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There's not all that much reading prior to first grade so I don't know how anyone can possibly be reading "way below second grade level."
Adding: You might want to get him checked for astigmatism, AND get his hearing tested, before sending him into a whirlwind of mental health testing. Sometimes it's just a child acting up due to the frustration of not hearing properly - sounds get jumbled in their heads and they are having difficulty deciphering them - and astigmatism can make him see letters as though they were wiggly or moving, when he's that young.
There's not all that much reading prior to first grade so I don't know how anyone can possibly be reading "way below second grade level."
The schools have a way of evaluating it. There are certain things children should be able to do at certain ages if they have the potential/intelligence.
For example, idenifying letters is one measure that used prior to actual reading.
And it's been many years since you were in elementary school. Everything is accelerated compared to when we were children.
They master the alphabet, the sounds of each letter, and begin reading short words in kindergarten now and are actually reading in first grade.
Quote:
Originally Posted by AnonChick
Adding: You might want to get him checked for astigmatism, AND get his hearing tested, before sending him into a whirlwind of mental health testing. Sometimes it's just a child acting up due to the frustration of not hearing properly - sounds get jumbled in their heads and they are having difficulty deciphering them - and astigmatism can make him see letters as though they were wiggly or moving, when he's that young.
Excellent advice. This is most likely the reason the school recommended an appointment with an eye doctor.
The schools have a way of evaluating it. There are certain things children should be able to do at certain ages if they have the potential/intelligence.
For example, idenifying letters is one measure that used prior to actual reading.
And it's been many years since you were in elementary school. Everything is accelerated compared to when we were children.
They master the alphabet, the sounds of each letter, and begin reading short words in kindergarten now and are actually reading in first grade.
Excellent advice. This is most likely the reason the school recommended an appointment with an eye doctor.
Yes, we knew the alphabet backward and forward in kindergarten, knew dog and cat and red and blue and tree (among others). We counted to ten in English and sang it to ten in Spanish...and we were reading Dick and Jane in first grade. I don't think anything's changed at all in the lower grades. I guess my point stands - when you're only reading on a Second grade level, there isn't much lower than that to fall. You can go to - "See Spot run." Or "red". Lower than that is basically complete illiteracy.
I was diagnosis / found out I was dyslexia in about 3rd grade, Also my reading level was way behind, Mostly they figured it out by my spelling tests, Always failed them, When you look at them I would transpose letters (and I still do .. Thank Bill Gates for spell check now). I worked for 4 year daily in Special ed teacher 1 period a day, Till 7th grade 7/8 was 2 or 3 days a week. In HS Spec Ed teacher would check in with me from time to time but not on set schedule. Mostly they way my dyslexia was solved is to get me to memorize the words, My brain still scrambles them up, but since I know what the works are they have meaning now. I read ok, but to read aloud for me take forever cause of the translation time it takes from the time I read it to the time I say it.
Well, he does exhibit the signs of ADHD, & he is getting help in several areas at school, and has been to the local mental health & they also seem to think he has it. However my concern is that if they are not treating him properly for the learning disorder (dyslexia) then this could be causing him more distress. He is currently reading WAY below a second grade level. How are they able to help him the best possible way if they haven't identified the specific problem?
The school seems to be really trying to help him w/ different types of coping therapies & etc. How would a diagnoses hinder him getting services? How can they teat a disorder if the disorder hasn't been properly identified? He is in a very small school, & has been getting help from OT & speech, and has major difficulties focusing in class, is an extremely fussy eater.
Most likely your son is exhibiting symptoms of ADHD due to his frustrations in school and receiving services that are not in line with his disability. In my experience with school districts, they will classify a child with what is most convenient and cost effective for the school district.
It is PARAMOUNT to your child's success that he be classified with an accurate label. An incorrect classification leads to inappropriate services and lowered teacher expectations, which in turn leads to more frustration for your child and poor behavior.
I would make an appointment with an eye doctor ASAP. If your son turns out to be dyslexic, I would request an IEP meeting (you are allowed to request this, as a parent, whenever you feel necessary), and I would insist his classification be changed and his services and accommodations rewritten to best accommodate your child's disability. Be sure to come prepared with documentation of his dx'd disability, and any info you can gather from other sources on the types of accommodations and services that would be needed for school.
FYI: some school districts can be very difficult with this. My sister had to hire a lawyer to get the school district to classify my niece with an accurate label of hearing impaired! DO NOT let them persuade you that the classification doesn't matter...IT DOES!
Good luck. I will be following this thread to see how things work out for you and your son.
Yes, we knew the alphabet backward and forward in kindergarten, knew dog and cat and red and blue and tree (among others). We counted to ten in English and sang it to ten in Spanish...and we were reading Dick and Jane in first grade. I don't think anything's changed at all in the lower grades. I guess my point stands - when you're only reading on a Second grade level, there isn't much lower than that to fall. You can go to - "See Spot run." Or "red". Lower than that is basically complete illiteracy.
It is precisely this type of thinking that have left dyslexics behind. Of course there's a expected reading level for 2nd grade. What a statement. Phoenetic awareness, reading, and yes.....a child should be reading fluently in 2nd grade. By second grade many teachers cease to teach reading mechanics at all so if your child can't read by then your most likely out of luck.
Do you have any teaching experience at all? I must ask because these kind of false statements lead to the dumming down of america. There are expectations for Kindergarten, 1st grade, and 2nd. Kindergarten and 1st are mechanic reading phoenetical awareness but like I said unless your in a dumbed down school you better know how to read by 2nd BECAUSE SCHOOLS MAY HAVE READING CLASS BUT THEY DONT TEACH YOU TO READ, it's assumed by then you already know it.
Oh and I live in Arkansas, one of the worst school systems so you better believe that if their expected reading fluency in 2nd here, it's going to be true for most places.
Both the teacher and the special ed said that he needs to go to an eye dr for a dyslexia diagnoses. He already wears glasses ( far sighted) . He does have the majority of the symptoms of dyslexia on the many websites I have found, but he also has many of the symptoms of ADHD as well! He is performing well below his potential, tests great verbally, not well on the written stuff. I am also concerned (as one poster remarked) that if I don't push for him to be tested for dyslexia they will just blame everything on ADHD. I wonder how much of his acting out at school is due to him being totally frustrated! All the teachers & everyone who knows him remark how bright & smart he is, but he feels "dumb" because he just can't "get" the words! Reminds me so much of my dad, SUPER SMART, but can't spell to save his life!
Sorry writing fast my 3 year old is getting into everything! Thanks for all the help!
serrendipity, your response includes my post, taken totally and completely out of context. Also your response is completely and totally irrelevent, even in context. It has nothing to do with what I posted.
Here's a summary:
OP said her kid is in 2nd grade, and is reading "way below" a 2nd grade level.
I said, there is no "way lower" than 2nd grade level, because - there's only ONE grade lower than 2nd grade! That's a fact, it's not subjective, it's not interpretation, it's not opinion.
Someone else challenged me to say that things have changed since I went to school, and gave examples of what kids are required to learn now. My experience is *exactly the same* as what the poster claimed kids are required to learn now, and my experience dates back some 40-odd years.
Reading comprehension and literacy doesn't end in 2nd grade. There's phonetics, and grammar, sentence structure, vocabulary, and literature. Comprehension increases with age, which is why they don't teach Tennyson in 2nd grade.
OP, my son is dyslexic. He transposes letters and sometimes just doesn't plain see them. In Texas, they will test for this and assist with helping to learn to overcome it in the schools, so I didn't have a problem. However, many states don't. They ALL however have to accommodate the child who has been diagnosed b/c it's federal law (disability act).
So if your school won't do the testing, or says they can't, check and see if your insurance will cover an educational psychologist who can diagnose it. If you don't have insurance, I believe that Medicaid will cover it.
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