Hi everyone,
I suspect that my granddaughter may be dyslexic and she may even have some learning disabilities. The school situation is so messed up right now so I know that may complicate matters, but can anyone give me some information on how to get help for her?
I don’t even know where to start.
Thanks in advance. I really appreciate the input.
A speech pathologist would be a very good place to start. A pediatric one would be best but if there isn’t one near you, than any speech pathologist you can find.
As a parent of someone with dyslexia , you should know that SLPs are experts in oral language development, which as stated above serves as the foundation for learning to read, spell, and write. An SLP can be a great resource to you.
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I had no idea of the incredible range that SPs have until I had a traumatic brain injury and needed cognitive rehab. They did phenomenal work with me and I learned of the range of any language-based problems they can help with. Dyslexia may be the most language-based problem a child could have.
I went to our state university’s School of Speech Pathology so it was virtually free, if that is possible for you in your location try that first.
By the way, if at some point you may be asking a school district to provide dyslexia services, having an outside professional verifying the need for services is going to be very important to your success. IME the schools have lots of reasons to find a student isn’t X and therefore doesn’t qualify for services that the schools would have to pay for. In some ways it’s like asking the fox to make himself pay to leave the hen house. I spent 13 years with each of 3 kids and it was always an uphill battle until we brought in outside professionals.
All your advice is excellent and better than I’d be able to give. Note that there’s some rationale behind this quoted bit: it may be due, not so much to the cost of service, as to the availability of a psychologist to conduct the formal evaluation within the school. There can be a bad tendency for staff to over-diagnose learning disabilities based on a student’s lack of progress, and for the kids who really need services to get lost in the shuffle of kids who need something else (e.g., a teacher with training in formal phonics instruction). Staff in my district meet regularly about students, and if a kid isn’t learning, staff brainstorm interventions short of an individual education plan (IEP) that might help the kid make progress. Only if the interventions aren’t working do things move up to the step of seeking a diagnosis.
But it’s possible to shortcut that process, either with an outside diagnosis, or with a written requestion for an evaluation. If you have the resources to seek an outside diagnosis, that’s a really good idea.
Buy a sheet of blue transparent plastic, and place it over the page she is reading. The result may be miraculous, but if not, it has cost you nothing.
My exwife had never read a page in her life and got through hair-dressing school by having her classmates read to her. At age 45, We tried blue film, and she read a whole short story in a day, with comprehension. Please try it.
Yes, if you can afford an outside diagnosis, go that route. You can then request a 504 plan from your school which will list accommodations for your granddaughter that the teachers and school will be required to give her to assist with her learning.
For most most of the kids with reading problems who came through the family tutoring business, testing with a Visagraph revealed (treatable) eye movement problems. IME most kids receive little more than the quick “follow the pencil eraser” test, so finding a school or optometrist that isn’t clueless can be challenging.
Thanks everyone for the helpful replies. I will pass this along to my daughter.