Originally I was going to dedicate this blog space to the building of our new home, and will probably continue to mention it from time to time, but instead have decided to make this the main forum for my thoughts and activities as I slowly unravel Jb's learning disability. We are at the end of the school year, and truly not much has changed since November when she was tested and diagnosed with a "Specific Learning Disability" that resembles the characterisitics of dyslexia. However, we are not allowed to say that she has been diagnosed with dyslexia, or that she is dyslexic, because dyslexia is a biological condition occuring in the brain that can only be diagnosed with MRI scans. So if it walks like a duck, talks like a duck, and looks like a duck, we can't call it a duck because we haven't subjected it to enough invasive procedures to actually label it a duck.
With that said, we have made some classroom accomodations for her that have made a bit of a difference in her daily struggle to read and write, but it hurts me to see her try so hard and make such little progress. Her spelling word list has been cut from 30 to 15 words, and I am in her classroom with her each day to read various things from math story problems, to grammar worksheets. I write out most of her writing assignments as she dictates them to me. Even with this one on one attention, she continues to be very anxious and cries at least once per day, sometimes more. Homework lasts an average of two hours per night, and we have had to arrange (and pay) for her to go to an after school homework tutor at a public school across town because she gets so angry and frustrated that I can no longer help her, and homework help is not available to us any where else. She studies hard, but it seems like studying is all she does. I am worried because next year I won't be the hired Aide in her classroom and she won't receive such individualized attention. I worry about how she will cope. I worry about her future and wonder how she will look when her mom has to go to college with her to read the assignments. :-)
I am currently investigation options available to us. It is possible we will change schools in the fall if needed to provide her with the services that are not available at the charter school that she is now attending. Our neighborhood school has a reading specialist that I will meet with next week, and I will also conduct some on site observations.
4 comments:
You might like to know that to date there is NO BIOLOGICAL TEST for dyslexia.
I have looked at all the available data and read the conclusions that the researchers have made from all the fMRI studies and they all have the same result.
fMRI studies have concluded that differences between GROUPS of dyslexics and non dyslexics can be seen. HOWEVER there is so much overlap between the two groups than INDIVIDUAL dyslexics can NOT be identified.
Now consider this also. These researchers start their studies with a group of dyslexics and a group of non dyslexics. How were these groups determined? By testing that had nothing to do with MRI.
Out of the millions of dyslexics that have been identified NONE have been diagnosed by fMRI.
The above isn't saying that there aren't pretty pictures that show this is a dyslexic brain and this is a brain without dyslexia. It is just that the difference isn't so related that they can tell if an individual brain picture is dyslexic or not.
In my opinion there is a simple reason for all the results being the same and the failure of these studies to be able to identify an individual as dyslexic.
The fMRI studies all study one area of the brain for that particular study. If we use the word forming area of the brain as an example the overlap between dyslexics and non dyslexics is caused by some dyslexics having normal results due to the fact that their problem is in a different area and they form words normally. Also some non dyslexics may have some problems there but compensate and show no signs of dyslexia.
It has been the focus on one area of the brain at a time that limits fMRI to be used as a diagnostic tool.
I suggest that you inquire where this magic fMRI diagnostic tool is located that identifies dyslexics.
My niche is in visual dyslexia and I developed glasses that remove described visual problems that make it difficult to read for those dyslexics that have visual problems such as jumping letters or who can't see all the letters in words because they are washed out by halos and a long list of other visual problems. You can find more information about visual dyslexia at my web site www.dyslexiaglasses.com .
I saw an abstract the other day by some French dyslexia researchers that I hope will start a trend of looking at dyslexia differently. Because phonological processing problems in dyslexics are different than visual processing problems in dyslexics they divided a group of dyslexics into 2 groups. One group of dyslexics had phonological processing problems and the other group of dyslexics had no phonological processing problems. They then tested both groups of dyslexics for visual processing problems.
The dyslexics with no phonological processing problems processed visual information very poorly compared to the dyslexics with phonological problems.
The giant leap in procedure that they made was in dividing the group of dyslexics by their problems and not treating all dyslexics as if dyslexia is one thing.
I predict that when MRI dyslexia researchers divide dyslexics into groups who have problems associated with particular areas of the brain they will be able to see that by MRI. I also will predict that MRI will never be used as a diagnostic tool because of the cost.
One last thought, if the person that told you that dyslexia can only be diagnosed by MRI doesn't even know that it can't be diagnosed by MRI, I would have to question the value of any information about dyslexia from that source.
Thanks for your kind comments and the info. I agree that MRI's are not the answer. If I only knew what was......
Seriously! Who ever told you that dyslexia is biological and diagnosed with an MRI is trying to sell you something. Namely, an MRI that will be inconclusive. Keep asking questions, keep doing research. Your gut will tell you what is right. And don't forget your sister who happens to be a psychologist...she may not know a lot, but she's learning more and more...no one's going to leave her baby behind!
I came across your post because I have a Google alert for dyslexia.
I'm the parent of a child with dyslexia (now in college and thriving, thank you), and I'm on my way to becoming an educational therapist.
My eyes popped when I read this:
We are at the end of the school year, and truly not much has changed since November when she was tested and diagnosed with a "Specific Learning Disability" that resembles the characterisitics of dyslexia. However, we are not allowed to say that she has been diagnosed with dyslexia, or that she is dyslexic, because dyslexia is a biological condition occuring in the brain that can only be diagnosed with MRI scans.
If it is your school district, you have a problem. They are not representing the truth to you.
Personally, I don't get too concerned with the actual label -- "Specific Learning Disability--Reading Disorder" (315.00 in Diagnostic and Statistical Manual-IV) and "dyslexia" are the same thing.
My first recommendations are:
How to get yourself up to speed on getting the school district to meet your daughter's needs. She is entitled to a free and appropriate public education (FAPE), which it appears that your district isn't complying with.
This advice includes how to "stop loss" on your daughter's educational gaps.
Go to the Wrightslaw site
http://www.wrightslaw.com
and read around a bit to familiarize yourself with the resources there. When you want more direction, go to their online advocacy training
http://www.wrightslaw.com/webex/law.adv.index.htm
and learn the special-education law your daughter will need to meet her needs.
Go to Susan Barton's site
www.dys-add.com/
and watch her videos on dyslexia testing, diagnosis, and remediation.
Then, begin tutoring your child at home with the Barton System of Reading and Spelling
http://www.bartonreading.com/
Begin remediating your child's handwriting difficulties with Handwriting Without Tears
www.hwtears.com/
Facility with writing is intimately intertwined with reading facility.
Please feel free to email me with more questions. My email address is ponytrax[at]batnet[dot]com.
Disclosure: While I am a Barton tutor and a Handwriting Without Tears tutor, I do not receive any benefits, financial or otherwise, from recommending any online resources.
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