Thoughts on how to help an undiagnoised LD

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Hello All,

I am a kindergarten teacher in a public school classroom in Maryland. This year I am co-teaching with another teacher who has lots of experience. I am really liking it.

Here’s my question. We have a little boy in our room who has some sort of disorder but I don’t know what it is. The school will not let us refer him for testing yet and thus keep putting him back in the classroom where he is completly unable to learn and I don’t have a clue how to help him.

He is five years old and not very verbal. He speaks only about what he sees directly in front of him but has no listening comprehenion as he can not recall any information read to him, and does not appear to understand any direction when it is given. He cannot write at all, he draws circles on every paper you give him, and even when you sit with him you must tell him each time to pick up the pencil because even after I got him to draw a straight line he wanted to keep going and draw in cicles. He cannot distinguish between a letter and a numbe, though he can count and identify numbers. He can match letters but he generally does not know they are letters and is not able to name 80% of them. He is stimulated visually and acts like a young child chasing others around the room or making loud noises at random times.

He mother is in complete denial and doesn’t seem to want to hear that something is wrong, I just want to figure out how I can help this child learn because I am not sure I am getting through at all.

Someone has suggested that it could be autism….obviously we need an evaluation for that but in the meantime as they seem to be dragging their feet anything I can do with him in the classroom. We have 27 other children in the room which also makes it hard.

Ideas anyone????

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