Schools districts for dyslexic kids (Denver, Boulder: house, transfer, school districts)

[drgail56]

Hi All,
We are transferring this summer from Texas ( and can't wait!). We have a middle school son who is dyslexic. He has attended a private school that has helped him greatly. We have looked at the Denver Academy but both the distance and the cost are pretty prohibitive. We have heard good reports about the BVSD for kids with dyslexia and wondered if anyone has had experience in that area with them, or with any of the surrounding school districts. We are just starting the house hunt and want to be sure we land in the area with the best options for him.

[mattq331]

I wish I could say that my son's dyslexia was well handled by BVSD, but I can't. For years, the school district placed him in Spec. Ed. but with little to show for it. That is not to say he didn't have excellent Spec Ed teachers - some were absolutely brilliant. He also had profound hearing loss, and the help he received from the hearing specialists in BVSD was fantastic.

However, our experience was that there was little they could do for his dyslexia, and by the time he was in 5th grade, he was failing at school, and it was adversely affecting his confidence as well as his grades.

We ended up pulling him out of school for 10 weeks and putting him into a program in Boulder that specializes in helping kids with the learning difficulties. They went back to basics - re-teaching him to read and sound out words, as well as taught him solid organization strategies for school. He then rejoined the same school, and has been a straight A (okay, occasional B) student ever since. He is now about to enter High School, and the action we took in 5th grade was the best thing we ever did.
One thing was very clear about Spec Ed at BVSD. Kids like our son with difficulties that were documented, but not obvious to the average teacher, more often than not did not receive the help they were entitled to, and had been agreed to with the school district.

[drgail56]

I can certainly understand your frustrations, we went through similar issues earlier with the schools here in Texas, but I'm glad to hear your son is doing well. Any chance you could share what program you utilized?

[mattq331]

Sure - I'll send the information to you directly.

[kris2011]

Hi mattq331 -

I live in Boulder and have a 10 yr old son with Dyslexia and attention issues. School has been rough for him lately. Can you tell me the name of the program that your son attended. Thanks a lot!

[newtodenver/boulder]

My son does not have dyslexia but does have issues with attention and needs to learn some solid organization strategies and time management to keep him focused. Does the program you mentioned help with that sort of thing?

[tarapease]

Hi Mattq311,

I just came across your post while searching for information for my son. He is 10 years old and we have just learned that he has Dyslexia and some attention issues. We are not having any luck with the BVSD and are looking for other options. Can you please share your experience and the program that you utilized for your son?

Thank you so much!!!

[mattq331]

Go here: winsi.net

Matt