dyslexia

chocdonuty

Ok, so for a while I've suspected DD may have dyslexia or some kind of difficulty in reading/writing ect. I've mentioned it at parents evenings ect but just get dismissed really.
Anyway the other day she mentioned that she could read her homework that we were doing better through her ruler that was clear pink. I managed to borrow some overlays from a friend and she says its helping (although saying that when she first got her glasses she wore them permanently even though she didn't need them all the time, bit of a novelty I think!)
So giving it a week or two to see how she gets on with them and go from there but not sure where.
Her class teacher is off on maternity leave at half term so can't quite see the point of meeting with her so wondering would it be the English teacher, the sen person or someone else. Not sure if she is dyslexia tbh as my knowledge is limited in this area and never quite sure of the info on Google ect but she defiantly has some traits and obviously needs extra help but the right kind of help.
We also need to decide on a high school (three tier system here)at the end of the month so if she is dyslexic then obviously them knowing before she starts would be a big help.
Has anyone been through this before?

pmlindyloo

Since you mention glasses and the overlay sheets seeming to help, the first thing you need to do is take your daughter for an eye test.

Next I suggest that you make an appointment with her class teacher and or the SEN teacher.

Let them know of your concerns when you book the appointment so that they have time to gather together her assessment results. When you meet express your concerns to them.

Unfortunately it is sometimes difficult to get schools to arrange an assessment for dyslexia for a number of reasons. You might have to arrange one yourself. I do not know your financial situation as this can be costly.

Have a read of this:

http://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/about-dyslexia/parents/getting-help-for-your-child.html

Perhaps one way of tackling this if you get no support from school (and if you can afford it) is to get in contact with your local dyslexia association and find out if there are any specialist tutors in your area who could give some extra tuition for your daughter. They should be able to do an assessment before they start helping and gear the sessions towards your daughter's 'problem areas'.

The school does have a duty to provide support for your daughter and you can take this further (as you will see from the link) However, this can take a very long time and whilst I do not advocate a school shirking their responsibilities, realistically it is sometimes easier to be proactive yourself and then work with the school once you have some evidence of her areas of difficult.

But first, do get that eye test!

chocdonuty

She has regular eye tests and last had one in april so thats all ok thankfully, will give the school a ring on monday and see what they suggest meeting wise.
It's things like her spelling and even copying from one piece of paper to another she spells several words wrong even though it's right in front of her.
Same with copying homework tasks from the board which when she comes to do at home later leaves us both confused sometimes as she often doesn't understand how it's meant to be done.
She gets muddled occasionally between left and right sometimes too and now she's 12 I would have thought was a bit unusual

Indie_Kid

The thing with the coloured overlays isn't dyslexia. It's irlens syndrome.

pmlindyloo

chocdonuty wrote: »

She has regular eye tests and last had one in april so thats all ok thankfully, will give the school a ring on monday and see what they suggest meeting wise.
It's things like her spelling and even copying from one piece of paper to another she spells several words wrong even though it's right in front of her.
Same with copying homework tasks from the board which when she comes to do at home later leaves us both confused sometimes as she often doesn't understand how it's meant to be done.
She gets muddled occasionally between left and right sometimes too and now she's 12 I would have thought was a bit unusual

Good about the eye test

Before you go to the meeting make a list of all your concerns. Give examples if you can.

At the very least certain very simple measures can be put in place straight away e.g a written sheet of the homework rather than copying from the board or someone checking that she has written it down correctly.

Is she getting any support at all? Extra small group teaching for example?

Is it worthwhile trying to get a meeting with the SEN as well as the class teacher especially since the class teacher is going on maternity leave.

Mojisola

Despite the NHS saying that "The earlier a child with dyslexia is diagnosed, the more effective their treatment is likely to be."
https://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Dyslexia/Pages/Diagnosis.aspx
most schools are very poor at spotting and dealing with dyslexic children.

Keep working with the school to get them to recognise the problems your daughter has but also follow it up yourself -
https://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/about-dyslexia/faq/parents.html
https://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/about-dyslexia/parents/indications-of-dyslexia.html

Savvy_Sue

pmlindyloo wrote: »

Since you mention glasses and the overlay sheets seeming to help, the first thing you need to do is take your daughter for an eye test.

Indie_Kid wrote: »

The thing with the coloured overlays isn't dyslexia. It's irlens syndrome.

So you need to find an optician with an interest in Irlens: I know we have one locally who advertises on that basis, don't know if all have the capacity to deal with overlays and their effects etc.

One of my siblings was diagnosed with dyslexia years ago, it really was affecting written work and reading. One of the strategies to help was learning spellings, regularly and in depth.

sooty&sweep

Hi
You need to ask the SENCO to assess your son for specific learning difficulties.

My son is now 13 but he was assessed in primary school and identified as having specific learning difficulties with dyslexic tendancies. This has meant that he's had additional support through school.

Jen

Bennifred

The best money we ever spent was getting DS3 tested privately by an an Educational Psychologist, who not ony gave a diagnosis, but also detailed recommendations of how to help with our son's difficulties.

Going through the school is great if you can get them to refer to an Ed Psych, but we found that they were reluctant to do so on cost and time grounds. Most teachers have very little knowledge about how to help children with specific learning difficulties, sadly.

choccymoose

Hi there is a great support group on fb called parents of kids with visual stress ( in England irlens is known more commonly as visual stress or Scotopic sensitivity ) my son wears greeny blue lenses. In some areas the nhs fund tests and glasses but in most areas you have to pay. The support group can give you person experience s from crops the country and info on irlens glasses or colouromitary glasses . My son has dyslexia, irlens and dysgraphia. I had to move him to a new school as his old school didn't recognise his problems his new school is amazing and he is flourishing they have a very hands on creative curriculum and use lots of ict to help him.

Shelldean

Mojisola wrote: »

Despite the NHS saying that "The earlier a child with dyslexia is diagnosed, the more effective their treatment is likely to be."
www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Dyslexia/Pages/Diagnosis.aspx
most schools are very poor at spotting and dealing with dyslexic children.

Keep working with the school to get them to recognise the problems your daughter has but also follow it up yourself -
www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/about-dyslexia/faq/parents.html
www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/about-dyslexia/parents/indications-of-dyslexia.html

the bit I've highlighted is SO SO true, despite me speaking with the school on a regular basis and mentioning my concerns, my son was only diagnosed a couple of weeks ago, a few days before his 16th birthday!!!


Can't help much as just starting this journey myself, and trying to rush it a bit as he sits his GCSE's in less than a year.
But the school's SENCO is the person to speak to.