Ask your pediatrician for the name of a psychologist that does testing for learning disabilities and gifted children (most kids who are dyslexic are extremely intelligent). I am sure you were given incorrect information when you were told they do not test for dyslexia in Oregon. You can also look for a school that specializes in dyslexia (there are private schools that have that specialty). They are a great resource for getting diagnosed and they teach the children in a short period of time (usually two years) how to cope with dyslexia. Once the program is completed in one of these private schools, the child can be mainstreamed back into a regular school without further help.

Find an optometrist that specializes in vision therapy....they do a more thorough eye exam than the average eye doc.....pay for it yourself....it's a good place to start. Go to this link. www.optometrists.org/

Good luck!

pacaceres, in most school districts, if you move mid-year, your children should still be able to finish out the term in their current building. You will probably have to provide your own transportation for them, because busses can't re-route outside of the district limits, but at least your son should finish this year where he started. I wonder if you asked his current case manager, would that person know someone in one of the other schools, so you might get a better idea about their services?
For general questions and support, I invite you to join Greatschools Learning and Attention Difficulties Group at community.greatschools.net/groups/11554, and a very support forum for medication questions and related special ed issues is www.millermom.proboards107.com

We have just moved into a different school district. My 15 yr. old son has been in special ed. since 3rd. grade. He is changing and his teachers in high school have seen a great improvement in him. Learning wise, hygiene wise,socially, too. He has a friend that goes to a high school not far from us but is not in our school district. I am checking a few more schools in our district and I am not impressed with the results. He also has a twin brother he is very close to and they want to go to the same school. I would hate to see all our progress blow-up. My son has been in counseling and is now working out his Meds. to a comfortable zone. We had to move because we lost our house. He does feel upset about the loss but we spent alot of time and money trying to modify. Anyway, he will survive but all these financial institutions need to realize they are messing up kids/families because they won't work with us. They need stability. But I need to find a great school system which won't cause too much shock for him! I can't believe the school system is so ??????? not knowledgeable about their own schools.

angierodriguez, WHO told you yesterday that your son has ADHD and you need to find a public school for him? Only medical professionals can diagnose ADHD, and I don't know of many preschools that have doctors or clinical psychologists on their staff. It may be true that your son shows behaviors similar to a child with ADHD, like a poor attention span, difficulty focusing and starting/completing his work, etc, but there are other conditions (NOT just ADHD) which have those symptoms. Even if your son DOES have ADHD, there may be ways to treat it such that he can do well in a private school. (My son has ADHD and he attended a private elementary after the public school proved to be a poor match for him. Every private and every public school is different. It sounds like your private school is very "intolerant" and maybe it wouldn't be the best place for your son, anyway, but other private schools might be fine.)

In your situation, I would first contact your pediatrician to get a verification of his situation, and then decide how to proceed. You might also like to join the Learning and Attention Difficulties Group at community.greatschools.net/groups/11554

I'm going through the same thing... I've paid top $$ for private school for 2 years of preschool and I was just told yesterday that my son has ADD and I should find a public school for him..... I feel so helpless...

School can be rougher on some children than others and your daughter has a combination of things that may make school feel pretty rough to her - she's not one of those very bright kids who quickly learns to read almost without needing to be taught how - but she is one of those very bright kids so she'll be acutely aware of her reading skills in comparison to the other very bright children in her class.
And that hurts - it hurts to be a young and bright child yet one who finds reading hard and math tedious. She wants to stay home to avoid the hurt - and likely some embarrassment too. I don't see her as having the attitude of a middle schooler - she just sounds like a hurt young child to me.
My own son had the same reading profile - he was bright but phonics baffled him - and in 1st grade he became truely school phobic panicking when I took him to school in the morning.
Does the school know how your daughter is feeling? Do they know that your daughter is very smart child who's smarting from what's happening at school? Is there a guidance counselor you can speak with? In the ideal world, her teacher would be showing her an extra measure of caring right now and also be generous in her praise of your daughter. A warm and caring teacher can go a long way toward helping any child feel more comfortable in school.
For children who are struggling with reading, the usual recommendation is to have parents read aloud to their child to 'flood' them with language and literature. In your daughter's case, I don't see that as crucial as it is with other struggling readers. Your daughter's vocabularly strongly suggests to me that she is verbally gifted. To have developed a sophisticated vocabulary without being able to read is very impressive.
The other usual recommendation is one I'd still recommend. Find books that are very easy for her - although it may be a challenge to find easy reading books that will yet keep this bright girl interested. If she reads as best she can every night for 20 minutes in an easy book, it can help and a lot.
I'd recommend reading anything by Mel Levine - a pediatrician whose speciality is learning differences. I hope you'll post back and let us know how it goes.

I want to thank everyone that has answered me, your advice has helped a lot. I think that I might actually be getting somewhere now. At least I'm making some waves and what feels like progress at this point.

You will need to have your daughter tested so the school can give her an IEP plan. Make your request IN WRITING-- otherwise they will ignore you.

Does you DD have any speech issues? If she does, INSIST that she get speech therapy immediately.

Meanwhile, you need to look into sensory-based programs for your daughter. These types of programs are proven to work with dyslexic kids and other kids who just can't learn the way they teach in schools. Curriculums to look for are Orton-Gillingham, Lindamood-Bell, Sonday, and LiPS.

Good luck.

Have her hearing check.She might not be able to hear everything.

Discouraged, please re-read my original reply, and if you don't feel comfortable standing up to the school by yourself, then I encourage you to consider hiring an advocate; you can find some on this list: www.copaa.org/find/index.php If none are near you, contact one to ask if they can recommend somebody in your area.
As far as students who are bright and have ADHD and/or LDs, there is a term for them, called "2e" or "twice exceptional." My son is "2e" and perhaps your daughter is, too. Without testing, you will not know for sure. In any case, if you want to read more about "2e" children, I've compiled a number of resources at community.greatschools.net/groups/16042

You really need to get her tested.. If the school won't do it, do it through another source, even if you have to pay for it. It will still cost you later when you have to pay for tutors every summer, workbooks, etc. My son has had a lot of the same problems you mention. He is now in the 5th grade and is finally reading better this year. His writing has improved, but still needs a lot of work. He didn't get intervention from the school until the 3rd grade. We put it off thinking that he would grow up and finally "get it" one day. We have paid out-of-pocket every summer for him to have a tutor and I have bought many manipulatives to use at home. When you get the testing done, and if there are problems, you can request an extra set of textbooks to use at home, and other things that the child needs. The computer has been a great tool for learning multiplication tables, etc.
Hang in there. I know it is tough. Just read the websites about your legal rights and don't let the school get away with anything. Everything can be written up in an IEP and the school has to follow the document to assist your child. Anything, like front row seating, longer time to take tests, books on tape, etc.

Let me quote from her latest report card... She needs improvement in math. "She's getting extra help 2 days a week. I'm to have her count money whenever possible." She needs improvement in reading "She's improving but is still below grade level." The teacher does like her writing, but says, “She has good ideas, but is a slow worker."
The school also has her in a “special reading group” SMART reading and they have two fifth grade girls help her with the reading a couple times a week.

Now, here is what I see. She has little patience for math or reading. She throws little fits when I try to get her to do her homework. She tends to do better if I use objects like candy or money to represent the math problems that she is doing. Manipulating objects seems to help her grasp the concept better.

When she writes, she writes numbers backwards 99% of the time and she writes most letters backwards. She does not notice anything wrong with them and gets very frustrated with me if I try to stop her and point out her mistakes.

When she reads aloud to me, she often guesses at words instead of reading them, or she’ll be reading a word and say something slightly different than what is printed on the page. Sometimes her substitutions make sense but most of the time I know that she’s not reading the word correctly even when I’m not reading with her simply because it doesn’t fit into the context of the sentence. She’s having a difficult time learning phonics and still doesn’t seem to be able to sound out words without assistance. It’s almost as though, if she looks at a word and doesn’t know it by sight, she can’t figure out what it is at all.

She has an amazing vocabulary, using words like metacarpal and semantics at the age of six, she is seven now and her vocabulary is expanding even more. It's my opinion that if she can pick up words out of conversation like that, figure out the meaning, remember them and use them correctly herself that she's not unintelligent and dim-witted enough that she is incapable of comprehending and mastering simple math and basic reading.

She distracts easily from work that aggravates her and knows that she’s doing poorly. Her attitude about school is depressing. She’d much rather say home then go to school unless there is something special going on at school that day. She plays up sicknesses hoping that I’ll fall for it and keep her home. She’s already calling herself dumb. My second grader has the attitude of a middle school student, and that to me, is a very scary thing.

HI. I can give you a TON of information, but in the interest of space, I'll try to be specific. When dealing with schools, you need to use "their" terminology. Except for Texas, schools in most states don't recognize the term "dyslexia." They do, however, use terms like "SLD" (Specific Learning Disability) and Reading Disorder, Disorder of Written Expression, etc. SO instead of verbally asking the school to "test for dyslexia;" you have to a submit written request for a comprehensive educational evaluation in all areas of suspected learning disabilities...For legal reasons, it's vital to maintain a written documentation record, or "paper trail" when dealing with special education issues.

There's a federal law, IDEA, that talks about the rights of students with disabilities....the thing is, every state can determine its own guidelines for determining who is eligible for special education services, and a few years ago, RTI (Response to Intervention) was introduced....The idea is to try different levels of "Special Help" programs to see if they can improve a child's performance, before deciding the child really does need special education. It sounds to me like that's what your daughter's school district has been doing, BUT it's not working, so they've got to go to the next step. They're stalling. They're using the "you don't want your child labeled "LD" tactic," but the reality is, if your child has LDs and isn't properly identified, she'll be labelled something else instead (dumb, lazy, etc.) and she won't be getting the remediation help needed. When it came to my child, I wanted to know the REAL story. I know you do, too.

Here's a recent discussion that has many, many good resources listed in it, to tell you how to proceed: community.greatschools.net/groups/11554/discussion/238817?cpage=3
Start at the earliest answers, and look at all the resources listed, and I think you'll find all the information you need for now.

For future questions, please post in the Learning and Attention Difficulties Group at community.greatschools.net/groups/11554

One you will do the right thing because its obvious you do care . There are alot of places to research on this website . I just joined and alot of resourses are here. two ,what are the problems your daughter is having exactly in math,and did you say reading. Is it comprehension lack of concentration could you be more specific also please browse this website so many people including my family and friends that seem to have some of the same issues Hang in there you are a good mom good moms find answers