Trouble reading in 2nd grade, seeking neuropsych workup
We just got our 7YO's 2nd grade progress report and she is reading one year below level, as if she were just starting 1st grade. I am not surprised because she HATES reading. She says flat out, "I hate reading, it's hard." It is a struggle every night to get her to do her homework. We have tried multiple approaches to help her. Worksheets that should take 10-20 minutes take an hour to get through. I suspected dyslexia last year but the teacher said it was too soon to worry. Still mixing up b and d. Guesses at basic words. On the other hand, loves math and is good at it (though won't read the directions), making art, puzzles, word search, Scrabble (!), jokes. She is extremely athletic, loves playing outdoors doing just about anything. Very outgoing and social. She likes to spend time alone at night writing stories about superheroes (very creative spelling, no punctuation). She does enjoy picking out books from the library/bookstore, but doesn't read them once they come home. She is adopted from the US, has been with us since birth. We don't know bio fam's health history. She attends an independent school. Parent/teacher conference is this Thursday, I am going to ask for evaluation. We are fortunate to be able to afford outside help. Can anyone recommend PhD for neuropsych eval?
Parent Replies
100% get an outside evaluation.
We used Alex Peterson: http://www.malexpetersonphd.com
We really liked him and his suggestions for school accommodations were great.
Dyslexia can be diagnosed at kinder/1st grade but schools are so reticent to evaluate.
Hi. Our 9-year-old just completed a comprehensive neuropsych evaluation with Dr. Maya Guendleman, who I found recommended on BPN, and who I also recommend to you. I debated for years about seeking an evaluation and now cannot say how grateful I am that we finally can understand where certain puzzling behaviors come from and how to help. Relieved beyond measure (not by the diagnosis per se but just to feel like I finally have a handle on what she’s struggling with and what we can do for her). Dr. G is incredibly well-qualified, professional, responsive, thoughtful, and kind. I can’t say enough good things about our experience with her. My daughter didn’t enjoy the testing experience, it’s definitely intense, but when I asked what she thought of Dr. Guendleman she said, “Oh, I really liked her, she was great, the work was just tiring.” So…strongly recommend.
Alan Siegel is a wonderful neuropsychologist with an office on Alcatraz near College. His email is AlanSiegelPHD [at] Gmail.com. He gave our dyslexic child a thorough work-up and excellent guidance on how best to support him going forward. He has helped us immeasurably over the years (our child is in college now).
Hi, So I don't have a recommendation for a neuropsych, though each school district will do an eval for you for free if you request one through the special education department. On a different note, we used the Reading Revolution program years ago. It's a different approach and combines physical activities with learning to read - from a flat paper to active learning - so it works for a different group of kids, perhaps your child might fall into this group. Here's a link , see what you think. http://www.readingrevolution.com/CLASSROOM/SpecialEd/
Good luck