I’m looking for suggestions for my remediated dyslexic ADHD’er who will be in 4th grade this fall.
After two years of struggling with both reading and writing remediated by private tutoring and school support - (can I brag here?!?) it has clicked and she is absolutely flying. She has done so well she is going to transition/declassification with a fraction of the support she had this school year.
The school is scratching their heads at my request for a spelling modification so I want to help articulate it. Her problem is spelling remains a weakness and with the ADHD, there is an impulsive style of responding with no self monitoring to double check her work. She responds best to praise but has got enough on her plate keeping up with classwork, so additional work (e.g., proofreading assignments) to help the spelling she will view as torture. It has more to do with her learning how to self monitor.
This is what I’m thinking or requesting, but am not sure if the wording and logic is correct:
- Spelling not waived on standardized tests, but spelling should not affect classroom grades (e.g., social studies, science tests).
- Classroom teacher to consistently, discreetly and positively encourage self monitoring - regular efficient proofreading or double checking of written work.
Does this capture it specifically enough yet in the hands of the right teacher give that teacher enough flexibility to come up with her own methods? Has anyone else been in a similar situation and have examples of things that have worked?
Thank-you.
Re: Spelling Modifications or Accomodations
We had “grade on content, not spelling” on my daughter’s 3rd grade IEP. However, now she uses a computer a lot of the time so we removed. We do, however plan to put it back on when she gets to middle school in case we have a problem.
Congratulations on your daughter’s success (and yours). We, too, are beginning to reap the benefits of early intervention. I have a going into 4th grader
Re: Spelling Modifications or Accomodations
Dear Frustrated Parent,
I used to be a frustrated teacher with much the same problem. I was asked to come up with a spelling program for my 5th grade dyslexic ADHD students that would reinforce their reading instruction. Having 8 students on 6 different reading levels and no aide in the room, I made my own program, specifically designed for the students to work on independently. It teaches strategies for spelling, not lists of words and is also sophisticated enough not to embarrass older students. It’s now in book form and it’s called Looking Glass Spelling. I and several other teachers in my school have used it with students from grades 4 through 8 who read 2 or more years below grade level and have found that it improves decoding and vocabulary. Several public schools have bought the system and must be pleased because they have re-ordered. Looking Glass Spelling comes in a reasonably priced binder of 20 reproducible units designed just for LD students. For more info. or to see a sample chapter, please see my website: www.gwhizresources.com.
Hope I can help.
Fern Goldstein
I have had one student that sounds a lot like yours. I was able to write in - will use a “Spell-Checker”. I had her purchase a small hand-held model from a department store. She was allowed to use it when editing any written work. She was able to identify the correct spelling 80% of the time. Her grade on any written assignment was not affected by spelling as long as she demonstrated attempts to edit the spelling by herself or with a peer helper. She was expected to have correct grammer, punctuation, and capitalization when she completed final drafts in the fifth grade.
Hope this helps.