please look at dd's spelling for me

I would ask for an IEE (Independent Educational Evaluation at public expense) to get to the root issues. This does not look like ADD but more like she may have some auditory issues and possibly language issues.

My dd, who has dyslexia and CAPD, used to spell in a similar manner. She has never benefitted from the “standard” types of spelling tests in school. She tends to do better with programs that offer instant feedback such as AVOK http://www.readingandspelling.org/ and computer based programs such as Read180 by Scholastic. Using a word prediction program has also helped with her spelling because she has to be able to recognize the word she needs.

Hi,

I assume the spelling was in her writing, not typed? I think there is a probem beyond ADD since the spelling is not even phonetic. If it was a spelling test, rather than what you typed here, it could have been not paying attention, but that is not the case here. Does she have any problems reading? A reading disability can also affect spelling. If she is able to express herself orally, but not in writing, it may be written expressive language disorder. Of course, we cannot diagnose over the net. She should be tested for a learning disability, imo.

She had testing at the end of last year by the school and there is a IEP in place. They did not necessarily look for dyslexia. The psychologist observed her in class one day and I was told she was ADD. She goes down to the special ed room with another child for 20 minutes each morning. She get’s some assistance with Oral Daily Language and her spelling words at that time. She does her work sheet and the teacher in the special ed room corrects her mistakes. Now that she is in the 4th grade there is more writing and more reading and I can see her falling even more behind.

Gretchen- Yes, I typed what she wrote on her science log book. She is very focused on her work and gives 100% at school and at home. She has such a positive personality most of the time and really try’s to make everyone happy. I just started seeing signs this year of it starting to bother her. She feels uncomfortable reading out loud in class now. She can express herself very well orally and has a wide vocabulary. We can easily spend up to 2 hours a night on homework. She does very well with complex math problems but does not have her multiplication facts mastered at all. She is failing science which is one of her favorite subjects. She knows more about science than the average 4th grader in my opinion.

It’s just heartbreaking to see her struggle. I don’t want to always compare her to my husband but their writing and spelling is very similar.

Thanks for all the responses. I really appreciate it. I have a meeting today at school and I hope I can get some more feedback.

An observation by the school psychologist is NOT accurate testing nor can they dx ADD. She needs more thorough testing than what the school is providing.

lovemy3kiddos,

I just wanted you to know that I have a DD with a similar profile. After extensive private testing, it was determined that she is gifted with ADD-Inattentive. It primarily affects her spelling, math computation, and memory. In 4th grade, her spelling was similar to your childs. In 6th grade she still has faulty recall of math facts. It is not that she doesn’t know them. She does. She just can’t always recall information acurately when she needs it. Especially rote information.

However, I do agree with the other posters, you have alot more testing that needs to be done before you should take the ADD diagnosis as fact. Also, school cannot diagnose ADD, it is a medical diagnosis.

Good luck with your journey of finding answers.

Thanks for all the responses. I have a meeting yesterday with all 3 of her teachers. They do see the inattentiveness at times with her. Its more like…she will mess with something on her desk while having her book open for the lesson. Or, raising her hand and telling a story that has nothing to do what they are talking about. She is not fidgety or moving around where it’s real noticeable.

The writing and spelling is a issue right now. Her teacher said her story’s that she writes are one of the more creative in class. I read one of her story’s and I about cried. It was so good. She was so descriptive when she wrote and I did not realize she could do that. Yes, there were many spelling and grammar errors but the content was so creative.

It still amazes me with all of the spelling mistakes.

Right now they are going to concentrate on getting the phonics rules down. She will have a “word wall” to help with the commen misspelled words. And they are going to monitor her work to see any patterns or changes.

How much does this testing cost outside of the school district? Are we talking thousands of dollars? I’m willing to do what is necessary to help her as long as I can get some sort of payment plan.

So, the school’s testing is not enough? Will I need school records to get her tested outside of school?

always_wondering: Is your dd on medication and if so, does it help?

Yes. My dd is on meds, but finding the right dose takes a while. It is something I never wanted to do, but the emotional toll the disorganized brain was taking on her was too much.

It has helped alot of non-academic areas in which she was struggling. It didn’t make the recall 100% nor the spelling significantly better, but I really didn’t expect that the meds would completely solve the problem. Having her so forgetful and disorganized she never truly learned the spelling patterns. Some that she did learn she learned incorrectly. So, I expect that there will be alot of extra home tutoring for the math and spelling. I also expect that her years will be filled with ups and downs as she takes time to learn the skills that she should have learned years ago. Luckily, she loves school and tends to hyperfocus on her schoolwork. Homework is never a battle, it just takes a long time.

We were fortunate to have most of her testing done at a local university center which has a wonderful reputation. I also had her re-assessed at the local vision therapists office because I saw visual changes in her over the past year which were in addition to her inattentive problems.

It is very possible that your daughter has both. However, very few states will say the word dyslexia. They say Specific Learning Disability in Reading Comprehension, Reading Fluency, or Written expression. If she had a huge discrepancy, did they give her an IEP? If so, what are they doing to address the issues? Could it be that they are not using an appropriate program?

Yes, she does have a IEP.

I think I just want to know what is causing her spelling/written language problems. It may all be ADHD but if it’s not…do we need to know so we can help her in the future? Maybe I am too focused on why she is having these problems. Her IEP states that she is ADHD and that she is having some spelling difficulties. She is to get’s 20 minutes a day of Academic support. She goes to the special ed room with another child and does Language there. Should I not be worrying about if she has a LD along with the ADHD? If she fails science this year does that mean she is not getting enough support? We are new to the IEP’s. We just had one go into affect about 4 weeks before school ended last year. Last year she had one on one time with a LD teacher. She moved to different school this year and has a new LD teacher. The special education teacher in charge of her case is not the person directly working with her. The teacher working with her works generally with kids with emotional/behavioral handicaps.

Two things should be happening as a result of her IEP. She should be making progress (catching up) as a result of the methods they are using to remediate her academic difficulties. (However, never happened with my older son.) Her accommodations should be such that she is able to access and be successful in the curriculum (sp?). If these things are not happening, changes in the programs they are using or her accommodations need to be changed. If she is trying and failing, you may need another IEP meeting to determine why she is still failing and if there is anything that can be done about it?

You say IEP says ADHD and spelling difficulties. Are there goals to correct the writing problems also? Does she have organizational issues that need to be addressed? An IEP can have goals in any area of weakness, not just what they qualified for the IEP under. So, all of her issues need to be addressed. They also need to be addressed in the appropriate manner.

Why do you feel she is failing science? - I mean apart from the grades. Is the structure of the class disorganized and your dd gets distracted? Are there no word banks on the test and her recall is poor? etc. These are things to think about. The teacher may be able to give you ideas about what you see. However, I have found with both my children is that the teacher’s interpretation about what is going on in my child’s head is rarely what is truly going on in the child’s head.