I guess at this point the "How's" and the "Why's" don't really matter....what matters is what happens next.
When I first started getting frustrated with T I finally typed in some search terms on what problems she was having and the word dyslexia popped up.
I checked out 5 different books from the library including The Gift of Dyslexia by Ronald Davis. It was a really good book that clued me in on many of the processing disorders such as dysgraphia, dyscalculia, etc.
It also game some exercises and different helps for Dyslexia. The book was a double edged sword of sorts because while it gave me information, after reading I realized I didn't have enough knowledge of dyslexia and was really unsure of what methods and tools were used to treat it. I had taught for 10 years and had a master's degree but this area of processing disorders was foreign to me.
I needed help.
I googled "Help with Dyslexia in {my state}."
The first item that popped up was a website for LS Center. One the site they offere FREE evaluations so I called and made an appointment.
I could feel a little hope creeping in. We were taking the next step.
Michelle! I just found this blog :) Glad I did. Do NOT beat yourself up. I have a degree in Psychology and have five children under my roof with anxiety, autism, ADD, anger issues, low self-esteem, etc. I've come to learn that I have actually perpetuated some problems by trying to take care of them all by myself. K needs mothering from you, nothing else. Love and support to be sure, but you are released from the responsibility of teaching her everything, even and probably especially academics.... says the mom who homeschooled for 3 years :) Seriously though, I have come to learn, especially kids with outside-of-the-box package deals mostly just need mom to be mom. And that's not a lecture, it's a bit of friendly wisdom that hopefully will take a little pressure off of you.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, well done for taking the necessary steps for being K's advocate. That is exactly what she needs. Go MOM!!!
Thing 1 and Thing 2 are both very dyslexic and both have ADD/ADHD which complicates those problems earlier. Also Thing 1 has terrible anxiety and dyscalculia and he has struggled so much for the last 6 years. Last night my husband was working on site words with him and he said to me: "How am I supposed to work on this with him when he has no knowledge base? He doesn't even know the alphabet, how's he supposed to sound these words out?" I sighed and said: "I know. Welcome to the world of Thing 1. The knowledge is there, it's access to the knowledge that he doesn't always have. There is some barrier there, sometimes it's lifted and he does great and others..."
Even talking with his Special Ed teacher today, she said the same thing. In fact, Thing 2 apparently has been helping Thing 1 cheat in Special Ed so he can keep up. Sweet, but no bueno. Btw, the boys are in 3rd grade (though technically they should be in 4th) and neither can really read yet at all. And that's after 3 years of homeschooling, which was supposed to help give them the one-on-one they needed to catch up.
Basically, I'm saying I totally feel your frustration, sadness, worry, guilt, etc. We're basically the same girl. Hang in there. Love ya.