Two part question: (a) is it beneficial to get a formal diagnosis of either of these (in other words, does the diagnosis itself change how you would address these issues or suspected issues), and (b) how do you address these issues in your homeschool setting (if you've ever had to)? Thanks.
I'm pretty sure that my son is dyslexic. I did not get a formal diagnosis, because I didn't need it. He was struggling with reading and a label wasn't going to fix that. Instead, I researched dyslexia and applied the strategies I learned to his learning. Even if he wasn't dyslexic, the strategies were solid ones that wouldn't hurt him. I judged the effectiveness of each strategy by whether or not he improved. I didn't measure him against peers or standards...I only measured him against himself. His reading improved slowly by steadily and now at 12 he reads well and enjoys it. He still struggles with writing which may or may not be related to dysgraphia. Again, it doesn't matter. He's improving with what we are doing and that's all we need. I recommend The Gift of Dyslexia to anyone who thinks their child might be dyslexic. I think you can identify dyslexia by the positives easier than by the struggles. It was there, I think, that I learned that pressuring him to learn faster than he was able would make the problem worse and that phonics, lots and lots of phonics, was the "slow and steady that wins the race."
Yeah, what Alice said! Every bit of it! The only benefit I can see of a formal diagnosis would be if you're trying to get him on a childhood disability check. When I was a school social worker, there were TONS of parents trying to get their kids on a "crazy check" -- by which they meant a childhood disability check from Social Security. If the child has a disability which negatively affects their ability to learn, they qualified. So that meant ADHD, dyslexia/dyscalculia, seizure disorder, mental disability, learning disability, or whatever the child had (or they could believably fake, and believe me, they DID!) qualified them for this. Then when the child turned 18, they had to either lose the check or come up with some other reason to keep getting one. This is a legitimate thing, btw. Kids who do have some kind of disabling condition NEED the check and the accompanying benefits in order to get the services they need to cope with the condition. When my DGD was born, she was almost 6 weeks premie, and from the hospital, they started the paperwork to get her those benefits because high-risk premies are assumed to have extra needs until they are 5yo. It enabled my DD to stay at home with her child until she was dismissed from therapies and old enough to start school. So if you aren't going to pursue SS bennies, you probably don't need a formal diagnosis. Just do the kinds of things that are generally found useful in schooling kids with these diagnoses, and measure success by their progress. Phonics, phonics, phonics -- and on into advanced phonics, not just letter sounds. And while you're doing that, vocabulary. Handwriting practice, practice, practice (proper pencil grasp, posture, letter stroke order top to bottom, left to right, size, shape, etc.). It usually goes better if you see it, hear it, say it, write it, all at the same time or in close proximity to each other. You can either buy a program for that, or you can just do it yourself as you go about daily lessons.
I suspected ds was dyslexic when he was 8 and changed my methods of teaching to include a lot more multi-sensory stuff. He improved steadily, but slowly. Then we were lucky to be able to get a formal diagnosis for ds when he was 11 because the nearby medical college's neuropsych dept was conducting a study. They tested and evaluated my son, and in turn, he participated in their study (and got paid). After the diagnosis, I had a more specific description of what was actually wrong. It was helpful to know that ds had a visual processing disorder causing his dyslexia as opposed to auditory issues which are far more common (and what most dyslexia books mainly deal with). He was "severely impaired" on almost all the visual testing areas and "superior" in all things auditory (i.e phonemic awareness). That prompted me to change up my teaching methods again. In the one year since he was diagnosed, his reading has improved tremendously (up 2 grade levels). Having the diagnosis meant I could get more specific in researching what to do and what has worked for others, like colored overlays, spiral programs, and different fonts, for example. But I know if the testing wasn't free, I probably wouldn't have bothered getting him tested at all since I know it costs upwards of $2000 for a proper diagnosis normally. What works for us is that I read 90% of things to him out loud and have him narrate back a summary. I have him read aloud to me the other 10% of the time. He was in an acting class last year where he had to do cold readings. That built his confidence up a lot. Formal academics (math, lit, hist, etc) are done daily, but for a total of 2 hours with two 5-minute breaks. Afternoons are free for him to pursue his interests. He won't pick up a book for pleasure reading, but he does extensive online reading on his own, creates tutorial videos with written descriptions, creates his own gaming servers and texture packs (for Minecraft), researches and teaches himself how to build, modify, cook, play, or create whatever he can think of, and he can type really fast. We are reviewing cursive writing again this year (he doesn't have letter reversals with cursive) and math (Saxon Algebra 1/2) is done on a 18"x24" whiteboard with colored markers. We did Sequential Spelling and Wordly Wise last year, but he didn't get as much out of those as I'd hoped. We also dropped the formal grammar program. We currently use Lightning Literature (7th grade) and focus on reading and writing. The 7th grade test-prep workbook we have reviews enough spelling, vocab, and grammar for this year. I plan on checking out some of these to see if anything would be helpful for him. In the younger years he did well with copywork and dictation exercises. I may bring those back again one day. We change things up as his needs change. We go on a lot of field trips and homeschool group classes. Hands-on learning is very effective in solidifying a lesson. He's in scouts and religion class, where there's more reading and writing happening - with accountability. And he does Muay Thai kickboxing which helps with coordination and focus.
I suspect dyslexia and dysgraphia with dd15. She does have a formal diagnosis of a written language disorder and visual perception deficit. I am considering having her tested again. A friend recently told me that in order to have any accommodations in college (longer time to take exams), dd will need a more current and accurate diagnosis. I have mixed emotions, but I do want her to have the best possible chance to succeed.
Our dd was diagnosed in 5th grade, the first year we started homeschooling, with dyslexia/dysgraphia. The cost was around $500. It was beneficial to us for the following reasons: 1. After suspecting dyslexia since kindergarten, it felt good for all of us to know for sure what we were dealing with so we could proceed. 2. She felt good knowing that she is not "stupid". That she has a problem that we can work on and teach her how to deal with. 3. Our state requires standardized testing in 3rd-9th grade and we were able to have her exempt from testing. 4. She plans to go to college, so she will be able to have accommodations for the ACT and in her college classes. 5. With a diagnosis, you can join Learning Ally for around $100 a year for unlimited access to audio books! We have even been able to find a couple of her textbooks there. We have been able to try many different things at home to help her succeed. Here are a few suggestions: Read to him, don't make him read until he is ready. Read books for fun, read instructions and word problems for math, read anything he is not ready to read himself. Handwriting Without Tears for print and if you are Christian, A Reason for Cursive (I personally think cursive is important!). Be sure to watch pencil grip and try to correct if it is not to late. Look into All About Spelling and Saxon's Phonics Intervention, see if one of those might work for you. Teaching Textbooks for math is awesome. DD loves it because she can work independently. There is an audio lesson and the problems are read to the student in a pleasant male voice. I wish we had started that sooner! Design his curriculum around his interests. I could go on and on. Hope this helps!
dyslexia I am in the process of diagnosis for my 8 year old dd. She has an informal diagnosis from a dyslexic reading tutor. (she uses Wilson program) It is expensive to get an evaluation done. Has anyone gone through the school district?
No, we tested privately. At the time our schools would not even say the word dyslexia, much less test for it. Hopefully that has changed.
My dd's written language disorder (very general) came through the school system. The visual perception deficit diagnosis came through extensive testing at our ophthalmologist. The testing through the school system was an awful experience for us, and we will opt to test privately when we go for further testing.
When I worked in ps, our schools weren't allowed to use the term dyslexia either, never mind dysgraphia or dyscalculia. The kids were diagnosed with specific learning disability (defined by strength/weakness), or written language disorder, or spoken language disorder, or some label like that. That's because Federal guidelines for "disability" or "handicapping condition" (depending on which decade) did not include the "dys" words, so they didn't fund for it, no matter where the diagnosis came from. We were able to say that the child demonstrated characteristics of dyslexia (and give a list) in the body of the report, but the diagnosis could not be dyslexia. It's pretty clear to the professionals outside the school systems that SOME "dyslexia" is actually CAUSED BY the school system. So the "cure" is ... NO school system! Phonics, practice, maybe even OT for the handwriting (pencil grasp and fine motor strength and coordination -- ours favored Handwriting Without Tears, but whatever form you prefer is fine too).
