What services should I ask for.Help plaesa long sorry

I hear where you are coming from and it is such a crying shame that parents are expected to micro-manage their childrens education. After all, we are led to believe in the beginning that the school knows what they are doing and what type of reading program is most effective for our children’s learning styles, right? They are the professionals.

Well, as you can see, they don’t really know whats going on so you do have to take over and challenge their decisions. First I would ask them what research-based programs they currently use at your school. Then ask them which of those have they tried with your son. It should be in his sped records. Most likely, its not. Now you have their attention because you are asking for specifics.

From what I understand, any of these research-based programs (Wilson, Orton-Gillingham, etc) require training, and systematic implementation. In reality what your son is probably getting is what my son (who is not progressing) is getting. I mish mash of program techniques by inconsistent application with teachers who have not been trained to use them properly.

This is where I started and now I can show that this is what they have tried with my son and it has not worked. So we are going to do it my way now. But first you need to know what has been done and what the actual method of delivery has been. Ask to see the sped teachers records. They claim they have so much paperwork that they can’t teach, so let’s see it! I have yet to see one written page from our sped teacher. When we question her with specifics, its like deer trapped in the headlights and a lot of paper shuffling.

Once you have the previous history, check out all of the programs that the people here suggest and see if they address your son’s needs. Print out the info you find and bring it with you to the next meeting.

Sorry to sound so negative but, you will be amazed to find that what I outlined above may be the problem. I believe that the problem at our school is just this, not choosing one research-based program and providing it to the child the way it was designed to be used by trained and certified professionals. Basically its called what we all learned in Kindergarten: FOLLOWING DIRECTIONS. I know our teachers refuse to follow this and thats a big problem.

Best of luck to you. Most of all remember knowledge is power. Absorb everything you can.

You should ask for a multisensory, sequential reading program through the school. You should also ask for writing software and the use of a computer in the classeoom. Honestly, the Alphasmart may help some, but my daughter needs auditory feedback (check out co-writer) and the alphasmart does not provide it. We plan to turn in her alphasmart when we return to school in 4th grade. (She is also going into 4th and will be 10 in November) You need to request IN WRITING an assistive technology evaluation and an OT evaluation. They can’t ignore a written request. Draft builder and co-writer are great, as well as Kidspiration and Inspiratiion for writing software. If the school won’t provide, and if it is AT ALL possible, I would put him in some kind of multisensory tutoring like Lindamood Bell.

My daughter, also gifted LD, was evaluated in 2nd grade. She could not write, read, spell and honestly I had her evaluated b/c I thought she was low IQ and I was not going to kill myself (and her) trying to teach her something she wasn’t going to get. She has been going to LMB 2x/wkly for 1-1/2 years. She is reading at and above grade level and comprehension is excellent. She receives OT through the school and also goes to a Sensory Integration OT privately. My evaluator told me NOT to put her in special ed. With an IQ like that your son doesn’t need to be there either. Also, with a gifted IQ he should respond really well to LMB. He will be miserable and give up if you are not very careful. Also the school will only address his LD if you let them get by with it. They will tell you to lower your expectations. You don’t have to. My evalutor told me re: LMB “She will read as well as anyone else, she will just learn a different way”. I believe that b/c I have seen it.

My daughter currently makes excellent grades and now uses a computer with various software. She is also now able to attend gifted resource classes b/c of her computer. They tried to kick her out of gifted in 2nd grade b/c she could not read and write very well. Go on LD Online and read Richard Wanderman’s 1st person essay on “How computer help the writing process for people with LD”. It’s an excellent article. There are tools and ways for your son to be able to show his knowledge. Find them. If you have any other questions, please feel free to e-mail me.

How interesting that you were told the same thing I was told: lower your expectations. It scares me to think of how many parents who buy this suggestion when the school presents it.

You gave many good suggestions. I do want to add though, that our school tries to get away with, “we use a mulitsensory, blah, blah, blah” and they really don’t have to be any more specific than that; even though they do not do a good job (in my opinion) with what they have.

Welcome to the club of “lower your expectations” advice…. In our case, it was a psychologist who evaluated our son, who told the school “what do expect from two professionals with advance degree to expect from their gifted son?”. It really made me laugh when thes school representatives suddenly started addressing me Dr….. (after three years of communicating with me).

It unfortunately worked only for that one IEP meeting, now we are back into the “lower your expectations” approach again.

Okay well his sp. ed teacher last year did Saxon Phonics witht he class and he did do it when he was in there I think it helped some but not with his writing at all.She did do some multisensory stuff because he was in the class I was told by her and it seems to help the rest to.but I dont think it is the right thing still.I am just worried he is going to fall furter behind while the school is deciding what to do.I am taking him for a evaluation at the Klingberg Clinic at WVU this week and if they suggest things for the school to do with him the school says they will look into them.The school psy does not agree with his psychartrist dx of PDD-NOS for my son and says he has done all the testing he can for my son however everyone else 2 psychartist and several other people say otherwise.I feel since he is smart and can slip by they dont want to do anything.But if he misbehaved they would do something.

FIrst of all, he should be getting speech servies for more than articulation as it sounds like his speech issues are related to reading problems, ask to have phonemic awareness testing done. The SLP should be working with the reading teacher. He may also have auditory processing problems. TYpically these result in behavior issues. Behavior issues are often secondary to learning problems easpecially in terms of being able to understand and follow directions.

I think you hit the nail on the head with that one. If he is getting by, they just let it be, but if behavior becomes an issue (and unfortunatley we all know it does when these poor kids fail enough and self esteem hits rock bottom) then they will react. All the literature that I have ever read on LDs specifically states that it is CRITICAL to get a handle on the issues before any of this happens.

But schools have their own agenda and list of priorities. Sadly enough the reality seems to be that we have to wait until they fail “bad enough” to meet their criteria to get mediocre help from them. I honestly do not know how to make the professionals see what we see. Even the parents of LD children who are special ed teachers (those who know both sides of the story) struggle with some of the very same issues.

he has been in speech since he was 3 years old same SLP I feel she cant test him actualtly since she knows him so well.it has been going on 7 year since he ahs worked with her and he has come a long way but still workingon the K,L,G sounds.is this normal for a child his age.The threrapist has been great with him and he is willing to do alot for her and she does work with his reading some on his vocab. words and such.Her and I feel there is more going on with him and the school dont want to do anything she has pushed for things for him she helped get him the OT eval and next year wants to do speech with him along with his OT if the times work out.He goes to her 3 times a week 2 times by himself the other time with a small group.

How is it that your child is on an IEP but not in spec ed.? I always assumed they were one and the same.
My son is in a inclusive classroom. I feel the spec ed teacher dumbs down the curriculm for him which was very frustrating. I had to fight to get him harder spelling words for months. He didn’t even study for the tests he knew them already.
I really want him with a regular teacher because he can do the work. Can he go into the regular classroom and still have an IEP getting OT which he still really needs for his motor issues?

that is a lot of time to get services in the school actually. she sounds like a good slp :-).

Absolutely he can be in a regular classroom and receive OT. My daughter does. Oftentimes they say “it helps them facilitate special ed” if they are in inclusion. Gosh, I’m sorry, but I don’t care if it facilitates anything. I don’t want her in inclusion. Special ed is a service NOT a location. My daughter is Under “15 min consult only” and receives OT. I declined all other services and she is doing fine. I also provide private LMB. The inclusion class, in my opinion, was really, really low and they spent all year writing “rainbow words” (something my daughter had done previously in 1st grade) They never even put a spelling word in a sentence all year. The teacher wanted to write her homework done for her in her planner and let her orally spell all spelling words. I didn’t want her to. My theory is that I want my daughter to WORK HARD and do everything she can do. I have explained to her that she is LD so therefore, she has to work harder than everyone else to achieve the same (or less sometimes). I’m sorry, but that’s reality. I had her pulled out 1/2 way through the 3rd nine weeks last year and put in a regular class. She did fine. Feel free to e-mail me if you have other questions.

Cheryl,

Why do you feel the need to write that you are a speech therapist? Should I write Joanne, SLP CCC, with 20 plus years experience in private and public?