desperate search please help..

Janine,
My daughter attends the Charles Armstrong School for Dyslexics located in Belmont California. Please check out their website http://www.charlesarmstrong.org/ and call them for information.

My daughter is in 3rd grade and this is the first year she has attended Charles Armstrong. I can’t say enough good things about this school. From the small classes (14 students with 2 teachers in every class) to the learning methods they use (combinations of Orton - Gillingham, Lindamood-Bell, Slingerland), they are outstanding in every way.

Good luck to you.

Wow, thanks. Was it hard to get her in? We also noticed a school down there called Printice. Do you know anything about that?

Thanks for the input!

JanineKay

My LD/ADD daughter was in a private school for LD kids for 4 years. It was the worst decision I have ever made for her. This school had a combination of LD, ADD, Behavior and emotional challenged kids. It didn’t start out that way, in that the behavioral/emotional kids weren’t there. They are now and the school has gone from okay to horrible. The classes were small but my daughter was not learning. She is at a third grade learning level and in the 9th grade (public school speaking). I did not want her in that enviornment any longer. I have since pulled her out and am homeschooling her and I cannot believe the change in my little girl. She is learning and loving it.

Please don’t think that just because a school is for LD kids or private that it is going to work. You have to carefully study everything you can about the school, the teachers, administrators and so on.

It’s a hard decision and many people think that homeschooling is crazy but I’ll tell you it is the best thing that we have ever done and I am so thankful that I can and am doing it. THink about it and research it, you will be happy that you did.

Try and get ahold of Susan Barton, who has a website called Bright Solutions for Dyslexia. She lives in San Jose and conducts workshops thorughout the northern California area. Perhaps, she can hook you up with a tutor who can turn your daughter around. Susan also designed the Barton Reading System. My daughter was in 5th grade when we started putting it in high gear because she was depressed and failing all her classes. Two years later She is mainstreamed and doing work at grade level. Her success is due to lots of private therapy. Susan Barton will know of some schools or learning centers in your area. She helped me figure out what to do to help our daughter and she didn’t steer me wrong.

I think others have given you very good suggestions. Check with ld specialists in your area and see what is recommended. If a new school is in order visit and take your child. We did move from Loa Angeles to enroll our son in a college prep high school for ld children in San Diego. We had gone through many less drastic programs and felt there was nothing appropriate in our area. We only moved this last September, but things are going well. Our son is very comfortable at his new school, but is challenged and succeeding. It was hard pulling off all the particulars, house, job, etc. We are still adjusting, but moving was a good choice for us.

Thanks, she sounds like a good contact. I have looked into our own area and we do actually have lots of “tutoring centers” but my daugther really needs to be at a school all day with some people who can help her. Private tutor centers are fine but they end up costing as much as a private school because she needs hours of intense tutoring. Here in Sacramento we have no private LD schools at all. We have looked all over.

I will try and contact her though. Thanks so much for the info!

Janinekay

Janinekay,

Before making a really big change such as a move, have you considered using one of those intensive centers for LD’s, like the Lindamood-Bell centers? I realize they’re very expensive but several children from the school where I teach have attended the LMB intensive program and it’s been life-changing for them. Being in Sacramento, you’re probably familiar with them. If a student did the whole program, it entails about 6 weeks of intensive 4 - 6 hours of work daily. It requires pulling your child out of school for that time unless you do it in the summer.

I’m a really big fan of this program. I’ve seen kids as old as 12 go off to an LMB center with very low self-esteem, very poor reading and comprehension skills come back with a burst of confidence because they’ve gone a long way towards improving their reading in a very short time. They FEEL the change themselves and that’s powerful. It would take me years, in private tutoring sessions of 2 or 3 hours a week, to come close to what they can achieve in just 6 weeks. In fact, I don’t think I could. It’s worth every penny.

I’ve tutored kids who attended private schools for LD’s. Even those kids don’t have the skills of the ones who’ve done the intensive LMB program. I think the intensity and one-on-one all day long is what’s getting the results. These kids then return to their schools with their self-confidence renewed and they’re really able to make use of the special ed work they’ll continue to need. At that point, it’s support though. I wish every kid could get the comprehensive, intense program as soon as they’re dx’d and then let the rest of us tutors support it afterwards. To my mind, it’s akin to getting a strong dose of medicine initially with maintenance doses later on.

Do any of the tutoring centers qualify as a Non public School or a Non-Public Agency? One I worked at was a Non Public Agency that districts sent theie students in at their expense to turn them around. Our daughter had multiple issues, a hearing aid, speech and language delays,dyslexia and ADD on top of everything else. We did intensive therapy and a special class at the learning center instead of school. That one year was enough to turn her around but we still have the language issues but everyday I work with her and she is catching on. She has the skills to read to learn and isn’t still learning to read.

Does your daughter have other cognitive issues like developmental delays that aren’t just average learning deficits? I ask this because most kids with average LD’s aren’t put into Special Day Classes they are put into the RSP program with accomodations.

Prentiss Day school uses OG and Wilson systems. I have heard pro’s and con’s about it. My daughter’s skills were so low 2 years ago that she wouldn’t qualify for some of the schools who teach kids with LD’s. I have known one parent whose child wasn’t cutting it at Prentiss after 2 years of the program. She pulled her kid out and put him in LMB intensives and then when he was on his feet he went back to the public school RSP program. I think Susan Barton could tell you more about what is available in your area.

What a sad commentary on Special Education in this country when families must leave their homes because the public school system will not comply with the law and provide a free, appropriate education to their children.

We live in Connecticut and recently won a due process hearing to place my youngest son in Eagle Hill, an outstanding school for children with learning disabilities. This is the most important thing that we have ever done for our child; like your daughter, in 5th grade, his struggles academically and the lack of any appropriate programs and strategies from the school district affected him emotionally as well as academically. He is now doing extremely well, his love of learning has returned, and more importantly, he is becoming an independent learner; no more just lowereing bar and passing him through.

Good luck to you and I hope that you can find a placement that does not take you too far from home.

www.bartonreading.com

Here’s the Barton site.

Janis

Due process isn’t a walk in the park, I been there done that and the stress just about killed me. I got money but I am so glad I got her help before I won the DP case.

Hi thanks for the input!

Yes, we do have one LMB here in Sacramento but it’s just about a 30min drive from us. I called them and they sent me all the info. I wouldn’t mind trying it but it will cost over 500.00 for just the testing and then 65.00 an hour. She would need to be there for a least 4 hours a day. I did look into having the district pay for this but the answer I got was “well we pretty much do the same testing they do” ya right, I doubt it. I would do the LMB but we do not have that kind of money.

Our district appears so out of touch with whats out there. It makes very sad for childern who do not have no advocacy. I believe they just push them thru the school system and hope for the best when they leave. It’s very sad. This is such a bigger issue.

Janinekay

Hi Pattim,

The more I learn about all this the more I find out that you gota have the money plain and simple. Our district does not send kids to private tutoring. This is such a big problem. My daughter is still not doing well and now has no self confidence left. The puplic schools LD program has failed our child. I can’t not let her continue like this.

She is not developmentally delayed. Her test scores didn’t show that. I asked. Our district has RSP programs which is a pull program. She spends most of her day in the learning center (RSP) because she is not at the level with her regular mainstream class. She only spends a very short time with the mainstream class. The problem is the learning center enviroment is meant for childern who come in for an hour or so a day and then back to the mainstream. The learning center has special ed teachers and then the rest our aides but the aides lack any training which is a big problem when you have behavoir issues. Frankly, the mainstream teachers lack the training for an LD student to join the class. So she spent her fourth grade year trying the pull out program and got no where and then came 5th grade and she was so upset when they gave her an instructional aide so she could spend more time with mainstream. She didn’t want the other kids to know and this was like putting it on display infront of everyone. The aides didn’t understand why she would get so angry with them and totally made inappropriate responses to her. It was a mess. We have different self-contained classes here. We are visiting one today but I don’t hold out a lot of hope. These self contained classes are usally 16 or more kids. The teacher spends most of day dealing with disapline problems instead of teaching. So you have the pull out program with kids coming in and out all day and too many untrained aides or you have self contained with bigger problems.

So, as you can see we do not have alot of options.

Janinekay

Hi,

I did look into outside tutoring but again you really need alot of funds to pay for private places like LMB. Moving is looking likely for us as well. I have lived here all my life and it is a great place but for an LD child they are just totally out of touch. At least with a larger city we may not get all the answers but we sure should have alot more options.

It looks like I will have to work in order to place her in private.
What is the name of the school you moved near?

Janinekay

I agree. It is very sad indeed. This is such a bigger issue. I don’t know how it’s going to be fixed. Californa only came in 48th in the country for education and we spend only about six thousand a child where as back east spends anywhere from eight to ten thousand a child. Grant it, we are more spread out and have other issues but something has got to be done and I can’t wait around for it to be fixed.

I would love to here more about your due process case. Would you be willing to let me know a little more about how you won it? I am also looking into that as well.

Eagle Hill sounds like a very nice school. I think I’ve seen their website. Lowering the bar and passing them thru is excatly what I’m affraid of. I’ve got to do something. I just find frustrating that you need to have a ton of money in order to help your LD child.

JanineKay

Hi Carla,

I have very often thought of home schooling but I’d like to try some other options frist. It might very well be a road to go down. If I had the funds I would try LMB as well as homeschool. But in order to do that I have to work and then I can’t be here for her.

It’s just crazy.

Janinekay

Hi Sabra,

Have you heard of summit view school down there as well? I just found there website the other day it sounded nice.

I would rather move to LA before I move back east, mainly because both my brother and sister live down there so I would be closer to family.

My husband is going for an interview in Burbank. I don’t know if anything will come of it but we will see. I’m finding the larger cities do have more resoures.

Thanks for the link. I will call and send them my daughters IEP and test scores.

Janinekay

Thanks Janis,

I checked the site out. Sounds good. I’m finding that one on one intense tutoring is what she is going to need. This program also sounds good.

Janinekay

My advise is to spend the money on your child and do her remediation yourself instead of going round and round with IEP meetings that go nowhere. The stress a Due Process Hearing places on your family and child is unbelievable. Districts use high powered advocates who actually have a law education but never passed the bar in their DP hearings. Parents need to have the same caliber of advocate or attorney present. You may have a run of the mill advocate in a mediation hearing but the district will have the best “advocate” that money can buy and if you lose it is on your dime. As parents one has to be prepared for the worst. Some districts would rather have parents take them to DP to recoup their educational therapy monies. It is a poker game they play rather than to cave in at IEP meetings by giving what is in the child’s best interests up front.

You were right, it does take lots of money and time. I am glad that we spent the money. The changes it has brought in her abilities was worth the heartache we went through but the DP hearing wasn’t worth the pain it caused me. Please call Susan Barton, I have a feeling she will help you in some way. She sure helped me when I was where you are now.

Janine,
Charles Armstrong School is located in Belmont which is in the Bay Area. Good luck in your search.

That not bad the LMB center near us (2 hours away ) costs 645 for an evaluation which wedid and 89 and hour for tutoring (which is totally out of our budget ) I’m still glad we did the evaluation

I have a 13 year old to send him to the LMB center which was suggested would cost almost $17,000 or are we better off saving the money and working with him at home using LMB programs

We moved from Los Angeles to San Diego, about 100 miles. We rented our house and moved into an apartment within walking distance of the Winston School in Del Mar. My husband was able to keep his job. I found a new exciting job. It has been a hard move, but we have all tried to make the best of it. Today, it all became worthwihile. I went to my son’s parent conference for his first semester. He has wonderful grades, but it is much more than that. They like him and understand him. He is fitting in and we can see how his comfort level has risen. He actually wants to take an extra class and stay at school another hour. He is very bright, but struggles so in reading and writing. He has been to private clinics and had Lindamood and Fast ForWord. Keeping him in public school it was hard to give him the intensive work he needed. For various reasons we hung in through middle school, but we knew we could not send him to a large high school. We needed a whole package, a place where he would get interesting work, but be helped to succeed. I left the conference feeling like a tremendous weight had been lifted off my shoulders. Finally, I feel I have partners to help us. It has been such a lonely journey. This site has been a great support. The sacrifices of the move have been worth it. It was the right thing for us. I wish you the best as you search for what feels right for your family.

Yes, I hear what your saying Pattim but I do not have that kind of money. I’m not looking at due process yet. I agree what it comes down to is intensive tutoring which the puplic school can’t do. We have three childern and money is a very big issue. We don’t have enough :-)

JanineKay

Thanks, I just checked out the website. I’m really looking for area that the cost of living isn’t so high.

It looks like a wonderful school!

JanineKay

That’s interesting. How much does it cost to buy the program? and how much is the training?

JanineKay

Thats really great news. I do know what a very lonely road it is as well. I did find a placement today for my daughter that will do until we figure out what the next step is. This board is very supportive and honest. It takes away some of the helplessness you feel. It’s very sad when you think about kids with no advocacy at all.

We may end up in So Cal as well. No matter what we end up doing with my daughter I really believe she’s better off in a larger city where we there is more options and resources and can help carry her thru. Actually my brother and sister both live down there so I would also be closer to family which is an added benefit.

JanineKay

We have 4 kids. Three of us were in college, my husband, myself, our oldest daughter and our oldest son was living out of the country suppported by us when we did the intensive for our youngest daughter. I had to get college loans to help pay for some of it. We talked about moving, downsizing, or selling the car. Somehow we were able to swing as I was able to barter some of the costs of the intensive because of my experience and training. I worked with other children while other clinicians worked with my daughter.

Don’t give up, you will find the answers to open the doors to your daughter’s successful future. Sometimes all is needed is to have a person tutor her after school 3 times a week and you this person can teach you what to do to reinforce it at home. It doesn’t have to be as intensive as the program I elected to do. But your daughter she does need some consistency in a program that works to remediate and bring her current skills up to grade level. Do what you can afford and start from where you are and go forward.

Susan Barton’s reading program also includes a program where she trains parent tutors at schools where she has implemented her program. Perhaps she can hook you up with one of them in your area.

As a follow-up to what Patti just said, the Barton reading program is divided into around eight kits/levels. You can buy one at a time and then when the child is ready for a new level, you can buy the next one. I recall that they are $250-300 each. However, even though this sounds very expensive, training video tapes and fully scripted lesson plans. Almost anyone can do this program. That is why my child’s school decided to try it sicne teachers, aides, and/or volunteers could use the program by watching the video training.

Janis

I am currently looking into this. I got a brochure from my bank about Educational IRAs. They have been for saving for college, but it says for this year Quote
“For 2002 and later years, qualified education expenses may include tuition, fees, books, computer equipment and technology required for elementary, secondary and post-secondary education” AND
“Special-needs beneficiaries can withdraw funds tax-free to pay for qualified education expenses at any age”
So if someone has money in a traditional IRA, or possibly another retirement plan, maybe you could roll it over to the Educational IRA and use it for tutoring, education, programs (LMB, Barton, etc.) Now, I am not sure about it at all, All I know is what that says. You would have to talk to a banker, brokers, etc. But if we can use some of our retirement now for the education, How great would that be!! There is a yearly limit of $2,000 per year contribution, and the withdrawls for qualified education expenses are tax-free. Anyone have any deeper info on this?
Connie

You could not transfer money from a traditional IRA into the Education IRA. The Education IRA is an account set up in the child’s name. The contributions into the account are with after-tax money. It is the earnings (interest, dividends, or capital gains) that are tax free when withdrawn for a qualified purpose. A withdrawal from a traditional IRA in the parent’s name will trigger all kinds of penalties and taxes! You’d definitely NOT want to fund an Ed. IRA this way. By the way, they are not called Ed. IRA’s now. They are now Coverdell Education Savings Accounts (ESA’s). The ESA’s are a good way to save for future education expenses.

Janis

The decision to go to due process is a difficult one and I can verify, first hand, that it will take an enormous toll on you mentally and emotionally. However, I believe that it is the right route in fighting for our children’s civil rights. The current state of Special Ed in this country will not change until parents force the publio school systems to comply with the law and provide an appropriate education which is the constitutional right of all children.

We paid a substantial amount of money in independent evaluations and legal fees, but as the prevailing party we were reimbursed by the school district 100%, inclding their paying for Eagle Hill and transportation to the school. The saddest testament to this is that if they spent the money on the teachers, training and programs that they spent to fight the services, they could have helped ten children like my son.

If you cannot proceed with due process becuase of a lack of funds, the state has agencies with attorneys and special ed advocates to provide legal assistance. A parent should not have to forfeit their legal right to due process under IDEA because they do not have the financial means to pursue it.

Check out the following associations/agencies: COPAA (Council of Parents and Attorneys for Special Education, Your local LDA chapter should have a list of attorneys and advocates. The California State Board of Education needs to provide you with the names of the Advocacy Groups in your area. The state funds these organizations through grants for the purpose of educating and assisting parents of Special Ed children through the legal process.

It will take research and time on your part, but it can be done, hang in there and good luck.