 1st choice school sounds fantastic I would be wary about the level of support your daughter will get. Even if she is placed in a class with a statemented pupil, the support worker should only really be there to help that child. In the past this didn't happen in reality, with the scarcity of statementing, those with statements now do, on the whole, need a lot of support.

 

Although the 2nd choice school is 12 miles away, being the best in the county has to make it a strong contender. The school and staff are obviously aware of the needs and requirements of dyslexic pupils so even without a statement, the school will easily be able to cater for her needs. If you are able to arrange transport, I personally don't think the independence problems will arise as there are many other opportunities to gain this plus, going to a different school, means she'll probably end up having a much wider social network of friends.

 

What kind of support is she currently getting and how is she coping with it? I know it's tough but I'm sure you'll come to a decision that is right for both you and your daughter.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would go for the 2nd school, if it the best in the country, the staff will know what to do. I have dyslexia (sp?) and my school has DONE NOTHING! I know this might not be the same will all schools but if she goes a special school she will get the best help.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

At work we use a program called Dragon Naturally Speaking. All the doctors now use it to dictate their reports straight to the PC. It is also recommended as suitable for dyslexics and isn't too expensive.

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/index=software-uk&field-keywords=dragon%20speaking&results-process=default&dispatch=search/ref=pd_sl_aw_tops-2_software-uk_6994922_1&results-process=default

Link to comment
Share on other sites

lizinsa and fred, interesting points of view, thank you. and thank you to everyone else who replied.

 

Davis is hard to describe - basically a tactile-based way of understanding letters and words; however that is very simplistic!!

 

all our preference is for the 1st one, reasonably geographically suitable and has good SEN dept + excellent arts dept and the farm. the 2nd one, the county specialist, is great, but we are outside their catchment area and therefore unlikely to get in anyway - people who live 8 miles nearer than us were no. 466 on the list last year!!

our best chance for a place is no.1; if we dont get it I will appeal. if we get no.3, I can still appeal for no.1 or 2 anyway; and at least it means we have a reasonably local place which to use as a basis. we are virtually guaranteed a place at no.3 by virtue of catchment area.

 

I'm finding red wine and cigs quite helpful thru this process...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Go for a statement and be persistent. Your child should at least be assessed by the LEA Ed Psych (you shouldn't have to go private). It is unusual to get a statement so late in primary these days but not unheard of. Point out to the primary school that dyslexia is recognised as a disability by the disability discrimination act and that they have a responsibility to ensure your child experiences equality of opportunity. In the first instance your child can be tested by a suitably qualified teacher.

 

In the secondary school I work in all students are assessed on spelling and comprehension on entry and the weakest students attend a weekly Literacy Progress Unit (government initiative)in year 7. My LPU has 4 students so they do benefit from 4:1 support. We also deliver phonics to some of these (they come out of a languages lesson to consolidate these skills, and we also have foundation literacy for students who don't have the basics yet. In years 8 and 9 we offer SpLD workshops, reading, writing challenge and spelling interventions. They are open to students on School action and School action plus on the SEN register - I know interventions vary greatly in different schools - go to the SEN departments on the forthcoming open evenings and find out what support they offer -they should be able to allay your fears and give you lots of information

 

You could consider DDAT - it aims to improve how the brains pathways works and can benefit dyslexic students.

 

Hmmm what else. Computer programmes like successmaker can help, Acceleread/accelerwrite encourages students to write and hear back their work using a programme like clicker. My kids really like hearing their work back, even if they cannot spot spelling errors they can recognise when the words sound wrong and change them.

PM me if you would like to

Link to comment
Share on other sites

ross's mom tried t get him statemented from age 8 until age 14, then when he was 14 she went to the LEA in Shrewsbury and semanded the officer in charge saw him.

 

The officer couldnt believe they had missed the signs of his Dyslexia, and did it there and then, He has been statemented eversince.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

statements seem to be a prob in our area (Kent). They have put the wheels in motion, but their very first letter says that to get a statement is quite exceptional!!!! which is also what our primary head says. Money is the thing of course.

I found a law firm online who give free advice on how to handle the appeal process - havent read their 7 emails yet, but if anyone wants the info I can give you the details.

basically the process here seems to be:

you say you want a statement.

they find reasons why its not appropriate and tell you to *** off.

you then have to decide whether to go to appeal or not - which is expensive and timeconsuming, not to mention possibly traumatic.

 

our head's own child is dyslexic and she couldnt get a statement for him, so I am not optimistic but I'll give it a go. in the meantime, she is coming out of school for 2 weeks to do the Davis programme - school not so impressed, but to be honest I'm not in the least bit bothered! they say she'll miss lots of school work, but as she can barely do it anyway that's the least of my concerns.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

an update: we started the Davis Learning Programme yesterday. I now have a different child!! one who is starting to be able to sit down and focus, now knows the alphabet forwards and backwards in both lower and upper case, and whose physical coordination has improved. also much more confident.

 

course facilitator says she is 'brilliant' - she reads at an adult level (she's 11) - altho not with total comprehension. her mind works so fast the rest of us cant keep up - which is why she's so frustrating to live with for us slowcoaches!!

 

school mightily p****d off, getting nasty comments from head and class teachers - but they've written her off as far as I can see, so who cares!?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Beach Chick, dyslexics are almost always of higher intelligence.

 

Another way to tackle the schooling problem might be to get private support from a specialist so that your daughter can cope with the school work. It depends on how badly affected she is.

 

How near Surrey are you? My mother is in East Surrey and teaches dyslexics privately. She doesn't charge very much at all but has years of experience teaching in special schools. She teaches people strategies for getting around their particular difficulties, experimenting until she finds a method which works for each person. Every dyslexic has a different set of difficulties, so a personal approach is helpful. Pupils don't stay with her for ever because they don't need to!

 

I hope this doesn't sound too much like a sales pitch! Just trying to offer help if its practical or suitable. :oops:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.




×
×
  • Create New...