newly diagnosed child with DYSLEXIA

cordub · 28-06-2012 1:54am #1

Hi all , my 10 year old has been newly diagnosed with dyslexia , any ideas as to where i can get help and what I should be doing NOW ??Went to the school and they dont seem to give too much extra help,She is not BAD enough im told to be excluded from Irish , How bad do you have to be ??? Have just gotten the TOE TO TOE book am hoping to do that over the summer with her am I wasting my time ???? HELP

paperclip2 · 28-06-2012 12:51pm

Hi Cordub, I posted the bit below in another thread a couple of years ago. It might have a few pointers in it.

I'm not dyslexic but my mother is a retired teacher and has worked as a dyslexia tutor for many years. One thing she said in the past is that the old 'rote learning' system suited children with many different forms of dyslexia as constant repetition can help new knowledge to become fixed. Vocabulary building is really useful. It concentrates on expanding the pool of words that the child can use, spell and understand comfortably and generally relies on the constant repetition method and the use of flash cards.

Sorry if I'm repeating stuff already mentioned and a lot of this you probably know anyway.
Multisensory learning can be useful for some children, ie tracing the shapes of letters with a finger while saying the word aloud. It involves the sense of touch and lessens the reliance on visual and auditory which can be specific types of dyslexia afaik.

For some types of dyslexia changing the background colour of reading material can make a difference and stop words from jumping around the page. You can use colored transparent plastic folders and put these over the page shes reading. Pale greens and blues often work well but it varies from person to person. For writing using a pen or pencil with a thicker grip can also make a difference especially if she has dyspraxia as well. Also some people find it easier to write on a cream or off white background rather than a white one. Getting her typing skills and computer literacy is massively useful especially for second and third level and would be a big recommendation. Some dyslexia groups have IT as part of their programme.

One on one work with children is the main thing that makes a massive difference and the earlier it starts the better. You end up needing less support as you get older because the foundations of learning are stronger.

Giving them opportunities to talk about their frustrations and how the dyslexia experience makes them feel is really important. Despite improvements in the education system you will still get the odd teacher who doesn't understand or want to understand the effects and prefers to rely on labeling the child as 'stupid' or 'slow'.

Oh and reminding them that dyslexia is a part of who they are and not all of who they are cos some days it can feel like that I've been told.

For parents the main thing seems to be to develop the hide of a rhino and a neck of pure brass to keep looking for all the supports your daughter could need.

Hope it helps.

byhookorbycrook · 28-06-2012 2:27pm

Toe By Toe is excellent, but it must be done each day for 10-15 mins. What were her standardized test scores(Drumcondra/Micra?) If she is above the 10th percentile she does not qualify for learning support.If there is a dyslexia workshop in your area, I'd try and send her to it. Why would you want her exempt from Irish?

Realtine · 28-06-2012 2:31pm

Hi there, my sis was telling me about a new shop in Nass which I believe sells tools for Dyslexia as well as other things, maybe it might help

http://www.easylearning4me.com/

sorry I don't know much else but I'm sure plenty of people on boards will point you in the right direction.

nathancool · 28-06-2012 2:40pm

byhookorbycrook wrote: »

Toe By Toe is excellent, but it must be done each day for 10-15 mins. What were her standardized test scores(Drumcondra/Micra?) If she is above the 10th percentile she does not qualify for learning support.If there is a dyslexia workshop in your area, I'd try and send her to it. Why would you want her exempt from Irish?

I have quite bad dyslexia I did not do Irish in school but it was forced upon me as in primary school I would be taken out of Irish class and I would do some extra help in English or Maths and in secondary school I never done a day of Irish. I found it useful because I would be slow in completing projects etc. and would have time to finish them during Irish class.

I would however do Irish if they say he is not bad enough because there was quite a few people in my school with Dyslexia and all did Irish and all did fine. One of my close friends has Dyslexia and got the highest points in the leaving cert at are school.

CookieMonster.x · 28-06-2012 11:45pm

cordub wrote: »

Hi all , my 10 year old has been newly diagnosed with dyslexia , any ideas as to where i can get help and what I should be doing NOW ??Went to the school and they dont seem to give too much extra help,She is not BAD enough im told to be excluded from Irish , How bad do you have to be ??? Have just gotten the TOE TO TOE book am hoping to do that over the summer with her am I wasting my time ???? HELP

Many dyslexic people find writing or reading on coloured paper easier. I watched a programme with Kara Tointon (eastenders) about her being dyslexic. It was really interesting and had suggestions like the coloured background. My brother finds writing on yellow paper is easier. You can get these sets which I've seen in Easons for about €10 which have different coloured strips for reading. It has other things in it too I think but that would probably help her.

cordub · 29-06-2012 12:06am

Thank you all for your help. The reason I was asking about the irish exemption is that my child finds it really hard to do it at all, her spelling are always wrong no matter how hard she tries to learn them.I will of course try my best to help her keep up . Her scores in the drumcondra tests are above the % so they tell me she doesnt qualify for resourse but i am fighting this as I feel that 5th class maths will be really hard for her this year,The only reason her scores came up was because she was getting the extra help so my argument is that she will now have to fall behind this year before she gets any help, even her teacher agreed with me that she will def need help next year, so looks like I will have to hound them at the school. got the toe to toe book so must try find someone now to explain it to me lol:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

A_Sober_Paddy · 29-06-2012 12:17am

I myself my diagnosed with dyslexia when I was 10/11.

It took me a while to come to terms with it, the one thing that didn't help me was people trying to baby me, also people trying to make me read books. Eventually as I got older I started reading magazines and reading a lot of stuff online like the news and forums and game/movie reviews. This really helped me...

I was lucky enough to get off doing Irish.

But the one thing I'd like you to know, I pretty much stopped have difficulties related to dyslexia by the age 16/17...my spelling isn't the best(better than a few of mates mind who aren't dyslexic) and have off days were I can't spell the simplest of words.

The first thing to do is not make a big deal of it, just try and encourage her to do a little more reading, even if its just articles in magazines, maybe get her to read out a synopsis of a tv show for you off the info button on sky, you can help her if she gets stuck.

It is probably harder for her than it was for me. If what I've heard about teenage girls is true they can be a nasty bunch. Maybe have a word with her teachers about not getting her to read aloud for a little bit until she starts to show improvement, if she is ask to read aloud and does poorly and as a result gets picked on, that will be sh!t for her.

If you've any questions please ask.

Jogathon · 29-06-2012 12:23am

She will never be entitled to resource hours as dyslexia is not one of the disorders that resource hours are granted for. She is legally entitled to Learning Support if she below the 10th percentile in her Sigma or Micra Test results. However, from what you say, she is working at a higher level than the 10th%ile. I would think that her teachers are more than aware of her problems, and she will have access (probably in a small group) to a L.S. teacher next year. In schools we would never let a child just fall through the net like that and would combine different children into suitable groups for extra support. The Irish exemption is a tricky one and from the sounds of it the teachers are right. Your child would have to be scoring far lower than she is in order to get an exemption, and would have to have a diagnosed disorder (such as dyspraxia or autism) in order to be granted one. Toe by Toe is good, but it can get very hard towards the end and might be beyond the reach of a ten year old. I think that if you were to buy a different spelling workbook (from a different publisher) for 4th class and complete it over the summer. The tables are vital too, if your child knew them inside out going into 5th then it would help her greatly. Revise multiplication, both short and long, division, fractions and decimals over the summer. Maybe buy a maths book from a different publisher and give her 20 mins of work from it daily. I'm using Planet Maths 4 at the moment with some children that I have for Resource and it's a good book. I've also given a work package of photocopied sheets for my kids to work on over the summer. For the 3 lads that I have in 4th class, going into 5th, I've given them comprehension reading, questions on the reading, grammar work (full stops and contractions) and some maths as outlined above. Its a great idea to sit down daily and work together for 30 mins over the summer. It makes the world of different to the kids that need the repetition and extra help. Also, as a parent, you are the primary educator of your child. Hope this helps.

cordub · 29-06-2012 12:30am

A_Sober_Paddy wrote: »

I myself my diagnosed with dyslexia when I was 10/11.

It took me a while to come to terms with it, the one thing that didn't help me was people trying to baby me, also people trying to make me read books. Eventually as I got older I started reading magazines and reading a lot of stuff online like the news and forums and game/movie reviews. This really helped me...

I was lucky enough to get off doing Irish.

But the one thing I'd like you to know, I pretty much stopped have difficulties related to dyslexia by the age 16/17...my spelling isn't the best(better than a few of mates mind who aren't dyslexic) and have off days were I can't spell the simplest of words.

The first thing to do is not make a big deal of it, just try and encourage her to do a little more reading, even if its just articles in magazines, maybe get her to read out a synopsis of a tv show for you off the info button on sky, you can help her if she gets stuck.

It is probably harder for her than it was for me. If what I've heard about teenage girls is true they can be a nasty bunch. Maybe have a word with her teachers about not getting her to read aloud for a little bit until she starts to show improvement, if she is ask to read aloud and does poorly and as a result gets picked on, that will be sh!t for her.

If you've any questions please ask.

thanks a lot .At this stage i am just wondering about everything to do with school in the future I suppose wanting to do the best I can for her . I am lucky that my child is very much a people person (this is what her teacher tells me ) she gets on really well with people, but is what i would call very innocent for her age , am hoping that when she realises that she is a bit different and when the "bitches" in her class cop onto her being a bit slower with her work that it doesnt effect her personality , I have told her that she has to work a bit harder than some kids to learn things as i was told by the pycologist not to use the word dyslexia till she is old enought to understand what it means ,Would you agree that i should not use the word or am i wrong ??? In fairness to her teacher she said she would not ask her to read out to the class but of course i now face going into talk to the new teacher and go through it all again with her

:(

cordub · 29-06-2012 12:38am

Jogathon wrote: »

She will never be entitled to resource hours as dyslexia is not one of the disorders that resource hours are granted for. She is legally entitled to Learning Support if she below the 10th percentile in her Sigma or Micra Test results. However, from what you say, she is working at a higher level than the 10th%ile. I would think that her teachers are more than aware of her problems, and she will have access (probably in a small group) to a L.S. teacher next year. In schools we would never let a child just fall through the net like that and would combine different children into suitable groups for extra support. The Irish exemption is a tricky one and from the sounds of it the teachers are right. Your child would have to be scoring far lower than she is in order to get an exemption, and would have to have a diagnosed disorder (such as dyspraxia or autism) in order to be granted one. Toe by Toe is good, but it can get very hard towards the end and might be beyond the reach of a ten year old. I think that if you were to buy a different spelling workbook (from a different publisher) for 4th class and complete it over the summer. The tables are vital too, if your child knew them inside out going into 5th then it would help her greatly. Revise multiplication, both short and long, division, fractions and decimals over the summer. Maybe buy a maths book from a different publisher and give her 20 mins of work from it daily. I'm using Planet Maths 4 at the moment with some children that I have for Resource and it's a good book. I've also given a work package of photocopied sheets for my kids to work on over the summer. For the 3 lads that I have in 4th class, going into 5th, I've given them comprehension reading, questions on the reading, grammar work (full stops and contractions) and some maths as outlined above. Its a great idea to sit down daily and work together for 30 mins over the summer. It makes the world of different to the kids that need the repetition and extra help. Also, as a parent, you are the primary educator of your child. Hope this helps.

thank you very much , her teacher fron this year gave her the 200 most used words and told me to try having her knowing these inside out by repeating them and doing them every day during the summer . She also suggested that she write a diary each day to help encourage her to write more as she writes very simpely with short sentance , she has a big problem with comprehension and sequencing they say . I will def get a different maths book too (as i did last year) . am trying not to swamp her too much am wondering is there such a thing as too much at 10 years of age ??:rolleyes:

Jogathon · 29-06-2012 10:38am

Having a parent who is willing to spend time with their child, and help them learn will make all the difference. Yes, there can be too much pressure but not if the extra work is approached in the right/positive manner. She has plenty of time off in the summer, and half an hour of work a day won't kill her! What you might find is that she'll enjoy the satisfaction and confidence that it will give her.

Daffodil.d · 29-06-2012 10:51am

Hi just a quick question there on dyslexia as this thread is very informative. Does it run in families and what age is the earliest it can be spotted?

A_Sober_Paddy · 29-06-2012 11:19am

Daffodil.d wrote: »

Hi just a quick question there on dyslexia as this thread is very informative. Does it run in families and what age is the earliest it can be spotted?

Well me and my brother suffer from it, but don't know if that's common or not

A_Sober_Paddy · 29-06-2012 11:22am

cordub wrote: »

thanks a lot .At this stage i am just wondering about everything to do with school in the future I suppose wanting to do the best I can for her . I am lucky that my child is very much a people person (this is what her teacher tells me ) she gets on really well with people, but is what i would call very innocent for her age , am hoping that when she realises that she is a bit different and when the "bitches" in her class cop onto her being a bit slower with her work that it doesnt effect her personality , I have told her that she has to work a bit harder than some kids to learn things as i was told by the pycologist not to use the word dyslexia till she is old enought to understand what it means ,Would you agree that i should not use the word or am i wrong ??? In fairness to her teacher she said she would not ask her to read out to the class but of course i now face going into talk to the new teacher and go through it all again with her :(

If the psychologist said not to tell her she has dyslexia then don't, but if she starts to get down on her self and starts to struggle then its time to tell the truth. And the truth really isn't all that bad, dyslexic suffers tend to have a slightly higher IQ, and some very famous and successful people suffer from it such as Richard Branson now his quite successful

IMightKnow · 29-06-2012 7:15pm

Dont know if this story is of much help to you now, but I though i'd share when I came across the topic.

My best friend has dyslexia and has been diagnosed since about that same age as your daughter OP, perhaps a bit younger.

Her story is that she is a very intelligent girl. She did Irish up until she finished primary school and then in secondary school she went to a learning support class instead of doing Irish. She took up Spanish in 1st year.

She was told early on that she had dyslexia. By the time she was in secondary school she as such "gave up" on spelling because there was this assumption in school that dyslexic's "spelling doesn't count" for state exams and that they could not be penalized for it in any subject, languages included.

She had a reader and a spelling exemption for her junior cert and got on well.

Then during leaving cert (2008) they got a visit by a dept official to assess their requirements. My friend and her family got the shock of their lives when the official decided that she was entitled to a reader but no spelling exemption.
So here she was, a few months before the leaving cert, having given up on spelling since primary school! Her spanish teacher told her there was no way she would pass honours with no spelling exemption and so she had to go to pass. She had loved spanish and her spoken spanish was very good. Her english teacher told her she was worried about her in honours but that the choice was hers.
She ended up not counting the pass spanish, getting a d3 in Hons English and getting into her course with exactly the minimum points.

The amount of stress, frustration, tears and uncertainty coming up to exam time and result time was unbelievable and I wouldn't wish this situation on anyone.

AmyDugdale · 31-03-2013 6:21pm

Hi, I know it's been a little while since you made this post, but i hope I can be of help to you.
I was diagnosed with dyslexia when I was 9 and am 17 now, my life has changed alot since that day. For me my Irish exemption played a huge role in my overcoming dyslexia, as it gave me the time to develop the skill which were invaluable to me in Secondary school, like English, Maths and very important visual study skills as many dyslexics find visual and physical learning easier and I have given classes on these important skills. So maybe its worth giving getting the exemption another try. (I know some psycologists are more keen on giving them than others.)

For me that's what has been important: people who have an abstract view of education. I think it's important to see Dyslexia in a positive light, for your school to say your daughter is not 'bad' enough, to me, is not the right approach. Okay, we often need more time to learn and find spelling and reading more difficult than most, but Dyslexics have creative talents and are very abstract thinkers. People often think these skills don't transfer to education, but I'm pretty sure mine have.

Best of Luck to your daughter, and don't ever let her think Dyslexia means she's stupid!

Allround Predator · 31-03-2013 6:31pm

Daffodil.d wrote: »

Hi just a quick question there on dyslexia as this thread is very informative. Does it run in families and what age is the earliest it can be spotted?

I've got Dyslexia, I have a twin brother and he doesn't! Don't have any other family members with it, not that I know of!..

melekalikimaka · 31-03-2013 6:39pm

Allround Predator wrote: »

I've got Dyslexia, I have a twin brother and he doesn't! Don't have any other family members with it, not that I know of!..

just curious, how do you test for it? What would be the difference between someone with a genuine learning disability and someone whom is lazy, is there physical flags or what?

Allround Predator · 31-03-2013 6:51pm

melekalikimaka wrote: »

just curious, how do you test for it? What would be the difference between someone with a genuine learning disability and someone whom is lazy, is there physical flags or what?

I was 34 when I got diagnosed, I was working as a builder from the time I was 16 then lost my job in 2008. After a year being unemployed I decided to go to college, I always knew that something was wrong so after I was excepted into college I went to my class tutor and he set it up for me to get accessed over 2 years. Turns out Im dyslexic! It explained a lot to me when I think back to my school days.

Always had a rough time at school!

wmpdd3 · 01-04-2013 8:29pm

I remember not having a clue what the nun was talking about when we were learning the letters that were hung over the blackboard. that must have been junior infants. But it was a remedial teacher in about 5th class that spotted it.

That teacher was taking a few kids for an hour a week because we did really well in some other test, I think it was Dromcondra or something.

I always remembered things as shapes, never writing anything down. I loved computers from the day I saw one as it meant I could write faster. (1980's!)

In art college, there was a real concentration of dyslexia especially in the 3d's.

LegacyUser · 09-12-2015 2:20am

help need funding to get private help anyone know where to go

newly diagnosed child with DYSLEXIA

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