I took Kate to the Ophthalmologist yesterday. She has perfect vision now, which means she'll end up a bit near sighted by the time she's a teen he said. Other than that, nothing out of the ordinary.
I asked him about Irlen Syndrome (the color screens) and also Vision Therapy. In not so many words he told me it was 'bunk'. I guess I didn't expect much more from the 'establishment'. I'm not so sure he even believes dyslexia is a real condition...
But whatever, to each his own. Purple screens make the letters stop moving for her, whether it can be proven scientifically or not, whether it's on his boards or no. We'll continue doing whatever works for Kate, establishment approved or way out in left field.
Kate also had her first day working with the psychologist. I didn't go, but she said it was 'fun', and she gets prizes, so she's happy to go. For now. Who knows what she'll be like next week. On Friday, she gets tested by the speech pathologist. She's going to be very busy with all these interventions!
Home schooling is going well. We get done faster and faster each day, she seems to have accepted it. She does still balk at anything new I try to introduce, but then I remind her about the sticker policy (no smile, no sticker) and she's over it.
I'm still trying to get used to the time commitment that it is. My mornings are gone, and I miss those productive hours. Oh well. Parenting has always been inconvenient, no?
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Friday, September 23, 2011
Results
Kate had another assessment with the schools psychologist today. The part where he determines her educational 'level'. No surprise, she is behind in reading, spelling, and reading comprehension. Also not a surprise to me, she has above average writing skills (not counting the spelling) and showed the same amount of hard work, and determination as last time. Her auditory comprehension is 100%.
Her IQ came in at 120. He told me this is in the 91%. So the problem is not her intelligence.
His full report will be done in a few days, and then I'll post more specifics, but basically, it proves that she does have a learning disability, because she's so smart, and yet so behind.
He's going to start working with her twice a week on some reading techniques he uses. If there is no improvement in 8-10 weeks, then we can conclude that she cannot learn the 'normal' way, and alternatives will have to be sought out. Again, on our own, since the school system has no experts in dyslexia. This will also count as another 'intervention'.
He told me he sees a lot of strengths in her that are seen in famous dyslexics, he was particularly impressed with her writing/creativity. Now I just have to figure out how to take this information and use it to find a good way to teach her to read.
She also needs the speech therapy, as it is affecting her spelling. She spells exactly as she speaks. Wylly for Really, and shis for this. He's going to make sure she gets that therapy going soon.
At home, we've started the spell-sweep method from the Gift of Dyslexia book. You say every letter in the word and then you say the word. If she does not know the word, I tell her it after she has spelled it out, and then she repeats it. ei: M-E-T-H-O-D, method. She is not to sound it out. She hates it, but I'm making her do it. We have to get her eyes tracking correctly, taking in the data in the correct order.
I also contacted an Optometrist in SLC that does Vision Therapy. Her eyes skip or jump as she tracks side to side. It's quite apparent when she is reading, and forces her to lose her place constantly. I think the VT would benefit her, but it's $280 for the initial exam/findings report, and then $120/session, with 12-16 sessions being average. That will be hard for us, so we're putting it off for a bit to see if all this other stuff will show some improvement.
She asked to go to school all day yesterday, but when I said no, she dropped it immediately. That's a relief, as that fight was getting old fast.
So... it's onward, ever onward. Press forward. The journey has just begun, and may go on indefinitely. It's nice to know she's so smart though, if only to my maternal pride, and even though I know she didn't get it from me.
*side note: When Chris was in 4th grade, they had him tested, because he was doing so poorly. He scored somewhere around 140 (from family reports, I don't have the actual results). The psychologist told his parents "Not to worry about him. He's a genius. He'll just need a good secretary." They took that information and nothing else was ever done, except he got yelled at every time he brought home a report card. I'm sure they thought that because he was so bright, he just wasn't trying hard enough. I wonder how Chris' education would have gone, had someone diagnosed him with dyslexia and got him the help he needed? How many children are repeating that same course even as I write this? *
Her IQ came in at 120. He told me this is in the 91%. So the problem is not her intelligence.
His full report will be done in a few days, and then I'll post more specifics, but basically, it proves that she does have a learning disability, because she's so smart, and yet so behind.
He's going to start working with her twice a week on some reading techniques he uses. If there is no improvement in 8-10 weeks, then we can conclude that she cannot learn the 'normal' way, and alternatives will have to be sought out. Again, on our own, since the school system has no experts in dyslexia. This will also count as another 'intervention'.
He told me he sees a lot of strengths in her that are seen in famous dyslexics, he was particularly impressed with her writing/creativity. Now I just have to figure out how to take this information and use it to find a good way to teach her to read.
She also needs the speech therapy, as it is affecting her spelling. She spells exactly as she speaks. Wylly for Really, and shis for this. He's going to make sure she gets that therapy going soon.
At home, we've started the spell-sweep method from the Gift of Dyslexia book. You say every letter in the word and then you say the word. If she does not know the word, I tell her it after she has spelled it out, and then she repeats it. ei: M-E-T-H-O-D, method. She is not to sound it out. She hates it, but I'm making her do it. We have to get her eyes tracking correctly, taking in the data in the correct order.
I also contacted an Optometrist in SLC that does Vision Therapy. Her eyes skip or jump as she tracks side to side. It's quite apparent when she is reading, and forces her to lose her place constantly. I think the VT would benefit her, but it's $280 for the initial exam/findings report, and then $120/session, with 12-16 sessions being average. That will be hard for us, so we're putting it off for a bit to see if all this other stuff will show some improvement.
She asked to go to school all day yesterday, but when I said no, she dropped it immediately. That's a relief, as that fight was getting old fast.
So... it's onward, ever onward. Press forward. The journey has just begun, and may go on indefinitely. It's nice to know she's so smart though, if only to my maternal pride, and even though I know she didn't get it from me.
*side note: When Chris was in 4th grade, they had him tested, because he was doing so poorly. He scored somewhere around 140 (from family reports, I don't have the actual results). The psychologist told his parents "Not to worry about him. He's a genius. He'll just need a good secretary." They took that information and nothing else was ever done, except he got yelled at every time he brought home a report card. I'm sure they thought that because he was so bright, he just wasn't trying hard enough. I wonder how Chris' education would have gone, had someone diagnosed him with dyslexia and got him the help he needed? How many children are repeating that same course even as I write this? *
Monday, September 19, 2011
Testing
I took Kate in at 9am to meet with the schools psychologist today. He gave her a series of tests that lasted about 1.5 hrs. Mostly IQ stuff from what I could gather, arranging blocks into different patterns, finding 2 things the same out of 6, coding, pattern recognition, repeating long number sequences/memory work, finding the missing item in pictures.
I think it was fun for her for the most part.
The Psychologist told me after she left, that he was certain she is 'sharp' and 'quiet bright' and had an 'amazing memory' and 'excellent auditory skills'. She was especially good at coding. He was also impressed with her determination. She wouldn't give up for a long time if she didn't know the answer, she just kept trying to figure it out. He said that was unusual, and a good sign. He was anxious to score her test.
He also did one little eye exercise with her, having her watch his pen while he moved it back and forth, up and down. He noticed that her eyes skip in one area, whereas they should track fluidly from side to side. Apparently this is common among dyslexics, and comes from weak eye muscles, and/or a weak neuro-pathway in the brain. (Because they use different neuro-pathways?)
Like I mentioned before, his son is dyslexic, and they had him go through Vision Therapy for this tracking problem, and said it worked wonders. Problem is, insurance doesn't cover it. So I'm currently researching the costs of the 2 optometrists in the Valley who offer this unique treatment.
Friday she goes back for her academic testing, which is where they'll measure where she's at grade-wise. He'll then discuss the services that he thinks she should get, but as far as I understand it, she won't qualify for resource until she's gone through the intervention process, and we don't want her to go to resource anyway. I'm hoping he'll just teach me what I need to do at home with her.
She went to class all day today. She just got home. She doesn't want to do our work now. Go figure. I'm off to make her do it, if only to make her realize that going to school all day will be very difficult for her. Phhhhbbbt.
I think it was fun for her for the most part.
The Psychologist told me after she left, that he was certain she is 'sharp' and 'quiet bright' and had an 'amazing memory' and 'excellent auditory skills'. She was especially good at coding. He was also impressed with her determination. She wouldn't give up for a long time if she didn't know the answer, she just kept trying to figure it out. He said that was unusual, and a good sign. He was anxious to score her test.
He also did one little eye exercise with her, having her watch his pen while he moved it back and forth, up and down. He noticed that her eyes skip in one area, whereas they should track fluidly from side to side. Apparently this is common among dyslexics, and comes from weak eye muscles, and/or a weak neuro-pathway in the brain. (Because they use different neuro-pathways?)
Like I mentioned before, his son is dyslexic, and they had him go through Vision Therapy for this tracking problem, and said it worked wonders. Problem is, insurance doesn't cover it. So I'm currently researching the costs of the 2 optometrists in the Valley who offer this unique treatment.
Friday she goes back for her academic testing, which is where they'll measure where she's at grade-wise. He'll then discuss the services that he thinks she should get, but as far as I understand it, she won't qualify for resource until she's gone through the intervention process, and we don't want her to go to resource anyway. I'm hoping he'll just teach me what I need to do at home with her.
She went to class all day today. She just got home. She doesn't want to do our work now. Go figure. I'm off to make her do it, if only to make her realize that going to school all day will be very difficult for her. Phhhhbbbt.
It's Official
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Back to school?
Friday dawned bright and early, and I went to wake Kate up for school, fully expecting her to have changed her mind and not want to get out of bed. Not so. She very cheerily got up and started getting ready.
Hmph.
When it was time for her to come home, I steeled myself for the tantrum she would surely throw when I insisted we do 'our' work. Not so. Again, she cheerily sat down and went right to work. We were done in record time.
Hmph. Hmph.
This girl is definitely going to defy all my expectations and keep me guessing.
Monday morning she has her test with the school psychologist. I wonder if she'll want to stay after she's done. I wonder if I'll let her.
Part of me wants to throw up my hands and say, "FINE! Go back to school! See if I care!"
The other part knows that she needs to stay home.
Hmph. Hmph. Hmph.
One week down, 30 more to go....
Hmph.
When it was time for her to come home, I steeled myself for the tantrum she would surely throw when I insisted we do 'our' work. Not so. Again, she cheerily sat down and went right to work. We were done in record time.
Hmph. Hmph.
This girl is definitely going to defy all my expectations and keep me guessing.
Monday morning she has her test with the school psychologist. I wonder if she'll want to stay after she's done. I wonder if I'll let her.
Part of me wants to throw up my hands and say, "FINE! Go back to school! See if I care!"
The other part knows that she needs to stay home.
Hmph. Hmph. Hmph.
One week down, 30 more to go....
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Violet
YAY!
So we are now reading with a violet filter. I might see if I can get her a little pair of violet colored reading glasses, but I can see her wanting them, and then never wearing them for this, that or the other reason.
Chris picked the yellow filter. Even though he doesn't see words move, he liked the yellow and said it made reading smoother. And then an hour later he changed his mind. I think I know where Kate gets her 'fickle-ness' from now...
Good Day... or maybe not...
So I thought today was a good day. I made Kate a chart, told her that she could do her work in any order, at any time, with as many breaks as she wanted, but that she needed to do them all without whining or complaining to get a sticker when she was done. When she earns 10 stickers, she gets a trip to the DI for a new toy- which I guarantee will be a new stuffed animal, the girl is seriously obsessed, her menagerie has grown to like 50 said animals. Her bed is a virtual stuffed zoo. They drive me crazy!
But I digress. We took it easy. I didn't have any pre-conceived notions of how long it would take her to get through her stuff, I just chilled. When she wanted to take a break and color, I did laundry, did homework with Ella, played with Zeke. It was low key and I thought, went very well. She finished just in time to eat lunch and walk to school.
She even said that she didn't want to go to school at all. She'd rather just do math at home too! I told her she was a Fickle Pickle. She thought that was funny.
Fast forward to tonight. "I want to go to school all day tomorrow!"
Huh? Why?
"I just do."
Why?
"I don't want to walk to school with the little kids, I want to walk with my friends."
OK, but you realize that you will still have to come home after school and do all your work, and that will probably mean no play time with your friends?
"Yes."
And you'll do it without whining or complaining, even though you'll be tired and want to play?
"Well, I didn't know we had to do so much!" (seriously, it would take us like 45-60 min. max if she did it all in one sitting)
OK. But now that you DO know, you still think you're going to want to go to school all day, and then come home and do all our work too?
"Yes."
OK. We'll try it, but if you come home and whine, that will be the last day you go to school all day.
Too harsh? I kept my cool. I talked calmly and quietly- even though inside I was screaming my head off. Reasoning doesn't seem to work with her. Surely she understands that now she'll just have twice as much to do?!
I probably shouldn't even worry about it. Tomorrow she'll get up, and decide she doesn't want to go after all, and we'll repeat this day- much like Groundhog Day- for the rest of the year. I'm not sure I can handle that though. I know we made the right decision to take her out. But this fight is going to get old fast.
I need to just say, "OK, you can go to school." $10 says she won't want to in the morning.
She's only 7... just breathe...
But I digress. We took it easy. I didn't have any pre-conceived notions of how long it would take her to get through her stuff, I just chilled. When she wanted to take a break and color, I did laundry, did homework with Ella, played with Zeke. It was low key and I thought, went very well. She finished just in time to eat lunch and walk to school.
She even said that she didn't want to go to school at all. She'd rather just do math at home too! I told her she was a Fickle Pickle. She thought that was funny.
Fast forward to tonight. "I want to go to school all day tomorrow!"
Huh? Why?
"I just do."
Why?
"I don't want to walk to school with the little kids, I want to walk with my friends."
OK, but you realize that you will still have to come home after school and do all your work, and that will probably mean no play time with your friends?
"Yes."
And you'll do it without whining or complaining, even though you'll be tired and want to play?
"Well, I didn't know we had to do so much!" (seriously, it would take us like 45-60 min. max if she did it all in one sitting)
OK. But now that you DO know, you still think you're going to want to go to school all day, and then come home and do all our work too?
"Yes."
OK. We'll try it, but if you come home and whine, that will be the last day you go to school all day.
Too harsh? I kept my cool. I talked calmly and quietly- even though inside I was screaming my head off. Reasoning doesn't seem to work with her. Surely she understands that now she'll just have twice as much to do?!
I probably shouldn't even worry about it. Tomorrow she'll get up, and decide she doesn't want to go after all, and we'll repeat this day- much like Groundhog Day- for the rest of the year. I'm not sure I can handle that though. I know we made the right decision to take her out. But this fight is going to get old fast.
I need to just say, "OK, you can go to school." $10 says she won't want to in the morning.
She's only 7... just breathe...
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