Comments on: Alternative approach in NYC

By: Karla

Karla — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 10:07:47 +0000

Hi,
Just reading the comments etc here. I’m a mother of a dyslexic boy and tried this intensive phonics that you speak about to no avail. (He was diagonosed in 2007. I had questioned this for 18mths previously) I kept looking and then found a the book written by Ron Davis who is dyslexic. Reading this book was like reading about my son. Then then found a lady in Brisbane and took him down and he spent a week with her and it was like a light bulb came on. He is a picture thinker and once he started putting pictures to the sight (trigger) words his reading improve. The school he was in was willing to help at all so after struggling to do it with him consistently and not in the afternoons I found a school in Toowoomba that was willing to continue the program he has gone up 5 level readers in 2 terms. It took his previous school 5 years to take him 6 levels. He now and had even when I was doing the program offered to read to his brothers. He still has along way to go but his Learning Support teacher is very impressed. His confidence is gradually being restored. I think you have to as a parent do whatever you find works. Our beautiful boy has excellent attention to detail and is very good at drawing and building things. He has been made a svere dyslexic as he was not taught in his style from day one. I only hope that one day our narrow minded Education System puts things place so that teachers fully understand the various forms of dyslexia. I have had the run around from the ED. Dept. As we live in a rural area we don’t have a choice of schools, he is a boarder. Pretty sad that we had to send him away to get him a ‘basic education’. Which is all I ever asked for. I’d be very interested if someone was likely to set up a school for LD kids.

By: Vanessa

Vanessa — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 04:31:16 +0000

My 8 year old daughter has struggled at with the basics school from the beginning. The key areas of concern are reading, spelling, numeracy and writing. The specific observations I have made include difficulty with reversals of numbers and letters, issues with reading fluency, processing speed and difficulty with verbal instructions. In the last 3 years we have looked into many areas to assist and understand the causes including IQ testing (above average), behavioural optometry ( highlighted some visual perception issues), dietary factors, chiropractic and of course tutoring and lots of extra home work.

Whilst there have been some improvements she is still struggling at school and in the bottom quarter of her class. This is extremely frustrating for her as she is trying more and more and her teacher reports great improvment in her application.

I am now concerned that this issue is a bigger one than first thought as her tutor has raised her concerns with her attention and how she loses focus suggesting ADHD. This has always been an issue with any type of activity that requires her to read, write or listen to complex verbal instructions. That said she can sit and focus on creative, construction, puzzle and visual pattern activites for extended periods. She is never hyperactive and has excellent social skills and in particular very advanced intuition, EQ and comprehension if stories. I am most confused and wondering if we need to start looking into
this. I have looked at ADHD assessments and am confused. What is the difference between ADHD and a
learning difficulty like dylexia? Can anyone help?

Vanessa

By: C Manoel

C Manoel — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 17:27:37 +0000

We are moving back to Qld and the lack of schools in for dyslexics has been a big worry, and the main reason we have held off on the move. Our 11 year old son is in his final year of the Scottish Rite Alphabet Phonics (Orton Gillingham based) program at a private dyslexia school in Dallas,Texas (there are at least 12 LD or Dyslexia specific schools in the Dallas area alone) and will be ready to mainstream with accomodations. We have very specific laws providing for Dyslexia accomodations in public schools in Texas but I’m not sure what is provided over there. Any information, names of schools that are known for accomodating LD students or have small teacher/student ratios would be great. My husband will be on a FIFO job so we are flexible about where we live.

By: Kate Spragg

Kate Spragg — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 04:49:14 +0000

We have just shifted to Brisbane with our 3 boys (2 dyslexic) and have started searching for a school – argh!!!!!

Just thinking about your school maybe it would be easier to set up an additional campus of an exisiting school ie. Churchill or one of the good UK schools. Please let me know if I can help out in any way.