Dyslexia help for middle schooler
Hi, I'm looking for some advice regarding our daughter that is Dyslexic and currently in a public school in 7th grade. She's had an IEP since 3rd grade and has accommodations, but it's always been a challenge to get her the help that she needs in school, because she is well behaved so she falls under their radar even with her IEP. She struggling in her public school and we've been trying to get her additional reading support and assistive technology, but they don't seem to have programs in place for students like her. We've been looking into other options (i.e., private schools that offer programs for Dyslexia, tutors that can work with her with the Slingerland/Orton-Gillingham Approach, or another public school system that may have more resources and supports in place). Love to hear your recommendations for all of the above options or other options we may not have considered yet.
Thank you in advance for sharing.
-Concerned mom
Parent Replies
Middle school years are the hardest. We ended up paying for our own neuropsychological evaluation so that we knew where to intervene. The psychologist recommended an educational therapist, whom we adore, Toby Michelson. It's been worth every cent. In hindsight, the earlier you intervene the better and be mindful of any social challenges. With puberty-related changes, there's so much these kids are trying to figure out. It's one thing to address remedial learning, it's probably more time important to help our kids accept themselves (learning differences included) wholeheartedly.
Yes, most Public Schools are plain awful in not providing help for this. My Dyslexic son made HUGE strides with his Slingerland tutor, and (he has Auditory Processing Issues) with FastForward by Gemm Learning, online, 50 minutes a day, and, yes, I had to sit right next to him to make him do it. These two things made a WORLD of difference. I also filed a Complaint with the Calif Department of Education, who then made our District (Berkeley Unified) reimburse me for the Slingerland tutoring as well as in service their (very incompetent) special ed people.