Prevail

I suggest that you start by investigating the Florida Center for Reading Research. It's in Tallahassee.

www.fcrr.org/

Their site has lots of great information. Sometimes when researching a child's disabilities, you have to e-mail someone for more information and a reference.So if you can't find exactly what you want already posted on the site, I suggest that you pursue their contact info and ask a real person for advice.

Thank you Dr. Johnson for the information.

Prevail-

Take a look at this program: www.bartonreading.com

Also, under the FCRR you can take a look at 3rd tier programs and see if your district currently offers any of them. Look here at the available programs:

www.fcrr.org/FCRRReports/tier3interventions.htm

When you click on a particular program, if you go to the very bottom of the PDF, it will list the districts that utilize it within their curriculum. Look for programs that are already offered in your district as It might give you a basis to start.

I am sorry to hear that the school your son attends is not willing to try and adjust their education programs to fit his needs, and I can definitley relate. My parents moved my siblings and I to Florida because the learning disability programs are better here and more schools have them. When my sister had a hard time reading due to her Dyslexia my mom used Hooked On Phonics to teach her how to read better. If tutoring is not helping your son, I would suggest using programs such as Hooked On Phonics, or maybe further consider the idea of homeschooling. I work for a tutoring center myself, and if you live in the area your son could get the help he needs here!

Thanks for writing back Eileen. I am considering homeschooling my son, I'm just so afraid that I won't be able to give him the instructions that the school couldn't provide for him either. I've searched many programs but they are all costly and I cannot afford them. I've tried getting him into private schools but even with a scholarship it still wouldn't cover the tuition. I'm trying so hard to not fail him as his school has. I have to take him out of his school right away, at this moment he is so overwhelmed with all the work that they are pushing on him just so he can be prepared for the FCAT which he is not prepared for not to mention that he will be retained and he's worked so hard this year especially for this to happen to him.

I am in the same boat, I live in Montgomery,Alabama and I find one school for dyslexic children which is to much for me to pay. She is in private school now and gets a special class once a day which the teacher helps with reading using the Scottish Rites method, that is helping but next year I am not sure I can afford to send her to private school, I work full time and the school district we are zoned for is not a good school so I don't feel that is an option. I am thinking about home schooling but am worried I won't have the time I need to teach her. Finding help that is affordable for dyslexic children is tough, and frustrating to not be able to provide your child with what they need to learn.

Well I finally withdrew him from public school and started homeschooling him, it's tough but I have to tell you that I feel I made the right decision. I found a curriculum called Time4learning, practically all of the lessons read the text outloud to him. I use a program that I have called Natural Reader which reads the text which I am able to highlight. The lessons that I cannot highlight, I just have my son really try and do his best when I cannot be there right by his side. I go to school myself for 4 hours and when I get back home I help him do some more lessons that he couldn't finish. It hasn't been a week yet so I am still feeling out the program and my son is getting used to homeschooling, he hasn't quite adjusted yet since it's still very new to him but I'm sure after a week or two he'll be used to the routine. This is all still very new to me as well so I'm learning as I go along but I do feel this load has been lifted and actually feel less worried and am looking at this as a voyage that will be a great experience for me as well as my son.

Please keep me posted on your homeschooling, how it is working out. As I said I work full time but I only work 3 days 12 hour shifts and would have 4 days to school her. How many hours a day do you school? I have heard since it is one on one your school hours are shorter. I'm so confused about this, I worry she will not work with me, I won't have the time, what will I do with her when I work, a lot of questions and lots of nights with not much sleep.... Grrr

I have a son who is 10 and has dyslexia. We are in NC and I am struggeling with school. My son is bright and can read very well. He has trouble with the out put. Writing is so hard for him and it causes him to dislike anything he has to write which is everything. I too believe I had dyslexia. I struggled with the same things as a kid did average in elementary school but well in Hight School and am a successful adult. I know the rest of his years in school will be hard and I am more worried about his self esteem then anything. He is a homebody so I am afraid if I homeschool he will not get out and inter act with kids and will private schools give him what he needs as far as accommodations, I have been told no. What does anyone know about computer school online for K-12? Will colleges look at this and automatically decline applications? So what to do!!!!

Is there a reason for me to get an official diagnosis? Will it do anything except confirm what I have known for many years?

Samantha4,
If you got your son tested the public schools are suppose to by law work with them making certain accommodations in school such as: longer time to take test,reading material resources,and special writing classes, they are also suppose to come up with a special plan for helping him in school this happened because of the no school left behind laws but as I understand a child has to be failing before they do something. My child is in private school and she gets one special class a day to help her learn to read and write but when she has math story problems she can't read them fast enough and doesn't do well. But our private school is getting to expensive for me right now. Some area have private schools just for dyslexic children but they are very expensive. My daughter is also getting low self esteem and what I have been doing is letting her try new things then when I find something she enjoys she works at it until she masters it, or she also helps cook and she feels good about helping. I am not sure about on line schooling or what is excepted in college. I wish there were many more affordable schools for dyslexic children. I am also dyslexic so I know the day to day struggles of this but I have learned how to deal with it and I have a professional job and do pretty well.

To Nursegirl1963,
You are not alone, trust me! I was in your shoes and I found a way, it will be a bit hectic juggling work and homeschooling but I think it's worth the sacrifice. I also think that with time you'll figure it all out, I'm doing that just now. I was working part time during the week after I would drop my son off at public school and sometimes even continue after I picked him up since I was able to take him with me but now that's changed. Since I started homeschooling him I haven't been able to go into work during the week but I think that's because of two things, for one my IT classes started on Monday, something I didn't have before and two I haven't gotten my son's schedule exact yet. What I'm doing so far is leaving my son in the mornings with his dad who knows very little english when I go off to school at 8am, I leave everything written down for my son to do, I draw diagrams to make it easy for him to understand, he starts right after breakfast which is usually around 8:30am. When I get back home around 1pm, he's usually done or still has a few activities that he couldn't do on his own and at this time I help him with that. Because we just started this on Tuesday, I am still playing around with the subjects and activities to see what works best. So far I like the curriculum that we are using www.time4learning.com. I actually got this info. right off this site. It's very affordable and my son feels comfortable with it. I will definitely keep you posted on how and what I'm doing. As far as my part time job goes my boss understands and is letting me make it up on the weekends. I was thinking of gettting a laptop for my son so that I can take him with me after my classes to my job that way he can finish up whatever work he couldn't do before and I can work as well instead of working all day and night on Saturday and Sunday.

Thanks for comments. Yes, he was tested in MA privately and at school then in NC privately and at school and has an IEP I had to fight for. They meaning NC schools did want him to fail first even though they would not admit it. I had to get a professional advocate and have him re tested. But he did not have a 15 point discrepancy and I had to ask for the alternate to discrepancy form to be used for my son with my advocate present and they finally agreed. I still don't see his IEP getting met as it should and I am just tired of asking and fighting. My next step is a private school I guess. Who has the extra money today, not me but what else can I do. I some times feel like the plan of some schools is to resit the parents and the needs of the kids until you are just worn out and don't want to or can not fight any more. I still have 3 others to go through school and just pray I don't have to do this with any of my others. I feel like my 10 year old gets all my time, home work is a few hours long and the others suffer indirectly for that. It is hard to be a responsible parent ,never mind tring to do it with out guilt!!!

Prevail,
Thanks so much for the web site it is differently worth looking into and very affordable.
Samantha4,
I totally feel your frustration, is homeschooling an option for you? Or maybe just a home program. Take a look at the web site Prevail posted she is using for her son, I thought if I could not home school my daughter I got programs that help dyslexic children, I have a program for the computer called Nessy, it is from the U.K and I think it was like 20.00 and my daughter likes it play it once I get her started on it, but I have to motivate her to do any program and reading is better now because we read together, she reads and the words she can't sound out I read for her or sometimes I read a line and she reads a line. If writing is the problem have him do more work on the computer and print it off. I know they allow a lot of computer programs for ppl with dyslexia. Where they speak and the computer writes it down. Nessy also has a program that says it teaches typing or keyboarding in like 3 lessons. I have not tried that yet. My daughter is much younger than her other siblings she is the only one at home, but my youngest son who is 18 now is/was ADHD and I left the other children left out when I had to spend so much time doing homework with him, I would try to have a special day with each one of the children and do whatever they wanted to, but it could not cost over 10.00 and most of the time they picked a fishing day which was almost free. I hope this helps, I know that feeling of hitting brick walls until you just want to give up. Keep in mind children are a gift from God and this one was given to you for a reason, keep up the fight you are your sons biggest hope to get the help he needs.

I have read many of your posts everyone and am encouraged by all of you and see some things I am going to look into. I just wanted to mention, we use the RFB&D organization for all my sons text books, and all of his reading books for reports. I am not sure if you are familiar with it , but is is $100 for a year, and you get 35 books yearly to check out. I have even had book put on cd for him. The player is portable, and can place book marks, and go to page #'s, etc.
You have most likely already seen this, but just though I would share. Thanks, Amy

Prevail,
Please tell me how your homeschooling is going? I have decided to home school next year but I need to find a sitter/daycare for once in a while when no one can be here, I work 12 hour shifts 3 days a week. Anyway I just wondered how it was going.

Hi Nursegirl1963,
My son is doing okay with the homeschooling but I think he would rather go to school. I think what may work for some kids may not work for another. I am seeking private schools as well. I think that because I am going to school during the time that he is homelearning, it's a little difficult for him since my husband's english is not that good and by the time I get home my son wants a break. It's definitely better than public school that's for sure, I have no regrets about that because I can see the work that he's doing and what he doesn't understand I can explain to him when I get home. I'll know better in another month and a half when I finish my classes and can be here for him during the morning hours that he's home learning. I'll be able to give you a better picture then. I've been trying to incorporate art in his curriculum and eventually music. One step at a time, I'll keep you posted. Hope this helps. Take care.

Prevail,
It sure does help and yes please keep me posted....Good Luck

I am also dyslexic and I have 2 children with dyslexia. After learning of my kids dyslexia I did a lot of research and found the Davis Dyslexia Program! This saved our life! My youngest daughter has gone up 2 reading levels (comprehension), from failing to making 100s on spelling tests, and increased her vocabulary. This is less than 2 months after this program. I am excited to see what more time will bring. We continue the program at home. We tried other programs but have seen nothing like this! I wish school would impliment this. Studies have shown that schools who adopted this program for early childhood education actually did away with special education and added gifted and talented programs for All children...not just dyslexics.