<p>God, aside from the time and money, I really hope that he wasn’t put through that vision therapy for nothing. I am going to contact that neuropsych who cancelled before. I’m also going to take him to see an eye surgeon to see if muscle weakness is confirmed. Recently, something odd happened that made me wonder if there isn’t more going on. My son caught a nasty virus that caused a repetitive cough and caused him to miss a lot of school. The pediatrician prescribed an albuterol inhaler as needed just for the duration of the cough. I only gave him a squirt 2 days in a row. It didn’t help his cough all that much. However, I noticed that on those 2 days he used it, right after, he was able to sit for quite a while and work on homework. My husband and I both have asthma, he does not. However, he does have allergies. I don’t know, maybe I’m grasping, but it was odd.</p>
<p>Your son sounds like a gifted child with LD’s. He NEEDS to be evaluated ASAP. An IEP is not the end of the world and may make the difference for him in college admissions.
I knew a girl who had trouble “separating” lines, whose vision improved from yellow colored glasses (plus other thing, but they had to do the precise evaluation, over several days, to pinpoint that this would help her reading on a day-to-day level). Your son may have dyspraxia. We don’t know, we don’t know, and certainly the optometrist doesn’t know. Of course he’d say therapy would help (it can), but it’s unlikely to be enough.
If he had a 69 on the Regents, let him retake the class and the test. With a 69 he’s not considered college-ready and is unlikely to be placed in college prep classes at the high school level. It doesn’t matter that he passed if he passed at “not college material” level, especially since he’s likely to be gifted. He won’t be able to use his gifts until his LD is diagnosed and he has the proper accomodations.
Finally, the private schools don’t seem to accomodate him well. Although you had a bad experience with the local public schools, I don’t see how it could be worse with the public schools since at least they’d be legally required to accomodate him properly. In addition, it’d be free, which would help save money for him to do fun things for him, like go to Lego camp in the summer or something.
Since he’s passionate about legos and building stuff, have him join a Robotics FIRST team.
Finally, reading comics IS reading. Since that’s what he likes to read, buy him TONS of comics and graphic novels. There are lots of good ones, some of which are read in college (Persepolis, or Blankets, for instance - some are actually too mature for his age.)</p>
<p>If your son got a 69, he can benefit from sitting in the class for a second year to help build those skills and to make sure that he is adequately prepared for math. If the school programmed him for a second year of algebra, IMHO, they were correct to do so as there is no need to race through the math curriculum, especially since he has not demonstrated mastering it.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>His calculator is not supposed to be programmed. if the calculator was programmed, it is considered cheating and grounds disqualifying the exam and score. At my school, students are not allowed to use their own calculators (yes, we have enough for the whole school). Each student is given a calculator in the classroom to ensure that they are not programmed.</p>
<p>NYS specifically states the following regarding calculators:</p>
<p>
</a></p>
<p>“Let me ask you, and anyone else of the same ilk, because I have shared a lot and have been very polite thus far about the lack of constructive help vs. criticism from some-- what is the purpose of the question like that? What difference does an answer to that make? To berate me for not doing enough, for not having a crystal ball, for not being at the perfectly right professional at the perfectly right time? I’m HERE, aren’t I? Will this again be another effort for me to handle a problem correctly, only to be blown off? Please, if you are not going to help me solve the issue of current math placement, or provide constructive advice on HOW TO MOVE FORWARD, then why are you here?”</p>
<p>The reasons for the criticisms is to get you to understand that you need to change. Those of us who are calling you out are trying to get you to realize that it looks like you are not accepting the fact that you are ultimately responsible for the success of you child.</p>
<p>You continue to demonstrate this with statements like “Nobody guided me, no professional. Which despite spending 6 hours a day with licensed teachers, none of which figured it out.” How do you blame a teacher who spends 6 hours a day with 30 kids when you have many more hours and 1? kid!?</p>
<p>When your child wasn’t turning in his homework, and kept scraping by where were you! I say this as a gifted but lazy child - the fault of my laziness was my own, but had my parents paid any attention at all to my work, I would have done much better in school. As a parent of two college age children, I never allowed the lazy that exists in most children to snowball from skipping an assignment here and there to the inevitable failing grades. </p>
<p>I understand that eventually you’ve figured out there is more going on than simple laziness, but had you been on top of things from the beginning you would have learned this much sooner. </p>
<p>The takeaway isn’t about hindsight however! The takeaway is that, going forward, you need to be the support system for your child every day. You need to be tutor, coach, motivational speaker. Every day! You need to change the environment now! Otherwise anything that any doctor, teacher, etc does for your child will be wasted! </p>
<p>"Hypothetically, if I were to call this neuropsych back up and say “vision therapy didn’t work, evaluate him”, what would really be the outcome? A statement that he has verbal and comprehension deficits due to visual processing issues, and anxiety as a result? What’s the solution that hasn’t been tried? "</p>
<p>You have clearly put a lot of energy into trying to help your son. I think you need to work smarter, and not harder. </p>
<p>The statement above indicates you don’t have much faith in the evaluation process or the potential results, perhaps based on horror stories you have read online. In addition, you are assuming you already know what the results will be - that he has visual processing issues. This might be the case, but from what you have stated, it seems likely there is more going on. So, you are limiting treatment options by assuming that you know at the outset what his problem is.</p>
<p>IEP’s are meant to help, and the vast majority of students benefit from them. Your years of trying to work this out on your own, while admirable, have not solved your son’s issues. Please consider taking a more traditional route. Get the full testing done. A Doctor of Optometry does not have a medical degree and they don’t have training to identify learning disabilities. They know how to correct vision. That is a very narrow scope. </p>
<p>There is precious little evidence that vision therapy corrects learning problems. </p>
<ol>
<li><p>This child has had ongoing educational issues.</p></li>
<li><p>Contact your local public school system and find out how to request a comprehensive educational evaluation. They are required to consider your request.</p></li>
<li><p>Stop thinking that moving from school to school to school will change things, this has not happened in many years of trying.</p></li>
<li><p>Your posts are WAY too long, and confusing to read, in my opinion.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>P.S. Private schools can accept students of their choice. Some simply do not have the staff to accommodate the goals/objectives on an IEP.</p>
<p>YOU, the parent, can make a request for an educational evaluation in your PUBLIC SCHOOLS. The schools are required to review your request for evaluation. They will want to review relevant data from your child’s schooling. They will formulate an evaluation plan based on the presented concerns.</p>
<p>If you really want to help your child, get this request written and submitted today.</p>
<p>I still think getting him tested for LDs and other issues is prudent. To maintain an IEP at least in our state, the testing needs to occur every 3 years. Testing this year would mean his next round would be in 11th grade, perfect for college planning and what would need to be submitted to a college disabilities office if that is the path he takes. I think you need to find a school where he is not pushed past his capabilities. Being capable or competent is totally different from capacity. </p>
<p>With regard to the reading. My dyslexic son and my son with convergence issues both were able to read OK…never really got them past the 50th percentile, but that is “good enough” for college and their lives. It hurts with the standardized testing but fortunately the world does not revolve around standardized testing - only college admissions and only for one year. After that everyone starts at ground zero. Kids with issues do learn to adapt but the ones that are more successful do have some inner drive to succeed which you might be battling right now when maybe he needs to battle. I’d look deep to find out why you “think” his Algebra teacher is going to “fail him.” Perhaps just let it go and get out of the way and let your son own this problem if he succeeds he might find some inner drive (and solidify his Algebra scores) and if he fails, it’s only 8th grade.</p>
<p>Get him evaluated for his LD. Have him read his homework reading out loud to you. If he’s skipping lines, would it help to use an index card as he reads to aid with tracking? And if the teacher is so bad, work with him on the algebra. If he scores well on the exams, I don’t see how he can be failed. You keep insisting he’s very bright and he’s already passed algebra, so I don’t see how hard it can be for him to get A’s on his exams the second time around with additional study.</p>
<p>Get a comprehensive educational evaluation done. This youngster could have a learning disability. But he could also have another disability that will NOT show as an LD. The educational team at the public school needs to look at all of the presenting concerns, and make a prudent decision regarding what assessments will help them determine whether (and what) this student has a disability, AND to formulate an appropriate intervention plan.</p>
<p>You first posted on this forum about the SAME issues with this young man in 2008. </p>
<p>And while I won’t diagnose online, I agree with MommaJ. The likelihood of this resolving because of vision therapy is very low!</p>
<p>It sounds like your son is very very bright but definitely has learning issues. I also tried to read every single post but I will admit to skipping lines as well. </p>
<p>Get him evaluated. Get a full evaluation with all the tests like:
WlSC-IV, WoodcockJohnson, Gray Oral Reading Tests, Gray Silent Reading Tests,
Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests, Test of Visual Perceptual Skills - the list goes on. It really sounds like you’re addressing the symptons and maybe missing the actual issues.</p>
<p>It may very well be that vision therapy helped but this alone can’t be the only solution. I don’t think I ever heard of just vision therapy alone would rid a student of all his/her learning issues. If tracking is the main issue, does he use a yellow transparent overlay? That, somehow, may improve his tracking (lower contrast between the letters and the background).</p>
<p>My children both have learning issues - totally different ones. Your son’s issues sound remarkably like my daughter’s when she was younger. When she was in 2nd grade, I had my daughter evaluated for dyslexia because her spoken vocabulary (very high - about 5 grades above grade), reading comprehension (barely, if on-grade level) and spelling (well below grade level) were so different. She was deemed non-dyslexic but the school recommended intensive tutoring twice a week. We continued the tutoring for 3 years (it dropped down to once a week after 18 months). It took at least six months before we really saw results - it wasn’t like she could suddenly read Harry Potter after two or three months of tutoring. We also had her vision checked but she didn’t need vision therapy. </p>
<p>As for Algebra I - the fact that he could pass the regent’s exam shows that he is very very bright. Unfortunately, the score also shows that he needs to retake it to provide a solid base for high school math and beyond. Are you sure his current teacher is so bad and out to get him? Have you set up a meeting with the teacher and try to come up with ways to work with the teacher? (I’m sorry, I just couldn’t read every single post of yours). Your son may also have to get a math tutor - teachers like it when you say “oh, yes, X is seeing a tutor and working hard on XYZ.” You could then ask the teacher to coordinate with the tutor.</p>
<p>When my son showed signs of academic struggle in kindergarten/first grade, we had him go through a full evaluation (that’s where I got all the names of the above tests). For now, he is seeing a therapist/tutor who works with him on specific skills which most kids do without any problems but are difficult for him and affect his education. Again, his learning struggles are not being solved overnight.</p>
<p>Finally, try to keep him in a single place. Switching schools has to be disruptive. That was also a mistake I made with my daughter. Once we settled in one school, she improved (again this showed up the second year, not immediately) because we just stopped moving her around. I’m not saying his current school is the best place for him. You need to get him evaluated first and then look for schools that will address whatever issues that come to light as a result of the evaluation.</p>
<p>Hi - first, I’m so sorry you and your son are struggling with this. I too have a son who’s gifted and who has LDs and is also deaf. For a long time, we attributed his school behaviors to his hearing loss but then son #2 came along and is also deaf but has none of the learning issues that son #1 has. Definitely have him tested by a neuropsych who has experience evaluating kids with learning disabilities. And it’s true that private schools don’t have to accommodate IEP kids. But I’ve heard some instances where the child had an IEP and then was placed in a different school (not the town’s public school) because the public school couldn’t accommodate. You would need to advocate for a different placement because districts aren’t always willing because of cost. But before that, you need to know what issues your son has so you can target working on them. </p>
<p>I’d also suggest finding a group of parents with kids with learning issues. It helped me tremendously. We have a local group that matches parents with various issues. I can’t say enough good about those contacts.</p>
<p>My heart goes out to you.</p>
<p>"I’m also thinking of having him study for and take an SAT subject test for whatever correlates to the Algebra material. And have him study Geometry in the summer. "</p>
<p>You really need to take a deep breath. He does not need to take an SAT subject test in math. And, there is no SAT subject test that correlates with Algebra 1. </p>
<p>This should not be the focus of your concern. It is distracting from the real problem. Focus on the steps to get the evaluation done through your public school. As his parent, you really need to stay focused on this one goal. I am not saying the math is not important. But, you need to prioritize. </p>
<p>Please, do this today. This is not about math. It is about getting your son properly diagnosed. </p>
<p>Call the school, speak to the special education coordinator, and ask what it takes to get this done. Write down the steps and follow them. Give them the information they ask for. Do this as cleanly and concisely as possible, it will help move things along.</p>
<p>Agree with VMT. </p>
<p>Often families are fearful of the IEP process. They know that their child needs help, but are fearful about a diagnosis, and the programs. They are also fearful of working with the schools, thinking that an outside evaluation will be “better” (sometimes an outside evaluation is NEEDED, but often, it is not).</p>
<p>In the vast majority of cases, special education students are educated WITH their peers in regular classrooms, with educational instruction and support, and accommodations provided based on the student need. The expectation is that a special education student will be working towards attaining grade level standards (most states are now aligning IEP goals/objectives with the Common Core).</p>
<p>OP, you seem overwhelmed. Do YOU have someone to talk to about your issues with your son? A therapist? A trusted but no nonsense friend?</p>
<p>Absolutely agree with the posters who argue for a from scratch comprehensive evaluation of your son for LDs and I would say too for any emotional or behavior problems that might be getting in his way. Go in with an open mind and see what happens. </p>
<p>I would also advocate for retaking Algebra I and going for a higher regents exam score. Math is cumulative, so squeaking by isn’t good enough. I am not from NY, but I understand he will have to take more and higher levels of math in the coming years, especially if he is college bound. </p>
<p>I am another one in favor of giving the public schools another go. They are free, and they have to accommodate your son. Private schools don’t. If they think he or his mother are too much trouble, they can let him go. Yes, you will have to continue to advocate for him, or teach him to stand up for himself, so that the school isn’t happy to see him get by with Bs and Cs if he could be making As.</p>
<p>It is clear you are passionate about finding a solution for your son. </p>
<p>Disgusting that someone would say that the OP is an enabler. I have three special needs children, one who sounds like the OP’s son and the other two have 504 plans with less impact on their education. All three are considered 2E (test very high in most areas but significant problems in very specific areas). If your child has a broken wrist, do you make them pick up a pencil and write with that hand?</p>
<p>I do not thing the OP is overwhelmed, it is the 2E reality. We have been told to dumb down our child’s courses, to take him out of regular education but no offers to pay for anything else, to make him stay back a year despite passing his classes. </p>
<p>Public schools have a lot of trouble with 2E kids. I would suggest signing up for a 2E newsletter and forums, such as: <a href=“http://www.2enewsletter.com/”>http://www.2enewsletter.com/</a></p>
<p>A neuropsych exam is important but they can be quite costly, especially if the insurance company tries to put it under mental health not medical. A 504 plan is necessary.</p>
<p>In my son’s case, his 504 plan is new and very vague, and one teacher has not bought in at all. We are meeting with her and basically saying “what will you do to comply?”</p>
<p>A few things that may be of interest to you: <a href=“http://www.2enewsletter.com/article_2012_11_Interview_Hertog.html”>http://www.2enewsletter.com/article_2012_11_Interview_Hertog.html</a>
<a href=“http://gcq.sagepub.com/content/56/3/119”>http://gcq.sagepub.com/content/56/3/119</a></p>
<p>The important thing is to get help ASAP, including better evaluations and a 504 plan. If you have the money and time, I would look into private schools that are better suited for his needs. If you don’t, you’ll have to advocate for your son yourself at a public school.</p>
<p>I had to give up my career for my middle son because the public school was not doing their job. Even now, they are not meeting his needs and blame him for issues due to his medical condition. He is in 8th grade now, and we really have not idea what will happen in HS, it is like the school is just waiting for him to get in there and fail, so we may have to have that happen so that he can get put into a private school, such as: <a href=“http://montgomeryacademyonline.org/”>http://montgomeryacademyonline.org/</a></p>
<p>But like you, we can’t afford it unless the school wants to pay for it. And they do not want to pay for a gifted student to get As and Bs, they want to let them get Cs and Ds in classes way beneath them.</p>
<p>I agree with all of the above. I also want to add that we did the convergence disorder treatment as well which was very costly. Most M.D. opthalmologist don’t even believe these treatments work. We did them anyway along with the recommendations from the neuro psych testing. The testing could be very illuminating. Good luck to you.</p>
<p>Some general advice from someone who’s been there with a very bright kids with multiple LDs-</p>
<ol>
<li><p>The first thing you need, as you’ve been hearing, is the full neuropsych. It’s good that you have that scheduled. The neuropsych will give you the information you need to move forward. Without it you’re fumbling in the dark.</p></li>
<li><p>It’s very tempting to try to fix everything at once, but it will drive both you and your son crazy. Once you’ve thoroughly reviewed the neuropsych report with his psychologist/tester you’ll want to prioritize your remediation efforts. What’s the most important thing, the one exercise you need to do every day? What can be done when he’s in the mood for it? What can wait until he’s on solid footing in other areas?</p></li>
<li><p>Schools are sometimes reluctant to put a child on an IEP because it demands more of them. If they can get you to be satisfied with a 504 they’ll go that route, whether or not it’s best for your child. Don’t be afraid that an IEP will stigmatize him. They’re very common, even among bright, capable kids heading off to excellent colleges. Think of it this way, would you rather have a kid succeeding with formal accommodations or floundering without them?</p></li>
<li><p>Have you talked with him about his testing results to date? This may seem like a silly question, but many parents are reluctant to talk with their kids about their LD’s because they fear that it will make them feel stupid. The problem is that these kids already feel stupid. They spend so much time grinding their gears without success that in the absence of an explanation they don’t believe all the people telling them they’re smart. They’ve already heard people tell them they’re lazy (which a kid who’s constantly dog paddling to keep his head above water knows isn’t the case), so why should they place any credence in their other opinions? It may be a relief to hear there’s a reason for his difficulties and have those difficulties acknowledged. I would particularly recommend having his tester speak to him directly. Kids tend to discount what their parents tell they because they fear what we say is colored by our love for them and therefor not to be trusted. A dispassionate professional with numbers to back him up may help him to see that he’s really very capable and can become more so by taking some extra steps.</p></li>
<li><p>It’s great that you still have a solid relationship with him. That can be hard to achieve and maintain in the face of all the challenges a kid like him has faced, so I commend you. The more you can help him see you as his teammate in the struggle against his LDs (not against his school) the easier it will be to preserve the relationship going forward. Acknowledge his hard word, cut him some slack when he needs it, and point out the ways in which his work is paying off.</p></li>
<li><p>As it sounds like you’ve already found, at this point your son needs to be encouraged to read. What he reads is not anywhere as important as the simple act of pulling out a book, magazine, or comic book. Try to make reading less something he has to do and more something he wants to do. I’m well aware this is easier said than done. If you haven’t already checked out strategies for reluctant readers do a google search. Some of the strategies we used were letting our reluctant reader stay up as late as he wanted in bed when he was reading, reading stories to him at bedtime but leaving off at the most exciting part, and buying him whatever reading “junk food” he wanted. Skip the Jane Austen and Charles Dickens. Go with crappy plot-driven potboilers and short, sensationalistic spy novels. At this point he simply needs to build up his reading stamina and to see that reading really can be enjoyable.</p></li>
<li><p>Try not to worry too much about whether he’s where he’s supposed to be at this point. Instead focus on improving his performance relative to where it started.</p></li>
<li><p>Taking the pressure off in areas where he excels may make it easier for him to expend his energy on areas where he struggles. A note on the sleepiness. As you may have discovered, sleepiness is a common reaction to extreme stress in adolescents. Add to that the fact that all the work he’s doing is probably exhausting and you may find you get better results working with him earlier in the day. Sometimes it helps to rearrange the schedule. </p></li>
<li><p>Good luck from all of us with complicated kids. As many of us have found, there can be a bright light at the end of the tunnel.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>I would very strongly suggest you pursue the public school testing concurrent with that neuropsych evaluation. In most neuropsych evals I have read and received as an educator, there isn’t a lot of overlap in assessments. Very often the neuropsych will recommend school based assessments in areas of learning that align with weaknesses the neuropsych finds. Also, if the school is going to implement a good IEP, they will need (it’s required) present levels of academic performance in any area the IEP addresses. To facilitate a good program sooner than later, get the school district testing going as well. Then you will have at least those two pieces of the pie in place when it comes to crafting goals/objectives and a program to help your guy.</p>
<p>See, everyone is telling you to get him evaluated. Get out of your own way and get professional guidance. It is not enough to say, but I did this and I did that and my daughter and that rude teacher and his algebra and and and. My concern is for your son, who has been suffering this for years.</p>
<p>I understand you wanted to provide every iota of detail. My concern is you cannot see the forest for the trees. Sorry I am harsh, but your kid needs you to pull through for him in the right ways. For once and for all. Set aside the blaming and get him properly evaluated. Many bright kids, as you see from some posts, nonetheless have some LD. </p>
<p>Btw, Mayo ad NIH do not summarily dismiss the CI exercises. And do discuss links to ADHD. </p>