new diagnosis of dyslexia

A big question is *which* dyslexia institute, and are they using scientifically-based and tried-and true programs?

A certain number of people set up their own institutes, publish their own books, and then refer to their own books as justification for what they are doing. It is easy to give yourself any name you want — I could name myself the National Dyslexia Cure Institute if I wanted to, and that doesn’t mean I actually can do what I claim. So it’s buyer beware.
Also be a little careful about the testing — if they make up their own tests and score them their own way according to their own theories with no reference to any outside standards, well *some* places find that everyone who walks in their doors is dyslexic and needs to buy their services. For the kind of rates they are charging, there should be a licenced psychologist or testing specialist with appropriate degrees giving a nationally standardized set of tests. Sue on this board can tell you which ones are commonly used and what the scores mean.

First on this site go to the page on “LD in Depth” and read the National Reading panel Teaching Children To Read articles. Take the time and study this seriously because it tells you where you need to go. If your head is still not spinning you may want to read some of the other articles too.

The price you quote translates to over $60 per hour. That is normal in big cities, low in NYC, high for rural areas.
Outside Montreal, I charge $30 Canadian per hour — and still get complaints from people who want it cheaper. :evil:
But whatever you pay, make sure you are buying something worthwhile.

Yes, very few public schools actually have effective reading programs. Private help is often the way to go.

The tests they used were the Elision, VADS, LET-II, CTOPP. They all took approximately 1 and 1/2 hours to administer. It was a teacher who administered the test, and then mailed it to Illinois to be graded. 1 week later we had a meeting to discuss the results. It is signed by a Dr. whom states they are an educational Consultant. It is the Dyslexia Institutes of America. Just seeing if this is normal practice…..Thanks

The Dyslexic Institute of America? Isn’t that Sylvan’s new branch?

There was some discussion here previously about the Dyslexia Institute of America. Use the search option at the top of the page and you can read through the old threads and find out what others think. I believe the opinions were mixed and a number negative, but please check for more exact info.

Several people here have mentioned the CTOPP and I’m sure it is a reputable test. A question about the qualifications of the person who administers it — again, Sue should know what is needed. The other tests you mention I don’t know but that means nothing because I’m not a test person — I hope some of the other people here will jump in and tell you if these are appropriate.

Before I spent five hundred dollars a month, I’d investigate what methods and programs and teaching approaches are going to be used. Again please inform yourself with the National Reading Panel and the rest of LD In Depth and find out what really works, and then find out if the program you’re offered is going to use what works.

Yes, the CTOPP is a very good evaluation. I use it.

I would probably look elsewhere for a tutor. The cost depends largely where you live. In a city near me, the Lindamood-Bell clinic charges $69. an hour, and I use them 1000 times sooner than I’d use the Dyslexia Instutute of America. I am trained in Lindamood-bell and some other programs for dyslexia and I charge $35 an hour in our smaller town.

I do personally recommend at least 2 hours a week, though, and that’s with additional home practice.

If I were you, I’d go to the International Dyslexia Association site www.interdys.org and contact your state branch and see if there are any qualified private tutors in your area. There are reputable clinics out there, but a Sylvan branch would have to show me a lot of evidence of the success of their programs before I’d spend a dime. Plus I’d have to know a LOT about their program and the teacher quaifications. I also wonder if that price is for one-on-one therapy.

Janis

>I would probably look elsewhere for a tutor. The cost depends largely where you live. In a city near me, the Lindamood-Bell clinic charges $69. an hour, and I use them 1000 times sooner than I’d use the Dyslexia

I’d also look elsewhere. That is really steep, and I haven’t heard very many good things about Sylvan. There’s prob. one or two exceptions here and there. I’d do what Janis recommends.

Another thing is to look at ISer.com, as well as community boards, newspapers with one proviso, that you really ask questions of the person that would be the kid’s tutor. They should be using a systematic
explicit phonics approach. Ask what there experience and training is. A good tutor will rarely have just special ed experience but have some outside training and experience.

>Janis[/quote]

—des

Yikes! This whole set up sounds questionable. I have a dyslexic child and while we did hire a tutor immediately upon realizing there was an issue, I viewed it somewhat as short term support while we figured out what the heck was going on.

First, I’d want my child to have a more thorough neuropsych exam . Yes those individual tests maybe reputable, but the interpretation of the data can be very important and you need to look at other things , in my opinion. Are there attentional, emotional or processing issues that need to be addressed? Are there underylying sensory motor issues that need to be addressed? That kind of stuff.

Let’s assume that tutoring is appropriate ie, you can’t get the services you need right now (not that you shouldn’t persue it with your BOE). Most tutors charge by the session, not a blanket monthly cost. Even Lindamood Bell doesn’t charge your for holidays!

I am from the new york city area and our *qualified* tutors (meaning OG trained at a minimum!) are in the neighborhood of $100 /hour and up. Lindamood Bell also costs that much here. We had more success with LMB than after school tutoring b/c we committed to 4 hours a day and the intensity was more effective.

Bottom line: I wouldn’t jump into a commitment of this type based on the limited analysis they’ve done for you.

Thank you all of you—this definitely gives me a start on looking at different options. Thanks again—you are all great!!!!!!

Tanya

You should NEVER have to pay a monthly rate for tutoring but if your child needs tutoring, he should keep up with it even during the holidays weeks. If thought the tutoring center is closed during the holiday weeks -and they were still going to charge $497 a month, that’s very wrong and I wouldn’t do further business with them.

In this tutoring business, let the buyer always beware is sound advice. There are many people and places out there willing to take your money. Make sure you get something for it and for your son in return.

Good luck.

Please read Sally Shaywitz’s Overcoming Dyslexia. It’s very sound and full of good advice.

Hi! My daughter was diagnosed with dyslexia at the end of Kindergarten by a very reputable evaluation center. The complete testing took 1 1/2 days. I think your testing is incomplete. The first thing I’d do is get more thorough testing done. I’d want to know if he has a processing deficit, IQ scores, if ADD/ADHD is involved, etc. These are the tests that were administered to my daughter:

Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (WASI)
Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals (CELF-3; 6-8)
Test of Early Reading Ability (TERA) ages 3.0-7.11
Reading Readiness (asked to write letter/numbers, phonetic sounds)
Goldman Fristoe Woodcock Test of Audistory Discrimination (GFW)
Test of Audtiroy Preceptual Skills Revised (TAPS-R) ages 4-12
Berea-Gestalt Motor Test
Articulation

She was later evaluated by a child psychiatrist for ADD because of inability to remain focused in class. She does has ADD.

Her test results indicated that she had inconsitent performance in auditory memory and auditory processing. This is what the evaluation center recommended as far as therapy goes:

“…be enrolled in a reading program that can effectively address reading using a multi-sensory approach. This type of phonetic approach should include auditory training. Alphabetic Phonics, Sequential English Education (SEE) and Lindamood Bell are three such programs.”

We live in an area of limited choices for therapy, so we decided to enroll her at a school that specializes in learning differences. She is doing very very well there and will probably be mainstreamed in the next 1 to 2 years.

I agree with the other poster—read Sally Shaywitz’s book—Overcoming Dyslexia. Lots of good information there.

Suzi