I am the mother of a 7yr old boy whose school has recently told me that my son ” just doesn’t get it”
A Parent asks, My son has been experiencing many difficulties in school since kindergarten. He has an IEP set up and he leaves his classroom 3 x’s a day for various 1 on 1 help, speech, ELA, and reading. I was told last year that his reading teacher was beside herself and did not know how else to help him, and when questioned why he never comes home with homework I was told because ” they don’t think he could do it.” I requested a meeting with all of his teachers who told me he needed to continue with the school services before they call in any other help. He was evaluated by the school psycologist who states that he has no difficulties psychologically. My son never gives me a hard time going to school however homework time is very time consuming, he will read a book at home which he read in school that day and when we attempt to read that book the next day he cannot even sound out the same words he read just 24hours ago. My son plays football and does well, multiple directions give him trou
I received an answer that wanted to know where my question was. My question is does anyone think maybe my son could be dyslexic? I have spoken with the school principal who has told me I must follow the protocol of the school prior to any further testing. He is labeled receptive and expressive speech delayed, and is considered Special Ed. however, they still cannot give me any concrete answer as to what the problem is.
Related posts:
- Homework and Schoolwork advice please (for 10 year old)?
- Why are so many kids in primary school now getting mobile phones some as young as 9yrs old…?
- What time does school start and finish where you live?
- Anybody Here Go To An Alternative High School? How Are The Classes Different From A Regular School?
- Anybody here go to an alternative high school? How are the classes different from a regular school?
I think its wonderful that you are getting out there and asking for opinions and options. This sounds EXACTLY like my sister. The school system didn’t know what to do with her so they kept pushing her though, pushing her through. She was all set to graduate high school last year, but the new standardized test (the MCAS in MA) kept her from actually getting her degree. She cannot even get her GED because she would NEVER be able to pass it because of what the school system did.
My parents did get her evaluated, but they came back with a lot of BS- they said she suffers from a “non-verbal learning disablity” Her IQ is 60 which is the cusp of mentally retarded but her whole life is screwy now because of the damn school and what the school said.
I would do absolutely everything it takes… keep getting him evaluated until something clicks with you, until you get some sort of answer. About the reading the book thing, I cannot tell you how familiar that is- and the multiple directions giving him trouble- its the SAME thing, but you have a chance to really get him help- he is still young. The bottom line is that you cannot rely on the school system to do anything right for you. What you choose to do for him now will help him forever.
Goodluck to you and God bless
I’m looking for a question in all this, and I’m just not finding it. It sounds, however, like the school is trying to “label” your son as learning disabled. It covers the “teaching disability” of someone on the allegedly professional staff. They’ll tell you it’s all about your child. Don’t be fooled. Public education is about cushy careers, summer vacations and it is overseen by administrators whose efforts consist in clutching their retirement in one hand while covering their butts with the other!
Your question hits home with me. I am dyslexic, and i have two younger brothers (11 years younger) and they just turned 10. My one brother is also dyslexic like myself, and my other brother suffers from fetal alcohol syndrome (he’s adopted). Needless to say myself, and now both of my brothers have difficulty in schools, my brothers more. My mother is beside herself b/c the school they go to is telling her theres nothing they can do to help them. Well i told my mother the same thing i’m going to tell you: this is your kid, the descions you make about his school is going to effect him in the future! Find a school that can help your son! take him to a doctor to get a real diagnosis, and then go speak with as many schools that you can and find the one that can offer special classes to help your son so that he can have a normal life! That he can get a job in the future! Just because we have learning disabilities doesn’t mean that we’re hopeless! it may mean we have to spend more time and work harder but we can do it! When i was younger my father would make me read every day after school for an hour the same book until i could read it 3 days in a row with no problems! And i scored the highest in my class on my ACT!! be patient with your son, it’s not his fault, and this is the time when he needs you to be “cruel to be kind” and do whatever it takes to help him!!
well if the school told you that ‘he doesn’t get it’ and that the ‘teacher was beside herself’. that is just rude. They are supposed to be professional. Maybe he is just not interested or doesn’t like his teacher. Maybe he doesn’t like to sit all day. Not all kids fit into a ‘system’. Ask about getting him in a smaller class and for petes sake, to send the homework. You can help him at home, but not if the school is just giving up! How rude. I would be offended and I would talk to the principal about their attitude towards my child.
Maybe your son can visit a neuropsychologist for evaluation. Maybe he needs new or non traditional ways of study, more appealing (for him) ways to present the material.
It sounds like the school is on the brink of giving up on your son. You should look into other schools or homeschool him. Homeschooling would give him 1 on 1 all day long, and you would probably be amazed at the progress he would make that way. A lot of kids that are “labeled” in the school systems are not incapable of learning, they just don’t learn the way the school expects them to. If you homeschool him, you can teach him things the way he learns them, and therefore he will catch on faster.
Bugger the school protocol its your son get him tested if you want. Get an outside psychologist and doctor to examine him and they can rule out anything mental or physical with your son. Once you know these things you can move forward with their recommendations.
Until then love him and hug him
Dear Mom,
Firstly, excuse the spelling errors!
Secondly, your situation sounds suprisingly like mine. I can only relate our experience as I am still in this LD InD( read bored,Lazy and burned out)odyssee. My Daughter was receivieng speach thearapy in K. By 1st they added a reading coach and other assorted pull out help. By 2nd I realised there was a serious problem with her education. She would grudgingly do her homework but every day was like I had to teach her.I would ask for extra homework and on the occations we received it, poor kid just christmas treed it. I find issue with a 7-9yo who has learned to chistmas three their work. That should be saved for high school;)By 3rd I was told she was requiring so much attention to do her work she would be transfered to a slow school with appropriat self contained classes.
Needless to say I fought the system and lost. She just went to school and consistantly proved me wrong. She had quite a team of cheerleaders ( hehe I volunteered in her class and in 2 days saw the behaviors that would NEVER be tollerated at home). The last comittee meeting ( about 10 highly degreed individuals) told me she was going to be riding the short buss and in the LD program would get about a 3rd grade education at high school graduation and that was that. I was told I could appeal their decision. I did an enourmous amount of research on education as well as methods, phylosophies and publishers. Looking back I can confidently say that when she needed extra help she got the answers. Told to guess, put down anything and remiadiated her into a personal hell. She worked the problems wrong so many times she learned it wrong. Undoing all her misinformation was a labor of love and tears. She is a master of goofing off and looking busy.
About that time I was layed off from my corporate accounting job and the hubby( a reservist) got deployed and we decided( as I had been researching my options for over a year) that I would forfeit my CPA for now and homeschool her. So I did. I do the ‘school at home’ as many hours as it takes and when I say the old school method–I mean reading writing and arithmatic.
I knew she was struggling severely in reading but wasnt clear about her math.
I highly advise you to visit the site of DON POTTER for all your remedial reading needs. The Sight Word Eliminator was a godsend, but by no means easy. I started with the classic fairy tails and blacked aout ALL OF THE DOLTCH SIGHT WORDS. Research whole word/sight word and phonics for why our kids cant read ( do not be fooled by modified phonics as it is just more DOLTCH.
For math we used Singapore and we started at the begining. I was mortified to see she couldnt count by 2, 5 or 10. SHe was never taught place value.
So my advise to you is look at the path your child is on for their current education. Are they educating a burger flipper or are you raising a life long learner? My county recieves 11k per student a year but double that for the LD. I can not seperate the money from the quality of her education. Teachers are overworked and restricted by administration and time.
She is now 12 and returning in the fall. Returning has always been our goal. She needs to be able to float on return and on her own. When she read that speacial was really retarted( as they had always cheerleaded she was doing SOOOOOO good to hold her pencil) her point of view began to change and she began to truely do her work. Work ethics arent taught anymore but they should be. We are preping already for the FCAT so that she can pass and get these InD lables off her by 6th. Otherwise she knows I will home school her further. There is always more work here than at school so she would rather be there.
Leave your response!
Categories
Archives
We Suggest
Recent Posts
Most Commented
Recent Comments