Two new (ok, the only) buttons!

As many may be well aware of, the 2008 presidential elections are upon us.  The Obama vs Clinton battle is continuing (well, in the mind of Hillary Clinton, anyway), and the Republication candiate is all but chosen by convention (McCain).  I am not one to debate and will not go into politics here, but, I am one to vote!  So, please make sure that you really know your candidates before you vote and vote with a clear conscience!  Click on that button to find out more about the candidates!

The other one, is for this fantastic site, kirtsy.  It is like an online magazine for the modern woman, linking you to information all over the web!  They have information on a little bit of every aspect of life, on there.  So, go check it out!  They have just changed their name from sk*rt to kirtsy and are trying to get the word out. 

Check out my links, to the International Dyslexia Association, and to the website, Dyslexia Tutor:  news and resources, as I have found these two sites that have been very informatitive.  More links to come! 

 

Some Wonderful Achievments!

Amy has shown considerable growth over the past school year.  For example, at the beginning of the school year, Amy’s writing example could have been in the kindergarten class.  There were hardly any spaces between words, she had relied only on writing the words down in a phonemic fashion, so it was difficult to quickly read what she wrote.  You could tell that she became worn out, in her efforts, as she had about 8 sentences, while others in her class had twice the amount she wrote.  Her handwriting was inconsistent and not online. 

Now, there are many improvements.  The handwriting is more legible, and online.  The words are properly spaced.  She is spelling the basic or core words from first and second grade much more consistently, in a correct manner.  Her work could pass for that of an early second grader.  Now, she can orally tell you a story, that is full of detail and very complex.  But, she cannot write it down, in the same manner. 

I hope that the summer tutoring, will continue to help her close the gap in her learning expectations, and bring her closer to grade level. 

She is a creative kid, and has wonderful ideas, and I hope that one day, she can really express her ideas in a written fashion, so that we can preserve them for her. 

IEP went well!

The IEP meeting last week, went very well. Since Amy is making progress, the goals remain the same, and are expanded to help her throughout the day next year.  She will continue with 88 minutes of 1:1 with a special education teacher daily, during literacy arts language class.  That is twice what she is getting right now.  Also, she will be going to “summer school” for one on one tutoring 3 days a week for 45 minutes.  I know that she isn’t happy about that, but, it will help her to continue to make progress over the summer.  If at any point she doesn’t make progress, we can look into utilizing technology to help her in the classroom.  We are considering the Kurzweil 3000, a Franklin Speller or other tools.  The children in fourth grade do alot of their writing  on a computer, so, she can use spell check in Word.  I am comfortable with all of this, for now. 

 

Preparing for the Annual IEP

The countdown is 7 days, until we sit down, and go over Amy’s annual IEP.  I am predicting a not so good time.  Why?  On Monday, the child study team, finally received their copy of the learning psych eval, that I took Amy for, back in March.  The one that has the diagnosis of dyslexia, and the recommendations.  These recommendations include daily one on one work, with an Orton Gillingham or other similar learning technique trained teacher for 1 1/2 hours.  And, an expensive computer program, the Kurzweil 3000, that you can download or scan books/tests/ any text into, and it will read along while highlighting the text, in your choice of speed and voice.  This will enable Amy to be an independant reader in school and beyond (in college and work and life). 

I already have my notes, and will be looking at the current IEP and making appropriate changes as needed.  I would like more accomodations made, in all her classes and specials.  For example, having a written list of instructions for her, rather than her trying to copy them from the board.  She has a really hard time with that.  Also, having her take notes, but, also, for her to receive a copy of the notes from her teacher, too, as note taking will not make sense when read back by herself, or us, or her teacher. 

Next year, she will be in 4th grade, so, it is not going to be all too different.  But, I am sure that things are going to be more involved, such as more note writing, and copying more from the board. 

I wish that I didn’t even have to think about these things, that she could just go to school, and come home, and do her homework, and get wonderful grades and read on grade level.  But, I know that isn’t going to happen, well, right away, it won’t.  Maybe by the time she is in high school, things might be a bit easier for her in school.  For now, we are living in the needs she has today, and for the next year.  Wish us luck! 

Where we are right now…

Right now, we are just waiting to meet with the CST about the new diagnosis of dyslexia.  And, the recommendations that are going with that.  I am comfortable knowing that the Special Ed teacher who is working with Amy, is really working hard, with her, to overcome her reading struggles. 

More about her special ed teacher- I have gotten to know her well, outside of school.  Her daughter is in dance class with Amy.  So, we have a personal relationship. 
And, from that, I know that this teacher is trained in Linda Mood-Bell techniques.  She has really helped Amy gain confidence in her reading and writing skills.  I know that I can say, hey, Amy is really struggling with, let’s say, Math multiplication facts.  How can we help her to remember these things?  I have weekly, face to face contact with her- how awesome is that?  That is something that not everyone can say. 

I can say, that when Amy reads those ads that are on billboards, or the store signs, and can finally read them I am so happy!  She really has progressed this year!  Reading seems to be clicking for her, finally.  I want to ensure that she doesn’t regress over the summer, and will be anxious to see how the Child Study Team also deals with this concern. 

The learning psychologist who diagnosed her, recommends that she attend three tutoring sessions weekly for 8 weeks this summer.  At $60 a lession, that is $180 a week!  I would have to go back to work full time, and then I wouldn’t have a way of getting her there.  But, it is with an Orton Gillingham trained teacher, and would provide her the multisensory approach that benefits her learning style. 

I also see concerns with her math skills, too.  She is very good with the facts, but, with the amount of math stories that are involved in the math program, she struggles with understanding them on her own.  So, I would love to see her continue with math over the summer, also. 

I know that Amy is a kid, and we do plan on some fun this summer!  But, she is a kid who cannot go 3 months school free.  And, yes, I do feel badly that I am going to make her have some sort of education over the summer, but, she does understand that it is for her own good. 

Book Suggestion!

I wanted to do a full fledged book review.  But, once I started, I realized that my kids, who are running around, aren’t allowing me to have the full attention needed for that.  So, instead, I am going to make a book suggestion.

“The Everything Parent’s Guide to Children with Dyslexia- All you need to ensure your child’s success” by Abigail Marshall, is a thorough book, on all aspects of Dyslexia for the parent. 

It meets several of my requirements.  First of all, it is an easy book to read.  It is well organized, and subdivided.  Each chapter focuses on one main topic, and brings up in sub chapters, individual aspects of the main topic.  Within these sub chapters, are little boxes of facts/questions/alerts etc, that are in a shadowed area. 

Secondly, it starts with explaining what dyslexia is, how a child or an adult with it, learn and process information, and how different learning processes can actually change the way the brain works, with good training.  She goes on, how you can get a diagnosis.  And, once you have that diagnosis, what techniques or strategies you can try. 

She continues to explain how everyone learns to read.  And, how the child with dyslexia differs from that model. 

What is important to us, at this point, is how you can interact with the school (teacher, child study team, etc)  to ensure that everyone is doing what they can, to help your child.  She discusses the 504 B plan the the IEP process. 

Marshall also discusses the various different teaching approaches that can be utilized, and also includes some other suggestions, such as diet or supplements that can be tried to help your child. 

Did you know that there are schools out there, that enroll only children with Dyslexia?  She discusses several of them, unfortunately, none are in my local area!  There are also colleges that are geared to students who have a diagnosed learning disability.  (This information will come in handy for us, in about 7 or 8 years). 

Marshall, has also discussed various other issues that you may find, when your child has dyslexia, and how these can also be treated.  She even takes you from the early school years, to the teen years to high school and beyond.

At the end of the book are very useful appendixes.  Some include useful internet resources, famous people with dyslexia, and recommended reading. 

What really interested me the most, and probably made me sigh a huge sigh of relief, was the chapter about colleges geared to students with learning disabilities.  Also, that there are scholarships available for such students, and that the support is there for them.  I was able to finally envision that day, that every parent hopes for and dreads, that day that you take your child/your child first attends college.  Up until this point, I had almost given up hope of my Amy being able to be a successful college student, one who doesn’t struggle and become discouraged when the workload overwhelms her.  Now, I can feel with certainty that our daughter can succeed even while in college. 

Abigail Marshall has really provided the manual that gives parents the information that they need and the hope that they so desparately are searching for.  It allows the parent to become a positive influence on their child’s learning abilities, and allowing their child to succeed in learning.