I feel I have truly come full circle in my search for a better understanding of dyslexia. I have gained new information, yet I am eager to continue my search for answers.
When I reflect on how I have changed form the beginning of my search to now, a few thoughts press at the top of my mind:
1. I have learned that my son is unique. He is not just different from other children, he is different from other children with dyslexia.
2. I have learned that dyslexia is not a disability, although generally categorized as such. It is the ability to use many senses at once, which may be due to the enlarged and overactive right brain. This unique ability has frequently been connected to genius: Edison, Einstein, DaVinci, and many more.
3. In order to learn all I can, Aiden MUST be an integral part of my search for information. He is the only one that will be able to truly tell me how the research applies to his dyslexia.
4. I must continuoulsy evaluate new information, deciding what to assimilate and/or reject.
With these thoughts in mind, I have one piece of advice to anyone who is interested in following in my path...DIG IN.
You will only be able to evaluate how dyslexia will impact your life, by doing a thorough and independent search. This is not a topic that can be covered in one book, or with one internet search, or with the view point of one professional. This quest must be done with the individual in mind, not the dyslexia. Because of this, it is crucial that the individual with dyslexia, no matter the age, be unconditionally involved as a primary resource. Only then will you truly be able to understand the impact of dyslexia.
With the above understanding, I have compiled the following uncomprehensive, but Quick-Start List of resources to help you begin your journey. I stress that this list is only a starting point, and no one could predict where your research will end. What I can predict is that the bond between you and your loved one will be strengthened as you develope your own defininiton for dyslexiability.
Dyslexia Resources Quick Start List
Best wishes,
Melisa McCain
Monday, February 9, 2009
Monday, February 2, 2009
Wrapping It Up
After digging through the resources, and assimilating new information with old, it is as though I have just given myself a gift. It is the gift of understanding.
Oh, do not misconstrue my meaning. I do not believe for a moment I have a complete understanding, just a much broader understanding than before.
Oh, do not misconstrue my meaning. I do not believe for a moment I have a complete understanding, just a much broader understanding than before.
I have torn away the paper and pushed the beautiful bow to the side, and now, the gift of a new understanding is mine forever more. Here are a few items I wrapped up in the box as a gift for myself.
- My son is unique: "Like the negative side of dyslexia, where no two people have the same disability, the gift of dyslexia is different for each person." (Davis) Because of this, the only way I can truly understand Aiden's dyslexia, is to continually involve him in my research. He is the key to understanding.
- All research lead back to multisensory. Nothing indicates that something is "broken" everything is just working at the same time, which leads to a lot of information at once. This can cause disorientation.
- Orton-Gillingham method seems to focus on memorizing what is not easily understood. This method, although proven effective in many cases, does not seem to match up with my personal beliefs of education, nor does it seem to coincide with past experiences I have had with Aiden. Obviously my knowledge of the program is very limited, and I may choose to revisit the method at a later date; but for now I am choosing to set this method aside.
- Brain Gym, has a connection to "treatment" of Dyslexia.
- Ritalin has not been recommended by Davis or O-G, and is highly discouraged by Ann Farris.
- Aiden reads pictures, and words he cannot picture can cause disorientation.
- Davis Orientation Counseling teaches a technique for turning off disorientation.
- Daydreaming is not only a good thing; it is a sign of genius. It is also a way for persons with dyslexia to process all the information coming from multiple sensories. This is information the average person would probably not even process on a subliminal level.
- "The eventual gift of dyslexia will be the gift of mastery. The dyslexic will be able to master many skills faster than the average person could comprehend or understand them." (Davis)
- The Davis Method seems to have a direct correlation to my understanding of my son's dyslexia.
- I have a lot more to learn about Dyslexia.
Wiggling and Weaving of Information
Wow!!!
I have been wiggling new information and weaving it into old, weaving the old information and then wiggling some new back into it. I am so grateful for the information I have found, excited about the way I have been able to connect the new information with prior knowledge, and concerned about the amount of information available. But, Let me start from the beginning…
After the last post, Searching for Answers, I went to the library in search of books specifically pertaining to Orton-Gillingham (O-G) and Davis methods for working with dyslexia. I began with the O-G method, because I had heard of it before. It was actually very difficult to find information on. A search in the catalog produced zero results. I thought that perhaps I had spelled it incorrectly or was doing something counterproductive to the search, so I went to the reference desk and asked for help. She too found zero results. Still, the catalog search was not completely a waste. I knew from the search that Dyslexia fell under 616 or 371 in Dewey, so that is where I went. After a thorough search of the indexes, I came up with three books referring to the O-G method.
- Hurford, Daphne. To Read or Not to Read: Answers to All Your Questions About Dyslexia. New York: Scribner, 1998.
- Landau, Elaine. Dyslexia. A First book. New York: F. Watts, 1991.
- Marshall, Abigail. The Everything Parent's Guide to Children with Dyslexia: All You Need to Ensure Your Child's Success. Avon, MA: Adams Media, 2004.
The catalog also brought a DVD to my attention:
- Farris, Ann, and Daniel Drasin. Dyslexia Taking Control of Your Confusion. San Francisco, CA: Dyslexia Discovery, 2004.
Something else that the catalog brought to my attention was the amount of literature available to children with dyslexia. I guess I never really thought of getting something for Aiden to read until I saw a book on dyslexia by his favorite author:
- Dahl, Roald. The Vicar of Nibbleswicke. New York: Viking, 1991.
Lastly, the catalog led me right to one of the books I came in search of:
- Davis, Ronald D., and Eldon M. Braun. The Gift of Dyslexia: Why Some of the Smartest People Can't Read and How They Can Learn. New York: Berkley Pub. Group, 1997.
Now that I had resources in hand, I took them home and began to evaluate and synthesize the information. In other words, I began to take notes on what I read/viewed and how it related to my prior knowledge of my son and dyslexia.
See my notes:
(These notes are possible thanks to a really cool piece of technology, The Pulse Smart Pen. It was a Christmas gift I bought myself and I LOVE IT!!! Every student should have one.)
Searching for Answers
For the last several days I have been searching for answers. In the last post, I narrowed my search to the characteristics and accommodations for dyslexia.
Having very little background knowledge, and even less time available, I decided to begin my quest for answers with a general google search using the keyword, "Dyslexia."
Unsurprisingly, Wikipedia was the first result. I decided to go ahead and give it a look, just to gather some general information, and maybe pickup on a few more keywords that I could use. From Wikipedia I learned that there are two types of Dyslexia, Developmental or Acquired. (Although Aiden may have been dropped on his head at some point during infancy, I feel pretty safe in assuming he would fall under the developmental dyslexia category.)
As far as accomodations, Orton-Gillingham was also reffered to in the encyclopedia entry. I have heard this program before and would like to do some additonal research on it.
The next result on my Google search list was Dyslexia.com. The shopping cart icon at the top left corner swayed my interest in the site, but one link immediatley caught my attention: A forum for networking and sharing information about creative thinking, dyslexia, and other learning differences. This lead me to Answers to Common Questions about Dyslexia. I found this site to be very informaional and helpful in answering my questions of accomodations for dyslexia.
The link to What a Dyslexic_Person_Sees_When_She_Reads was very interesting to me; and linked me to the following passage at http://www.dyslexia-australia.com.au/What%20they%20see.htm
At this point I asked my son, who has been following along with me in my search for answers, if this was truly what he saw. He scrutenized the second section, and then concluded that it was close. He went on to explain that to make it more realistic, the bold black words would need to move around as you are reading. Then he drew me his own rendetion of how print looks to him.
Obviously the first thing that hit me was his beautiful message. When I finished reciprocating the message, he continue to stress that the words move when he looks at them. He gave the example that in this picture you can tell that I is bigger than YOU. When he looks at it, sometimes the I is bigger and sometimes the YOU is bigger, and sometimes they trade places.
I also started to notice another pattern in the details. The first example of the Dyslexia.com passage talks about reading pictures (I had not shared this information with Aiden). "As dyslexics are generally picture thinkers, they only see words that they can place a picture to." Notice in Aiden's picture that the large words are the concrete nouns, and the abstract verb of LOVE is almost unseen in the background. I thought this was very interesting, so I decided to continue reviewing this site.
The review lead me to a new curiosity of the of the Davis Methods, hence the shopping cart icon for purchasing The Gify of Dyslexia by Ronald D. Davis.
After a short period of searching for answers, I now find myself in a state of recursion. My questions have changed. I have gone from the general inquiry of characteristics and accomodations for dyslexia, to a more specific interest in two philosophis for addressing dyslexia, The Davis Methods and Orton-Gillingham.
In my next post, I will share my findings as a go in search for answers to these new questions.
Having very little background knowledge, and even less time available, I decided to begin my quest for answers with a general google search using the keyword, "Dyslexia."
Unsurprisingly, Wikipedia was the first result. I decided to go ahead and give it a look, just to gather some general information, and maybe pickup on a few more keywords that I could use. From Wikipedia I learned that there are two types of Dyslexia, Developmental or Acquired. (Although Aiden may have been dropped on his head at some point during infancy, I feel pretty safe in assuming he would fall under the developmental dyslexia category.)
Wikipedia also shared some insight into the history of dyslexia. I assumed that this section would not be of assistance in answering my question related to characteristics and accommodations; but, a quick glance surprisingly gave me a wide range of interesting information on perceived characteristics of dyslexia:
- reading-specific learning disorder
- severe impairment in learning to read and write in spite of showing typical intellectual and physical abilities in all other respects
At this point I asked my son, who has been following along with me in my search for answers, if this was truly what he saw. He scrutenized the second section, and then concluded that it was close. He went on to explain that to make it more realistic, the bold black words would need to move around as you are reading. Then he drew me his own rendetion of how print looks to him.Obviously the first thing that hit me was his beautiful message. When I finished reciprocating the message, he continue to stress that the words move when he looks at them. He gave the example that in this picture you can tell that I is bigger than YOU. When he looks at it, sometimes the I is bigger and sometimes the YOU is bigger, and sometimes they trade places.
I also started to notice another pattern in the details. The first example of the Dyslexia.com passage talks about reading pictures (I had not shared this information with Aiden). "As dyslexics are generally picture thinkers, they only see words that they can place a picture to." Notice in Aiden's picture that the large words are the concrete nouns, and the abstract verb of LOVE is almost unseen in the background. I thought this was very interesting, so I decided to continue reviewing this site.
The review lead me to a new curiosity of the of the Davis Methods, hence the shopping cart icon for purchasing The Gify of Dyslexia by Ronald D. Davis.
After a short period of searching for answers, I now find myself in a state of recursion. My questions have changed. I have gone from the general inquiry of characteristics and accomodations for dyslexia, to a more specific interest in two philosophis for addressing dyslexia, The Davis Methods and Orton-Gillingham.
In my next post, I will share my findings as a go in search for answers to these new questions.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Effort, Importance, Affect
"If we look at the beginning of the [research] process, we find that these three properties - effort, importance, and affect - actually act as a need gateway. Only when the researcher has determined that the need outweighs any perceived negative factors will he or she proceed with his or her inquiry." (Stripling, 143-145)
I interpret this passage to say, "Where there is a will there is a way. Just figure out what is blocking your will -effort, importance, or affect - and get it out of the way."
Effort, based on prior experience and time, does play a huge role in my willingness to proceed. I have NO PRIOR KNOWLEDGE when it comes to dyslexia. I will really have to start from scratch to answer any of my questions, and that might take a long time. Time is not something I have a lot of these days. Never-the-less, it IS important to me to learn more about dyslexia in order to gain insight into my son's life.
"Importance, potentially the greatest consistently positive force among the factors, may be increased by ensuring that the problem has a significant interest to the researcher." (Stripling, 145) This statement could not hold more true to me. Even with the previous mentioned deficiencies in effort, I am still very motivated to complete this inquiry. I want to know the answers. But then I started thinking, maybe I want to know some answers more than others...
The chart in the last post showed my questions categorized into four areas: Causes of Dyslexia, Dyslexia in schools, Characteristics of Dyslexia, Accommodations for Dyslexia. The causes of Dyslexia do intrigue me, and eventually, I want to know the answers; but for now, other areas have more importance to me. My son already has dyslexia, knowing how he got it, could be beneficial, but it will not solve my needs at this point.
Dyslexia in schools or the lack there of, irritates me. I am confounded by the difference that knowing of the Aiden's dyslexia has made. Before the diagnosis, it was as though I was trying to turn the water off at the sink, when the tub was overflowing. It bothers me that there are probably a high number of students struggling with dyslexia, while their parents and teachers are still obliviously working on the sink. I want to shout to the struggling population, “HEY! HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT DYSLEXIA.” But, in the bigger scheme of things, my son has already been diagnosed and is receiving services in school. Finding out more about the reason Indiana schools do not acknowledge dyslexia may help calm my anger toward the system, but it won’t fulfill the current need to help my son.
Characteristics of Dyslexia – this is of high interest to me. I want to know what my son is going through. I want to know what he sees, understand how he feels, and relate to his frustrations and hardships. I want to know what it is like for him to live with Dyslexia. Knowing the characteristics of Dyslexia will help me meet the need to better know my son.
Accommodations for Dyslexia is another high interest area for me. I am a problem solver. I want to solve everyone’s problems – especially my son’s problems. When he has difficulty, I want to be the one that says, “Here, try this.” Being familiar with
accommodations for dyslexia, allows me to help my son the way I feel I need to.
Affect, the final test of the thinking processes that drive the research process, is probably the most abstract to me. How do I feel about researching dyslexia? Well…It is a need I have. Am I excited about it? No, I would prefer my son did not struggle the way he has had to, and I could go back to being oblivious about dyslexia. Am I upset, angry, mad? No, no, no. Am I put out by it? No, it is my son, and I would go worlds out of my way for him, and never think a thought about it. So, in asking myself how I feel about researching dyslexia, I don’t know and I don’t think it matters. It just needs to be done.
Thinking through Effort, Importance, and Affect has not necessarily gotten me any closer to finding my answers, but it has helped me to come to a better understanding of my need for the answers. I need to search in a way that will quickly broaden my background while being respectful of the limited time I have to offer. In doing so, I need to concentrate on the important concepts of characteristics and accommodations for dyslexia. Even though I do not feel a strong affective sensitivity one way or the other about uncovering the information, I do have a strong desire to gain the knowledge, in order to more fully understand and accommodate the needs of my son.
Stripling, Barbara K., and Sandra Hughes-Hassell. Curriculum Connections Through the Library. Westport, Conn: Libraries Unlimited, 2003.
I interpret this passage to say, "Where there is a will there is a way. Just figure out what is blocking your will -effort, importance, or affect - and get it out of the way."
Effort, based on prior experience and time, does play a huge role in my willingness to proceed. I have NO PRIOR KNOWLEDGE when it comes to dyslexia. I will really have to start from scratch to answer any of my questions, and that might take a long time. Time is not something I have a lot of these days. Never-the-less, it IS important to me to learn more about dyslexia in order to gain insight into my son's life.
"Importance, potentially the greatest consistently positive force among the factors, may be increased by ensuring that the problem has a significant interest to the researcher." (Stripling, 145) This statement could not hold more true to me. Even with the previous mentioned deficiencies in effort, I am still very motivated to complete this inquiry. I want to know the answers. But then I started thinking, maybe I want to know some answers more than others...
The chart in the last post showed my questions categorized into four areas: Causes of Dyslexia, Dyslexia in schools, Characteristics of Dyslexia, Accommodations for Dyslexia. The causes of Dyslexia do intrigue me, and eventually, I want to know the answers; but for now, other areas have more importance to me. My son already has dyslexia, knowing how he got it, could be beneficial, but it will not solve my needs at this point.
Dyslexia in schools or the lack there of, irritates me. I am confounded by the difference that knowing of the Aiden's dyslexia has made. Before the diagnosis, it was as though I was trying to turn the water off at the sink, when the tub was overflowing. It bothers me that there are probably a high number of students struggling with dyslexia, while their parents and teachers are still obliviously working on the sink. I want to shout to the struggling population, “HEY! HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT DYSLEXIA.” But, in the bigger scheme of things, my son has already been diagnosed and is receiving services in school. Finding out more about the reason Indiana schools do not acknowledge dyslexia may help calm my anger toward the system, but it won’t fulfill the current need to help my son.
Characteristics of Dyslexia – this is of high interest to me. I want to know what my son is going through. I want to know what he sees, understand how he feels, and relate to his frustrations and hardships. I want to know what it is like for him to live with Dyslexia. Knowing the characteristics of Dyslexia will help me meet the need to better know my son.
Accommodations for Dyslexia is another high interest area for me. I am a problem solver. I want to solve everyone’s problems – especially my son’s problems. When he has difficulty, I want to be the one that says, “Here, try this.” Being familiar with
accommodations for dyslexia, allows me to help my son the way I feel I need to.
Affect, the final test of the thinking processes that drive the research process, is probably the most abstract to me. How do I feel about researching dyslexia? Well…It is a need I have. Am I excited about it? No, I would prefer my son did not struggle the way he has had to, and I could go back to being oblivious about dyslexia. Am I upset, angry, mad? No, no, no. Am I put out by it? No, it is my son, and I would go worlds out of my way for him, and never think a thought about it. So, in asking myself how I feel about researching dyslexia, I don’t know and I don’t think it matters. It just needs to be done.
Thinking through Effort, Importance, and Affect has not necessarily gotten me any closer to finding my answers, but it has helped me to come to a better understanding of my need for the answers. I need to search in a way that will quickly broaden my background while being respectful of the limited time I have to offer. In doing so, I need to concentrate on the important concepts of characteristics and accommodations for dyslexia. Even though I do not feel a strong affective sensitivity one way or the other about uncovering the information, I do have a strong desire to gain the knowledge, in order to more fully understand and accommodate the needs of my son.
Stripling, Barbara K., and Sandra Hughes-Hassell. Curriculum Connections Through the Library. Westport, Conn: Libraries Unlimited, 2003.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
OVERWHELMING
Maybe it would be better to go back to denial. Now that I have decided to face Dyslexia, I have so many questions and no idea where to start! All of a sudden, the task of unraveling Dyslexia seems very overwhelming.
I decided to take a few deep breaths and refer to the 8W’s of Information Inquiry developed by Annette Lamb. The 8 W’s model is outlined below as provided at http://virtualinquiry.com/inquiry/ws.htm.
I decided to take a few deep breaths and refer to the 8W’s of Information Inquiry developed by Annette Lamb. The 8 W’s model is outlined below as provided at http://virtualinquiry.com/inquiry/ws.htm.
- Watching (Exploring) asks students to explore and become observers of their environment. It asks students to become more in tune to the world around them from family needs to global concerns.
- Wondering (Questioning) focuses on brainstorming options, discussing ideas, identifying problems, and developing questions.
- Webbing (Searching) directs students to locate, search for, and connect ideas and information. One piece of information may lead to new questions and areas of interest. Students select those resources that are relevant and organize them into meaningful clusters.
- Wiggling (Evaluating) is often the toughest phase for students. They're often uncertain about what they've found and where they're going with a project. Wiggling involves evaluating content, along with twisting and turning information looking for clues, ideas, and perspectives.
- Weaving (Synthesizing) consists of organizing ideas, creating models, and formulating plans. It focuses on the application, analysis, and synthesis of information.
- Wrapping (Creating) involves creating and packaging ideas and solutions. Why is this important? Who needs to know about this? How can I effectively convey my ideas to others? Many packages get wrapped and rewrapped before they're given away.
- Waving (Communicating) is communicating ideas to others through presenting, publishing, and sharing. Students share their ideas, try out new approaches, and ask for feedback.
- Wishing (Assessing) is assessing, evaluating, and reflecting on the process and product. Students begin thinking about how the project went and consider possibilities for the future.
Watching, I felt was a step I had already completed. In the first post of this BLOG, I tell the story of my “becoming more in tune to the world around me,” with a particular focus on family needs, more specifically the needs of my son as he was diagnosed with Dyslexia.
Moving on to Wondering….I decided to brainstorm and organize a list of questions that I have about dyslexia. Surprisingly, it actually took me a little bit to start the list. I think the problem is that I know so little to begin with that I am not sure what to ask. Or, maybe it is that, I have so much to ask, that I am not sure where to start. Regardless, here is the list I brainstormed.
When I was able to begin formulating questions, I quickly started noticing four categories of questions emerging: Causes of Dyslexia, Dyslexia in Schools, Characteristics of Dyslexia, and Accommodations for Dyslexia.
At this point, I am not so sure that putting my thoughts and questions down, was very beneficial. I am more overwhelmed now, than I was before. I have formed my questions; but, I do not believe I am yet ready for the next step of Webbing.
I will regroup and decide how to proceed for my next post.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Dyslexia: What Is It?
I am an average mom, who prides my self on having two average - healthy, happy - children. I never wanted my kids to have the stress of being the top of the class, and I always try to encourage them to stop and smell the roses - something I, myself, am not very good at.
When the preschool teachers told me my son was having difficulty with academic tasks like copying from the board or drawing certain figures, I had the same response as I did when they told me my daughter was off the charts in language skills, "How are they at making friends?" That is all I wanted to know. As the years have passed, both of my children have been happy, mostly-adjusted, well behaved children; but, it always seemed that my son was working a little harder at everything.
Being a teacher of 14 years, I have seen children struggle, and then succeed - and succeed and then struggle - so I didn't worry about Aiden too much. My husband and I would diligently help him work through difficult assignments and he was generally able to keep A's and B's in school.
About second grade, I noticed that his letter reversals were not going away. I casually mentioned it to the pediatrician who asked that we keep an eye on it - not a huge deal.
In third grade, when we went for his check up, the pediatrician - being the awesome doctor that he is - asked about the reversals. When I told him that they were still occurring, he suggested that we talk to the school corporation about an academic evaluation. Of course I blurted out, "NO," and then went on to calmly explain that Aiden had good grades in school and seemed to be doing fine, other than the reversals. (I failed to mention to the doctor that I had begun to notice Aiden reversing, not only letters, but words. For example, if he were to read the word VERY, it would most likely come out as EVER, and NEVER was always EVEN.)
During the fourth grade pediatrician visit, I was still in denial. The doctor questioned the reversals and once again suggested testing. This time, I was a little more thought out. I have a background in elementary special education , so I am well aware that dyslexia is not considered a disability in Indiana schools. I also thought thatin order to get services, he would need to qualify as learning disabled. Learning disabled Aiden is NOT. He will sit for hours explaining the Theory of Relativity, how dust came to be, all major and many miner contributors to American and World History, and the child has a better grasp of Theology than most adults. There was no way with good conscious I could ask for him to be tested. Then the pediatrician, seeing what I refused to see, suggested that Aiden visit a specialized psychologist. "No, thank you. He is doing fine," was really all I could come up with. At the same time, my son started a conversation with his doctor about how he sees things that aren't there and they move when he goes to touch them. No wonder the doctor wanted him to see a psychologist!!! I was so embarrassed, I shushed my son, saying "Quit being such a hypochondriac," and as quickly as possible we left the doctor's office.
Two days later, I was at an evening graduate class, when I overheard a side conversation coming from a group of classmates. One of them, Kay, who I have been in many classes with and has always freely discussed her struggles and triumphs with Dyslexia, was explaining to the others, "Those people would always get so frustrated with me! They would say I was being lazy when I didn't read those little words, and so I just got frustrated right back and told them, 'I can read those big words - they're not the problem. It's just those little words - they disappear and I just can't see them."
I didn't say a word. I just sat. My jaw hanging open. And listened. I was no longer listening to Kay and her sidebar conversation. All I could hear was a replay in my head of the many nights that in frustration I would shout at my son, "Aiden! Quit being so darn LAZY!! If you can read all those big words, you can read the LITTLE WORDS!" Over and over and over it played through my head!
When I got home that evening, the children already in bed, I told my husband about the doctors visit, and about the conversation I had overheard. He just kind of laughed as he Googled dyslexia.
One of the first sights we came across was a list of something like 42 characteristics of Dyslexia. We were about half way down the list, when I stopped, put my head in my hands and sobbed.
I shushed my son. He was tring to give important infomation to the doctor and I SHUSHED HIM! Not only was I a terrible mother for not seeing this earlier, I pretty much told him to shut up. Wow! I don't think I will ever get over the shock of reading that characteristic on the list. By the time the list was done, we decided Aiden met about 39 of the 42 characteristics.
The next site we looked out was an online evaluation to decide if you should consult a physician. We took the test which rated Aiden in something like six different areas. At the end of the evaluation it would compile your responses for each area and if it rated you between moderate to severe in two or more areas you should seek professional assistance. Aiden was between moderate to severe in all 8 areas. Six of the areas were severe. That was all I could take. We did not look at any more sites that night or since.
The next morning, at breakfast, I began the conversation. I said, "Aiden, I need to apologize to you. The other day, when we were in the doctor's office, you tried to tell the doctor something, and I told you to shush. I wasn't being a very good listener, but I am ready to listen now. What were you going to say about seeing things?" He went on to explain that he sees letters floating in the air. Sometimes they are A's or B's, but they are always red, and he can never touch them."
My husband and I made an apology appointment with the pediatrician that same day. The next day we met with the school staff who were not surprised and were very supportive. Aiden was given a 504 which is much like an Special Education IEP (Individualized Education Plan) without qualifying for special services.
Now, four months later, life is much better. Aiden is able to verbalize what is causing him difficulty, and since we are now listening, his needs are being better met. I have gotten a few tips from friends with experience. My favorite is the colored transparency strips. We used to plug our ears when Aiden would read aloud, and now, when he reads through a colored transparency strip, it sounds so good I really just want to cry. We are no longer up until midnight doing homework, and he actually says he loves to read now - I NEVER thought I'd hear him say that.
So, why share this in a BLOG? Well, for one, I am realizing that it is therapeutic. It feels good to think through the experience, that for so long, I didn't want to think about. I am not scared of my son having Dyslexia anymore. Now, I am ready for the next step. The problem is, I am not sure what the next step is. I truly do not know what Dyslexia is? How my son got it? Or, anything about it.
That is the reason for this BLOG. I need to know, where do I go from here? I want to investigate Dyslexia, what it is, and how it relates to my son's life. I don't want to be in denial anymore.
When the preschool teachers told me my son was having difficulty with academic tasks like copying from the board or drawing certain figures, I had the same response as I did when they told me my daughter was off the charts in language skills, "How are they at making friends?" That is all I wanted to know. As the years have passed, both of my children have been happy, mostly-adjusted, well behaved children; but, it always seemed that my son was working a little harder at everything.
Being a teacher of 14 years, I have seen children struggle, and then succeed - and succeed and then struggle - so I didn't worry about Aiden too much. My husband and I would diligently help him work through difficult assignments and he was generally able to keep A's and B's in school.
About second grade, I noticed that his letter reversals were not going away. I casually mentioned it to the pediatrician who asked that we keep an eye on it - not a huge deal.
In third grade, when we went for his check up, the pediatrician - being the awesome doctor that he is - asked about the reversals. When I told him that they were still occurring, he suggested that we talk to the school corporation about an academic evaluation. Of course I blurted out, "NO," and then went on to calmly explain that Aiden had good grades in school and seemed to be doing fine, other than the reversals. (I failed to mention to the doctor that I had begun to notice Aiden reversing, not only letters, but words. For example, if he were to read the word VERY, it would most likely come out as EVER, and NEVER was always EVEN.)
During the fourth grade pediatrician visit, I was still in denial. The doctor questioned the reversals and once again suggested testing. This time, I was a little more thought out. I have a background in elementary special education , so I am well aware that dyslexia is not considered a disability in Indiana schools. I also thought thatin order to get services, he would need to qualify as learning disabled. Learning disabled Aiden is NOT. He will sit for hours explaining the Theory of Relativity, how dust came to be, all major and many miner contributors to American and World History, and the child has a better grasp of Theology than most adults. There was no way with good conscious I could ask for him to be tested. Then the pediatrician, seeing what I refused to see, suggested that Aiden visit a specialized psychologist. "No, thank you. He is doing fine," was really all I could come up with. At the same time, my son started a conversation with his doctor about how he sees things that aren't there and they move when he goes to touch them. No wonder the doctor wanted him to see a psychologist!!! I was so embarrassed, I shushed my son, saying "Quit being such a hypochondriac," and as quickly as possible we left the doctor's office.
Two days later, I was at an evening graduate class, when I overheard a side conversation coming from a group of classmates. One of them, Kay, who I have been in many classes with and has always freely discussed her struggles and triumphs with Dyslexia, was explaining to the others, "Those people would always get so frustrated with me! They would say I was being lazy when I didn't read those little words, and so I just got frustrated right back and told them, 'I can read those big words - they're not the problem. It's just those little words - they disappear and I just can't see them."
I didn't say a word. I just sat. My jaw hanging open. And listened. I was no longer listening to Kay and her sidebar conversation. All I could hear was a replay in my head of the many nights that in frustration I would shout at my son, "Aiden! Quit being so darn LAZY!! If you can read all those big words, you can read the LITTLE WORDS!" Over and over and over it played through my head!
When I got home that evening, the children already in bed, I told my husband about the doctors visit, and about the conversation I had overheard. He just kind of laughed as he Googled dyslexia.
One of the first sights we came across was a list of something like 42 characteristics of Dyslexia. We were about half way down the list, when I stopped, put my head in my hands and sobbed.
SEES NON-EXISTENT MOVING OBJECTS
I shushed my son. He was tring to give important infomation to the doctor and I SHUSHED HIM! Not only was I a terrible mother for not seeing this earlier, I pretty much told him to shut up. Wow! I don't think I will ever get over the shock of reading that characteristic on the list. By the time the list was done, we decided Aiden met about 39 of the 42 characteristics.
The next site we looked out was an online evaluation to decide if you should consult a physician. We took the test which rated Aiden in something like six different areas. At the end of the evaluation it would compile your responses for each area and if it rated you between moderate to severe in two or more areas you should seek professional assistance. Aiden was between moderate to severe in all 8 areas. Six of the areas were severe. That was all I could take. We did not look at any more sites that night or since.
The next morning, at breakfast, I began the conversation. I said, "Aiden, I need to apologize to you. The other day, when we were in the doctor's office, you tried to tell the doctor something, and I told you to shush. I wasn't being a very good listener, but I am ready to listen now. What were you going to say about seeing things?" He went on to explain that he sees letters floating in the air. Sometimes they are A's or B's, but they are always red, and he can never touch them."
My husband and I made an apology appointment with the pediatrician that same day. The next day we met with the school staff who were not surprised and were very supportive. Aiden was given a 504 which is much like an Special Education IEP (Individualized Education Plan) without qualifying for special services.
Now, four months later, life is much better. Aiden is able to verbalize what is causing him difficulty, and since we are now listening, his needs are being better met. I have gotten a few tips from friends with experience. My favorite is the colored transparency strips. We used to plug our ears when Aiden would read aloud, and now, when he reads through a colored transparency strip, it sounds so good I really just want to cry. We are no longer up until midnight doing homework, and he actually says he loves to read now - I NEVER thought I'd hear him say that.
So, why share this in a BLOG? Well, for one, I am realizing that it is therapeutic. It feels good to think through the experience, that for so long, I didn't want to think about. I am not scared of my son having Dyslexia anymore. Now, I am ready for the next step. The problem is, I am not sure what the next step is. I truly do not know what Dyslexia is? How my son got it? Or, anything about it.
That is the reason for this BLOG. I need to know, where do I go from here? I want to investigate Dyslexia, what it is, and how it relates to my son's life. I don't want to be in denial anymore.
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