Dyslexia - what do public elementary schools offer?
Can anyone tell me what the local public elementary schools offer for a dyslexic child?Do they have any specialized reading program? 1 to 1 instruction? I greatly appreciate any information! My son was just diagnosed and I am trying to find out what is available in all the local districts.
Dyslexicboy Your son will be given an IEP ( Individual Education Plan) which will determine how he will be taught based on his needs. Was he evaluated by the Child Study Team? What district are you in?
Firefly He was evaluated at Morristown Children's developmental center. He is currently in a private school, with some resources, but not 1 to 1 instruction. I am trying to decide if moving him would be worth it. He would be in Great Meadows.
Gosh It will really depend on the child himself. Make an appointment with the team/ or principal. I am sure they can help you.
1:1 ratio is pretty rare in public schools.
I know, it is just so important that he have the right program. I am calling tomorrow...just thought I might get an idea of what is available before I go in! Thanks
i happen to be a dyslexic who attended great meadows middle school and believe i was also diagnosed by morristown childrens developmental center(is it the building right next to the parking garage?). i do not remember getting very much help from anyone except my mom actually... to tell you the truth i mostly remember the teachers there treating me like i was an idiot. but i must mention this was over 10 years ago so i am not to sure what teachers are still there or not.
pilgrimJust remember you have to fight for your child's education. If you want extra services make sure you get them. most likely the school will offer just extra time during tests.
My son has dyslexia also but its a HUGE umbrella. My has Indentification Dyslexia, at first they thought he was color blind because he could not tell you what color was something. He had to figure it out for himself. Blue was Water, Red was fire, Green was yucky water.
My advise to you, research research research!!
Just Asking My son was/is dyslexic. He is now 25 and went thru H'Town Public schools. He at times did have a 1:1 teacher. In time it was taken away after he was shown the proper way to learn. He was visual and auditory impaired. It really all depends on the individual. You are ahead of the game if you already have the study. When you enroll your child into the school district they will most likely evaluate him in other ways also and give him an IEP. My son did very well in the school district and went to college and functions fine as so does my husband who has the same problem.
Also definitely do rearch on the problem. If your child likes music get them involved in it. All studies showed it helps! (at least back in the day it did) My son still is involved in music.
Good Luck
Christine My son is now 19 years old and was finally diagnosed by the Morristown Child Study team when he was a sophomore in High School, but it was too late, he was already turned off from school. At the time when he was diagnosed they recommended Craigs School. Here is the link to the school - www.craigschool.org. Craigs school would not accept my son because he was to far behind. He was only reading at a 7th grade level when he was a sophomore.
The Wilson approach and/or Orton Gillingham approach to reading may help him. My son received 1 on 3 and 1 on 1 while in elementary school. I also read with him every night. He was dx'd in 1st grade. I went to Barnes and Noble and bought Ricky Ricotta's Might Robot series of books. It was easier reading and high interest for younger grades.
You will need to speak with Child Study Team. They will most likely accept your outside reports and then make an IEP with you. I would say ask for the most you can, then work with them, but you may have to push for more. I would also see if they have a Reading Specialist who can see him 1:1, and then have resource room or in class support for regular reading class.
I do not know anything about the Great Meadows schools, but I do know that the public schools are required to provide your child with additional help. That will probably be dependent upon the funding that the school has available. I don't think that private schools are subject to the same rules. I have had experience with other school districts and have friends in the same situation and I would advise you to be as involved as you can. You may have teachers who are wonderful and understanding, but you may not. Your best bet is to talk to everyone at the school as much as possible. In the public school system, you'll be assigned to a 'case manager' who will be a guidance counselor or school psychologist. Hopefully that will be someone who you can work with, but if not, you always have the right to request someone else. I know several kids who've had dyslexia, been diagnosed early, and have been done very well. The programs that I'm familiar with involved extra classroom support, pull-out sessions, and immersion classrooms. It sounds like you're very involved, that is probably the most important thing.
mountain resident I would suggest that you request for whatever books he can get on audio, so he can read along. I know alot about this disability. Please email me directly - michele67bst@yahoo.com. My nephew that lived with me also went through Morristown Child Study Team. I basically wrote his IEP. He also was diagnosed with dysgraphia, ADD and border line auditory problem. My nephew went to Warren Hills and it was a fight to get my nephew the help that he deserved. The school does not want to spend money. They just push these kids along.
Michele The Great Meadows School district really sucks when it come to children with IEP. You must fight all time for special services. They do not offer 1.to1 reading. I have been fighting with them for the reading part and finally after 6 years I finally was able to get him with reading on a 1 to 1. He is reading at a 4th or 5 th grade level and in will be entering high school next year. Please research, they will promise you the moon but will not delivery. Please go somewhere else. They group all children with IEP into the SAME group. The Wilson reading program is over 20 years old and it didn't work for him.
Lizzy16 My niece has dyslexia, my sister and her husband noticed it early on in her education, she attended mansfield, they asked the school several times to test her. Which they failed to do. Instead she took her to hunterdon, had her tested, and her suspicions were confirmed. They recommended the course of education that should be provided for my niece. She took it to the school, told them "you will provide the education recommended" and threated if they didn't, she would go to the county superintendent. And what do you know... my niece got the help she needed. Which was advice she received from my neighbor, who is very involved in education(currently on the board for my district) and he's friends with the county superintendent.
The schools don't want to do more then they have to. and its up to us as parents to force their hand. You have the power, you just have to show the school that your not afraid of going over their heads if necessary.
Good Luck.
cheryl71 
MikeL and on the other hand there are parents who don't want to hear that their child needs extra help..............
5catmom Mikel - certain types of psychologist can do the testing for you..............should be a fairly easy "google"
I have dyslexia, learning, reading... etc....etc... issues I was fingered out by the school system in the early 70's.
I fought to get declassified in my high school years... but my only saving grace was a teacher a "single" teacher who realized I was more intelligent then a state driven test... what she told me to do was simply "memorize everything you see" in years I have grown to appreciate the advice.
Just wanted to share with one willing to read this "In time it works out" I struggle with social issues and anxiety but at 46 I have learned to either hide it well enough or adjusted to fitting in.... please be nice write was a struggle to write and share.
LiberyThinker As a professional diagnosing/working with individuals with learning disabilities, I find it very sad to hear all the struggles that people have experienced - dyslexia - the more common type, is very, very treatable - to the point where many who have had the proper instruction are labeled "remediated dyslexic" due to only minor remaining weaknesses in higher order reading skills.... If you request an evaluation from the school in writing, then legally they have to perform the evaluation within a specific time frame, but it is best to have had one outside of the school setting so that you know what to request/expect. The quality of the evaluations completed by the school districts vary considerably - and the outright diagnoses must be made by a licensed professional, which many school-based psychologists are not. Further, when the presentation is not "typical," you are better off having your child evaluated in a place that specializes in diagnosis of LD, as the large categories (e.g., "dyslexia" "mathematics learning disorder", "ADHD"), encompass quite a variety of presentations - best success at remediation occurs when the approach is properly targeted. Dyslexia requires intensive remediation in early years (not that things cannot be improved in later years, but the brain is "wired" to learn sound/symbol associations in youth)... Some private schools are set up to teach phonics intensive reading approaches for hours daily - for some kids that is necessary - but for most, regular, daily (not necessarily 1:1) and targeted remediation is necessary. The Wilson approach, which has been scientifically shown to be effective with the more common reading disorder (phonics rather than visual) is a version of the Orton Gillingham approach, which many years ago radically changed our approach to teaching reading to kids who did not learn in the standard fashion. It is vital that you understand the specific aspect of reading that your child struggles with, as other approaches are available and effective with the more visual reading difficulties. Most public schools do NOT have alternatives and will apply the phonics approach regardless. If your child is in a public school and getting some help, I suggest that you hire a reading specialist to work with him/her weekly - over vacations and the summer. The good news is that, with the right approach, the majority of people can learn to read and leave the struggle behind.
pmnsk Interesting...
I was diagnosed as dyslexic back in the early 70's within the H'town public school system. It wasn't a bad form, from what I was told, but something that should be addressed. During one portion of my third grade class I would go to another classroom for special instruction with other kids who had similar issues. Based on how I was doing with that special instruction, I eventually phased out of it. I'm still a slow reader, though.
To 5catmom's point, the administration were somewhat surprised when they told my parents about the issue, and my dad's response was "Okay...how do we fix it?"
It seems to me that the "dyslexia" diagnosis has gotten both broader and deeper in the past couple of decades, but at least when I was in it, H'town's public schools were pretty helpful about it.
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