Around the same time my DS was diagnoised with ADHD the school tested him for dyslexia. The results were boarder line. They also told me that kids with ADHD tend to test as boarderline. This was 3 years ago back in 2nd grade(he is now in 5th)I KNOW he is NOT dyslexic. So now I am trying to get him retested for it. Once he started on his meds he improved greatly at school and is now making all A's and B's. He has to go to a class for Dyslexia. It is one he does not need. At first it was good for him because it helped to get him caught up. But now I no longer feel it is needed. He is caught up and if anything going to the class is taking away from real class time. He ends up missing things in his reg. class. IT has been 9 weeks into the school year. I have requested he get retested so that he will no longer have to miss real class. We were supposed to have a meeting last week but one of the teachers had a family emergecy so it was cancled. I am still wait for them to reschedual. Now I worry how it will effect him when it comes to the TASK test that he will be required to take. Right now he gets more time to complete the test and the questions are read outloud to him. What if these two things really do help him to pass these test? I dont want to set him up for failure but I dont like the idea of him missing class when he does not NEED dyslexia training. It is his in depth meetings that give me reassurence about how his is doing and what can be done to help him improve. With all that we have been through with him I am so afraid of a set back. I want to do what is best for him but yet I worry that he is wrong(he claims he does not need the extra class). He is just a child of 10 so how do I know he knows what he needs and does not need? I dont think he needs it either but what if I am wrong? If retest and does well but yet his grades end up going down there is no way to get him back into the extra class. What should I do? What are your thoughts and advise on this matter? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Well, no one knows exactly what is going on in his head besides himself. I would say that if he doesn't think he needs the extra class have him retested. Once you find out the results from that, you can plan your next move.

It could also be that he doesn't think he needs the class because he's improved, but he still will need it. Kinda like not finishing your course of antibiotics because "I feel better now"

I would get him retested and then go from there. There's no point to worring before you even know. :)

I have requested that he be retested. Once this happens and we get the results back I will see what the school and his teachers think then see what everyone here thinks. I just want to do whats best for my son.

Oh wow. I am really, really curious about this. I know a lot of people here who are dyslexic, my own daughter is dyslexic, and I myself have a learning disability that was never addressed....why? Because my parents said I didn't have it.

I am going to have to "wing it" here, since dyslexia is outside the realm of my own personal experience.

First, I would like to refer you to THIS STICKY (http://www.addforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=27376). LDs are lifelong, the child can be taught to adapt and to cope but the LD does NOT "go away". For someone with a LD, support classes ARE "real classes". As the child proceeds into the higher grades, older skills are built upon and new skills are introduced, possibly necessitating more support for the diagnosed LD in order for the child to keep up. Isn't it possible that this also applies to your son? Perhaps he is caught up...for now...yet if you insist that they remove him from the class, he may begin once more to flouder? Possible that the meds allow him to also concentrate better in his support classes and thus appear to "not need" the classes any longer?

http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/dyslexia/dyslexia.htm

What is Dyslexia?
Dyslexia is a brain-based type of learning disability that specifically impairs a person's ability to read. These individuals typically read at levels significantly lower than expected despite having normal intelligence. Although the disorder varies from person to person, common characteristics among people with dyslexia are difficulty with phonological processing (the manipulation of sounds) and/or rapid visual-verbal responding.

[/url]Is there any treatment?
The main focus of treatment should be on the specific learning problems of affected individuals. The usual course is to modify teaching methods and the educational environment to meet the specific needs of the individual with dyslexia.


("")What is the prognosis?
For those with dyslexia, the prognosis is mixed. The disability affects such a wide range of people, producing different symptoms and varying degrees of severity, that predictions are hard to make. The prognosis is generally good, however, for individuals whose dyslexia is identified early, who have supportive family and friends and a strong self-image, and who are involved in a proper remediation program.

Bolding my own.


I have to say that IMHO the support teachers would know what was in front of them, because they have specialized training. As Lady Lark said, the only one who really knows what is going on inside his head is him.

My daughter's father fought me tooth and nail over having my daughter tested for LDs, and even when she began failing out of a grade one year, I was the one who marched into the school demanding that she be tested. She was in the 5th grade. I [u]WISH she had been tested earlier, because by that time she had decided that she was just sort of dumb. She got special classes and her grades improved significantly and she STAYED in those classes until she graduated two years ago. She never felt stigmatized by being in those classes, she knew perfectly well that without them, she was just not able to do what she needed to do. To this day, she exhibits a dislike of reading and writing. Although she can do it, she is uncomfortable with it...yet she still aspires to go to college after her child is a bit older. I am exceedingly proud of her.

As far as I can tell, my friends who are dyslexic here at ADDF have skills in place to compensate, yet remain dyslexic, of course. That is the way of LDs. Spellcheck is their constant companion.

I have a story about an interaction between myself and Meadd823, another moderator here, who has dyslexia...and I am dead-positive she will reply to this post during the "night shift"...and knowing her the way I do? I am pretty certain she will not mind that I relate the story.

One night we were comparing LDs for the fun of it, and I asked her to do something for me. Dyslexics are known to have quite good and even above average skills in mathematics, so I asked her if she knew what 7 X 8 was. She replied "Well, I had to reverse it to 8 X 7 in order to read it properly, but I immediately knew the answer was 56.".

I answered her that not only did I NOT know the answer was 56, I had also forgotten what equation I had sent her in the first place, and that each time I took my eyes off the page, I instantly forgot that the answer was 56. We had a good laugh that night. We are different, yet we are the same.

In fact, I had to use a calculator today to get the answer to 8 X 7, 7 X 8 makes no difference to me. I can READ that fine! I just cannot remember my times tables...maybe because I never had any intervention as a child...but as it stands now, as an adult, I will be using a calculator for the rest of my life. Why?

Because I have a learning disability.