D.S. asks from Belmont, CA on March 31, 2008
Advice for Testing for Dyslexia
I believe my son has Dyslexia. He is 8 1/2 and in the second grade. Last fall, I had him tested at school because his teacher and I believe he has a learning disability. Unfortunately, his test results weren't low enough for him to qualify for Special Ed. I'd like to get him tested privately and I was wondering if anyone had recommendations on where to get him tested or the type of tests that should be given. Also, my son has ADHD and his father is dyslexic which is known to be hereditary.
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D.G. answers from San Francisco on April 08, 2008
My Grandma was a Chiropractor. She used to have a machine that was used for Dyslexia where you would simulate crawling (like a rowing machine, only for crawling); I think what I've seen lately are "climbing" equipment at gyms. It is the motion (like crawling) of using the left leg / arm and right leg / arm motions. If you can get him to crawl around the house, that is what the idea would be (forgot if 8 years olds will do this kind of stuff!!!). Also, they used to use the squeeze balls so when a thought was difficult, they squeezed the opposite side (if they were right handed, they squeezed ball with left hand; if left handed, squeeze with right hand). That's all I remember - I thought it interesting many years ago when I worked in her office....
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D.G. answers from San Francisco on April 08, 2008
My Grandma was a Chiropractor. She used to have a machine that was used for Dyslexia where you would simulate crawling (like a rowing machine, only for crawling); I think what I've seen lately are "climbing" equipment at gyms. It is the motion (like crawling) of using the left leg / arm and right leg / arm motions. If you can get him to crawl around the house, that is what the idea would be (forgot if 8 years olds will do this kind of stuff!!!). Also, they used to use the squeeze balls so when a thought was difficult, they squeezed the opposite side (if they were right handed, they squeezed ball with left hand; if left handed, squeeze with right hand). That's all I remember - I thought it interesting many years ago when I worked in her office....
J.T. answers from San Francisco on April 01, 2008
Hi D. -
You're wise to get him evaluated privately. There are several specialists in the area -- you can check in with Children's Health Council in Palo Alto, or try the following:
Burdick and Associates
Palo Alto Office
415 Cambridge Avenue
Palo Alto, CA 94306
Tel: ###-###-####
Best of luck!
J. J-T
EvoLibri Consulting
A.F. answers from San Francisco on June 10, 2008
Hi,
The same exact thing happened to me when my son, now 15, was in second grade. He didn't qualify...so I left him in the private catholic school and two years later I had him privately tested. You can ask your pediatritian for some names. I can't remember who tested him, but I do remember it was in San Mateo near MillsPenninsula Hospital. Usually their listed under Educational Therapist. Finally, when he was in fourth grade after the private testing...I had him retested through the school district and thankfully he qualified. He's been in special ed ever since. I'm not going to say he's all better now, because it's been a long road and I'm sure his high school years will be even harder. But with continued love and support we'll get through this. I wish you success and alot of patience.
A.A. answers from San Francisco on April 01, 2008
Hi D.,
I think you need to take your son to someone who has the ability to test for both ADHD and dyslexia and can tease the effects of those two apart. I would guess your son is not qualifying for an IEP because there's no part of his intelligence testing that's revealing his real intelligence.
I've listed a couple of places that do pretty comprehensive testing below. The Pratt Center charges $3400 for a complete evaluation, they don't do partial evaluations. This is where I would take our son if we were starting from scratch. A lot of people go to the Morrissey/Compton Center in Palo Alto. They do everything from partial evaluations to extended psychoeducational testing ($3300). People seem quite satisfied with them.
Pratt Center
Four Main Street, Suite 210
Los Altos, CA 94022
###-###-####
http://www.prattcenter.com/evaluations/
Morrissey/Compton Center
2555 Park Blvd, Suite 20
Palo Alto, CA 94306
###-###-####
http://www.morrissey-compton.org/
S.S. answers from San Francisco on April 02, 2008
Ask the school for recommendations and if they do not give you any at least ask them to write down the tests that they used and any tests that they recommend and what they are for specifically. Also, of course have a copy of the test results so you can share them with whomever you see, but you might consider sharing them after he has been retested. If the new tests come out lower you can demand that he receive services at school. It's a shame that the school will not provide services. The teacher is the best judge because she is with him at least 6 hours per day and can really see the discrepancies and can also compare him with other kids in the class and see the differences. Parents Helping Parents in Santa Clara would be an excellent source of information for you. I strongly recommend that you contact them. Good luck!
D.M. answers from San Francisco on April 01, 2008
Hi D.,
We went to the Morrissey-Compton Education Center in Palo Alto. ###-###-####) They do diagnostic testing for IQ and acheivement. They also evaluate ADD and pshycological issues.
My daughter went there for testing and also attends their "Challenge" summer school program, which she really likes (much better than the summer school offered by the school district.)
Good luck!
D.
L.F. answers from San Francisco on April 01, 2008
Hi D.,
You might check with the Children's Health Council in Palo Alto. http://www.chconline.org or ###-###-####.
Good Luck, L.
V.W. answers from San Francisco on April 05, 2008
The tests given at schools would not give you any indication if your son has a learning disability - they just test whether or not he is far enough behind to qualify for some extra assistance.
Get a referral from your pediatrician for a specialist - with a diagnosis you still might be able to get him some time in RSP even if his scores on the test were too high.
V.
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