I’ve been getting a lot of good advice from everyone. I hope that you can give some advice for my sister. She has two children. The oldest has Aspergers and has been given nothing but grief from the schools (he’s now in High School) to the point that they needed to get a layer. Her younger son, who’s in 7th grade, appears to have Dysgraphia. She is afraid to get a label put on him, especially since he’s planning to join the army for his college degree. Any suggestions for her?
Re: LD help w/o LD label - help for sister
If he doesn’t have a label in 7th grade, chances are the school will not give him one. He might be okay on a 504 plan with some accommodations made. It’s almost impossible to be classified as special education in the middle school or high school years and it’s probably the hardest time in school. The mom can certainly try getting the evaluation done, but he might not qualify. Maybe an alternative high school (votec) might be better.
I’m not sure about special education records. That Virginia Tech murderer was in special education in high school. He had questionable writing skills and language skills back then. His records were not accessed.
Good luck with the situation. Let us know how it turns out.
Re: LD help w/o LD label - help for sister
I had to take time to figure out how to say this. I work at Virginia Tech. Cho (the murder) did not kill because of his LD. He had a mental illness not related to his LD. He could have not had an LD and still have this mental illness. He was receiving treatment up until he graduated high school. At that point, he was an adult and choose whether to continue the treatment. He declinded.
We must be very careful about equating such situation with LDs. The last thing we need is for the world to make a stereotype of all LD individuals that includes violence.
Re: LD help w/o LD label - help for sister
Yes, I agree. I have that article printout. My son had Selective Mutism and was not able to speak in school. We used medication,speech therapy and behavioral therapy. After 3 long years, my son started talking in school in first grade. He is 8, in special education third grade self contained classroom and doing well.
Yes, the Cho person had another undiagnosed psychiatric disorder. Sorry for the misunderstanding.
I was referring to special education records and/or medical or court records which were not accessed. He really fell through the cracks on all sides in society, with all involved. It was a tragic situation. God Bless all who remember and were involved.
With Dysgraphia he may only need a 504, not an IEP. She should look into how that might effect his ability to join the army before making a decision on what to do.
The problem with Dysgraphia is that as you get into High School and College there is a lot more writing. He will likely struggle more and more as the grades get harder and there is a lot more writing. Assistive Technology could really help him get through that.