I mentioned in a post last week, that during a conversation with the Supt. of my son’s school, she stated she had read over his Multi Factor Evauluation and although she didn’t know what kind of learning disability my son has, she knows he isn’t dyslexic.
Can that be determined from reading a MFE? This is coming from a woman who has never met my son. I’m not saying I’m an expert in the field, but I’ve done lots of reading about dyslexia, and I’m sure my son is dyslexic. He has all the signs, not just with school work….but with life. He’s 13 and still confuses, hot and cold, up and down, under and over. He was 8 before he could tie his shoes. When he tries to tell you a story, it’s like he has the image in his head, but can’t get it into words. This is an example of him trying to remember someone’s name. He said “remember before we moved and that one kid that was real little was on my football team, he was older than me but littler so they put him on our team, and he lived in that big brown house, over by that one plant, and he had a brother that was my sister’s age”
He remembered all that, but couldn’t rememember a name.
Does it make a difference in what the school has to do as far as educating my son if he is labeled dyslexic? I’m willing to get an independent evauluation if it would prove something, will it?
Why does the school insist on saying he isn’t dyslexic? His LD teacher told me last year he thought maybe he was dyslexic, but he had outgrown it? Hmmm, thought you out grew shoes. I really think the school is so outdated that they still believe dyslexia means..you write backwards. I know I’m rambling again……
Any suggestions or comments?
Re: It's not a magic word -- don't sweat that part.
I have had a similiar experience with our school. I cannot get them to say “that word.” It’s like it is something awful and it’s not. Early on I was looking for a word, for my own purposes, so I could research my son’s disabilities. Instead I was getting the run around and terms that as a parent really meant nothing to me. When on the internet type in some of the terms the school was using to find out info and it is a dead end most of the time, or information so over my head it is useless to me. I really don’t understand why the school will not use the word, therefore I am still unclear on the true perspectives of disabilities but to me it sure does look like DYSLEXIA!!!!!! But what do I know.
Re: It's not a magic word -- don't sweat that part.
My son’s neuropsychologist diagnosed him as developmental dyslexia
(meaning he came wired that way and wasn’t through injury).
The school (here in WA state) will not use that term stating that it is
a medical term.
The school psychologist diagnosed him as having a Specific
Learning Disability in Reading and Writing.
When I asked if using the word dyslexia for DS would change
how they instructed him, they said it would make no difference.
Personally, I’m like you - there is such a large learning curve
when you have a LD child that having some consistent labeling
would help parents a lot, at least. And people, like scout leaders,
coaches and other people my DS deals with seem to understand
dyslexia rather than SLDIRAW.
In addition ‘dyslexic’ is so much easier to say than
Specific Learning Disability in Reading and Writing!
One word to seven. ;-)
Re: It's not a magic word -- don't sweat that part.
Specific Learning Disablity in reading, writing, math, oral expression, and listening comprehension is likely the language found in IDEA. It is certainly more consistent for these terms to be used consistently across the country than mutiple terms to be used. I agree with Sue that the term dyslexia is non-essential. All that matters is that appropriate remediation is being used, and most public schools don’t get that part right, unfortunately.
Janis
Re: Is there a specific test for dyslexia?
This is exactly how my 9yo dd recalls names and such. These long detailed descriptions just to get one word out. Its the word retrieval problems that are typical of dyslexia. I am reading To Read Or Not To Read by Daphne Hurford and this is exactly what she is talking about in the part I am reading currently. I would most certainly press and go through the private sector if you must, for testing to confirm your son’s issues.
Re: Is there a specific test for dyslexia?
A speech and language evaluation, which you can request from the school, can confirm a word retrieval problem. Speech therapy can help.
The "magic word" is mentioned in IDEA
Dyslexia is used in the language of IDEA,it is considered a specific learning disability.
(10) Specific learning disability is defined as follows:
(i) General. The term means a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, that may manifest itself in an imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or to do mathematical calculations, including conditions such as perceptual disabilities, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental aphasia.
(ii) Disorders not included. The term does not include learning problems that are primarily the result of visual, hearing, or motor disabilities, of mental retardation, of emotional disturbance, or of environmental, cultural, or economic disadvantage.
The schools districts generally want to consider it a medically based disability,don’t know why,just know it doesn’t matter.
As long as it doesn’t result in services being denied, or decreased,call it whatever.
Language-based learning problems are many and varied. If somebody doesn’t want to call it dyslexia, that’s not necessarily any kind of problem. IT’s only a problem if she is saying he doesn’t have difficulty with things that you know he does have difficulty with.
So as long as his word-retrieval problems and any fine-motor skill (esp. in writing) issues are addressed, and his skills are worked on with his strengths and challenges specifically in mind — they can call it plum pudding. (Now, *don’t* let ‘em call it a behavior disorder — but that doesn’t seem to be the issue here.)