To Belle,*Please Read*

That thread is so tangled that I cannot remember whether I posted test for you or just went off riding my advocacy horse.

Here are a list of tests that are generally used (and good):

Reading: Woodcock Reading Mastery Test-Revised
Also do: Reading Fluency and Sound Blending,
from WJ-III Achievement

Math: Key Math Revised

Written Language: Test of Written Language - 3rd Edition

Cognition: Most use the Wechsler Intelligence Scales for
Children. I’d do 4 subtests and see if it matches prior testing before giving whole battery again.

Believe me, if you knew half of what we have been through as a family you wouldn’t even worry! That we are all still standing and can smile most of the day is something to be proud of at this point.

OK so I will answer your questions …we are in Louisiana. He was evaluated in 2nd grade (and held back) in South Carolina where they had a very detailed IEP set up for LD and ADD. The following year they moved here and all that I can see that was retained on his later IEPs was that he would take his meds regularly and maintain a homework notebook (for organization issues). NONE of the very specific items that were intended to help with his LD were ever implemented or evaluated and I would be willing to bet that that is because his mother (1) did not understand them and (2) did not want to put the effort into them. Anyway, I am not here to play the blame game but just to get him back on track with a minimum of fuss and mess. since he has been with us we have taken him off his meds because he is not actually ADD - most of the ADD symptoms resulted from his frustration over the LD and also from his family situation. I am prepared, with my husband’s help, to do whatever we have to do. I have a meeting set up tomorrow at the school to ask for an evaluation. So far what you all have said and the texts I’ve read point to him continuing to have poor phonological comprehension, and possibly dysgraphia, all of which is VERY frustrating to him. He can not, however, handle feeling that anything more is WRONG with him, so the other problem we face is getting him on board without labeling him as inherently flawed, if you know what I mean! At 13 a lot of this will be up to him to work with us or not.

I think our school will work with us as much as they can. Right now they have a special tutor for him (and some others) to bring up his English scores on standardized tests - La has the LEAP in 8th grade, so this is prep for that. However, he tells them all the time that the problem is not with his understanding of English (orally he is brilliant and his vocabulary is very full and imaginative) but with his spelling and his written work. So far, no one has adjusted his tutoring to meet HIS OWN request!! So we’ll address that too. but if they were really paying attention to his Iowa test scores they would see that spelling and punctuation were his WORST scores.

I just had a problem last week with his sister and my husband (bless his heart). They called him to the school to review her IEP in advance of the Iowa tests. She is in speech already for spoken language issues (r’s mostly) but I saw (after the fact) that on her language arts teacher’s eval she had written “poor phonological comprehension” - so naturally my husband, who does not know what this is and does not have me at his side does not ask for something in the IEP to address that problem (which incidentally was also identified as a problem back in 2nd grade as well)!!! this is a kid who is sweet and so organized and creative, but truly can not hear/comprehend the difference between “scout” and “snout”, for example. Also, she just tested as reading at a 3.8 grade level (she is in 5th, held back once). Sigh. So I am going to have to get them on that too. Truthfully, this is a steep learning curve for me and it is frustrating because I am tired of the implication that we should just accept that they are below grade level in performance and only inching by, while I watch them struggle! I hate it!

Dear Belle,

I have nothing to add regarding “real” Help but wanted to say I applaud your attitude. I am climbing that steep learning curve myself re my own daughter. I too tire of thinking I am simply supposed to accept that she will always struggle just and be below the grade level.

GFGmom

(((( Belle))))) Good luck at the meeting tommorow and please let us know how it went. Always ask for stuff in writing..