4Th Grade Son with Dyslexia Looking for Additional Resources

P., My husband tuotors dyslexia students. He has over 20 years woiking with dyslexia studets and he can work with you and the school as well. Please give him a call.###-###-####
see his web site: www.educationalrescueonline.com
H.

Before you go down the ADD or ADHD road, please consider reading the book "The Minds of Boys." I am the mom of two sons and I used to teach elementary school. I had no idea and no training in the fact that boys and girls learn differently and that their brains work differently in a learning environment. Sometimes boys are mislabled a problem in class or unable to focus or ADHD when actually they are not taught in a way that boys learn best. This can lead to inappropriate behavior and inability to focus in class. Good luck!

I have had some friends who have had great results using some natural food supplements from Shaklee to help with the dyslexia. If you would like me to send you the testimonies from other moms please let me know. You may contact me @ ____@____.com. Please put Shaklee in the subject line. Thanks

Be thankful that your child is getting the help he needs, because mine didn't (he had to fail before getting any help). Have you tried color overlays to see if that helps? I went to Staples (any place that sells office supplies) and boughta package of what they call TINTED POCKET sheet protectors or Tinted Dividers (they are a little bit darker). There is generally 4 to 5 colors in each package. (I had to cut them up.) Have your son start reading and then place the color sheet over what he is reading. Keep changing the color sheets until you find the one that makes the biggest difference for him. If they help you will hear the difference in how he reads. Good luck with your son as mine is now 16 and it has been a long road for him. I will tell you this they will learn different tricks that help them as they get older.

As far as the not being able to concentrate in class it sounds as if the teacher is leaning toward your child being ADD. I strongly suggest you contact your son's school counselor and start the discussion. I know that my son is ADD borderline ADHD. He was never a behavior problem for his teacher, just like his teacher said he just didn't seem to concentrate. This could be because of his dyslexia or it could be the ADD. I was very opposed to medicating my child as he had other medical issues that medicating magnified them. I will tell you it was a struggle as to whether or not to medicate. After many long meetings with the school counselor I came away with this piece of advice. If he is truly ADD and you do decide to medicate, the medication will work. If it doesn't make a difference then it may very well be a maturity thing that he will outgrow. Also, when I decided to medicate my son I didn't tell anyone (understand his teacher and counselor knew I was considering it). I began giving him his medication before school for about a week and one day I forgot. His teacher approached me and asked if I had been giving him the medication. I responded that yes I had, and she said you forgot to give it to him today didn't you? I replied that yes I had forgotten and she told me that he had not been able to focus very well that day.

Sorry to ramble on, but these 2 issues are something that are very close to my heart and I feel for every parent that goes through this. I have always felt that as a parent that it is my job not to let my child fail in school, and the only way my son would have gotten any help was to have let him fail a whole school year. I am not a fan of the public school system because of this and send my child to a private school where we have to work even harder to keep up, but if he is having a problem with something they have no problem stepping out of the box to help him get over that hurdle.

Good Luck and God Bless.

Hi P.,

I would love to help offer you more resources for you son.

I own The Cerebellum Center which offers the DORE program which has helped thousands of kids, all over the world, reduce and often eliminate many of the symptoms of dyslexia and ADD/ADHD. Across the board, all our clients have incredible improvements in self esttem. I realize this might sound bold, but if I hadn't seen it happen for so many kids, I wouldn't say it!

I urge you to go to my website at www.cerebellumcenter.com I also urge you to go to YouTube and search for the DORE program or DDAT for stories of parents, kids and adults who have been through the program! Professional UK athletes Kenny Logan and Scott Quinnell do a great job at describing what their struggles were like!

There are so many other issues that come with dyslexia, ADHD, Asperger's, PDD-NOD and so many other academic struggles.

Other issues include,
increased sensitivity to textures like tags in shirts
difficulty with memory - often short term memory is poor while long term is extraordinary
difficulty dealing with stress
speech problems
difficulty adhering to the morning routine
problems getting to sleep and sleeping through the night.
Balance and coordination problems
Poor handwriting and difficulty getting thoughts out on paper
Taking hours to complete homework
DORE does a great job of permanently remediating many of those struggles. Dore is not an overnight fix and requires dedication - but it is worth it!

Please feel free to call with any questions you may have!

Best wishes!

S. M.
The Cerebellum Center
www.cerebellumcenter.com
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P.,
I own a company called, Unlock the Box Innovative Learning, a student centered, brain-based alternative to traditional tutoring that incorporates compassionate mentoring and tutoring.
My program focuses on building students' self-esteem and confidence. I feel 100% confident we can help you and your child!
M. Shipman Lee
Founder
Unlock the Box Innovative Learning
###-###-####

...Changing students' lives..ONE student at a time..

Hi P.,

I am so glad you asked this question. My son was diagnosed in 2nd grade last year and is now in the dyslexia class in Frisco ISD. Although he just started, he's doing better with his writing already. The overlay sheets(as stated) have worked really well this last year. My son's teacher now and last year both have said he has trouble focusing(NO WONDER-you'd be frustrated too). I don't think my son has ADHD because I've seen him in too many other situations that he doesn't act that way. I have learned to read and do homework in short stints and his teacher is fine with him standing up to do his work as long as he doesn't bother anyone else(which he doesn't). I have heard excellent things about Scottish Rite and that's the program Frisco uses. I've had my share of tears as I'm sure you have, but I'm thankful for all the input. Please keep me posted on your son's progress and let me know what programs work for you all.
Blessings,
E.

As already stated the place in Dallas for more resources is the Scottish Rite. I'm from Houston so we used the Neuhaus center a lot.

Irlen syndrome is very commonly linked with dyslexia (I'm a certified screener and former dyslexia specialist from Houston). Also ADD/ADHD is also highly linked with dyslexia. You might want to research both.

I always found that working on a students fluency (dyslexic or not) was a huge booster for their reading skills, confidence and ability. I can give you some tips on how to do this from home if you would like.

My son was having a horrible time in 8th grade. Lots of behavioral issues, poor grades, and a generalized defeatist attitude that I attributed to hormones. I finally got him some contacts so he could read without other kids making fun of him in his glasses, plus I took him to an alternative type of dyslexia treatment. LaRue Eppler uses a process called "One Brain", which helps to strengthen the connection between the left & right hemispheres. She uses applied kinesiology to test what your child needs. In my son's case, she traced some of his writing and comprehension challenges back to the time when he was in kindergarten learning his letters. Apparently, some stress happened at that time and he shut down to avoid them, just at the time he was learning how to make certain letters.

It sounds weird, but between the two things, his attitude has improved tremendously, his grades in HS are all A's (unlike the C's & D's before), and he's generally happier and more focused. I was surprised to hear from LaRue that the majority of dyslexia is emotional in origin, which is a completely different way of approaching this challenging issue. So far, it's worked great for us. Her number is ###-###-####. Good luck!

Try researching QEEG and neurotherapy. This therapy is pretty recently applied to learning issues including ADHD and dyslexia, but has been used for years to treat other brain issues. www.neurotherapydallas.com www.onlinebiofeedback.com
I have used both these providers and seen good results in my own children (6 year old with ADHD and probably dyslexia; 8 year old with dyslexia).
Also check into vision therapy. Dr. Shafenberger (sp?) in Plano is an optometrist who has given several kids I know prism glasses to help strengthen eye muscles which improves tracking while reading.

Good luck. Keep looking for more things that help a little. There are no magic bullets.

S.
SAHM of 3

P.,

I teach at CCP and inform parents that students should go to the Fort Worth Dyslexia Center for trainning off of Camp Bowie in Fort Worth. I do not have the number handy, but they are easy to pull up on the web. Ask for Kelly Brown, she is wonderful in the program.

Blessings, T. www.christiancottageprep.com ###-###-####

P.,
I agree with the others who suggeste Scottish Rite. It is a wonderful place.
If you want to also use natural supplements, please contact me and I will help you.
Victoria

I have recently heard about the Irlen method of using colored overlays to help - very interesting concept, tho my child isn't dyslexic, it caught my attention. http://irlen.com/

My daughter is sensitive to flashing lights, so we are switching from florescent to broad spectrum bulbs. I've also heard of light diffusing panels to reduce the glare of florescent lights. Good luck.

Chiropractor Rosenthal does the brain exercises mentioned in Disconnected Kids.
Look into the Feingold diet for the ADD issues

scottish rite in dallas.

I found a GREAT book that gives you therapy program - simple exercises for the brain, that can be done at home. It solves all kinds of neurological issues including dyslexia.
Basically if one side of the brain is underdeveloped, there can't be a good connection between right and left brain so you need to stimulate underdeveloped side with exercises in order for the week side to catch up with the strong. Only then you can get connections to form again. It makes sense, doesn't it? Dyslexia is usually contributed to the week left side. The book gives you both assesment method and based on that necessary exercises.

Please search it on Amazon: Disconnected Kids by Robert Melillo.

Good luck,
R.

Check with Scottish Rite...you will be told it takes a year for his testing and setting up resources but if you tell them you can come when there is a cancellation you will get in much faster. Also you can ask if there is a reading specialist that also does home tutoring.

I have a 15 year old daughter that is dyslexic and we have reinforced all of her activities at home and she is an A/B student. One thing that has helped a lot through the years is keeping her "reading" through books on tape. We buyt he tapes & books and have her follow along. It was rather costly till we found Lewisville Public Library has a lot of materials for dyslexic children and the Reading for the Blind and Dyslexic (rfbd.org). RFBD also has a lot of school books and materials recorded that can really help with homework.

Many dyslexic children but not all are also attention deficit. Some schools even test for both from the start. My daughter was tested for both but was only found to be dyslexic. Talk to your son and see if there is anything else going on. Sometimes a child is picking up on the differences by this age. There may be kids giving him a hard time or a teachers carless remarks. These things can trigger a child not wanting to work as hard so that they can get back to the classroom and being part of the group. Sometimes talking about what is going on and the benefits of how this will help him is all he may need to hear. It's also important to remember that most dyslexic children need to take breaks every 15 minutes for about 5 minutes to rest their eyes or refocus. It helps them keep from getting headaches & lets their eyes rest and settle before moving on with their assignments. If these things don't seem to be the issue it may be that your child is struggling with ADD and may need to be tested.

Either way there is a solution. Your child can learn the best coping techniques for him so that he can move forward and learn. He will increase his confidence and become a better student from the work he puts in now. 3rd & 4th grade were the hardest for us. Hang in there...it does get better.

One other thing, don't give up on written books. My daughter has always loved the books on tape and followed along only because we insisted. This year at 15 she got so hooked on the book Twighlight when listening to the CD's that when she found out the other books CD's weren't out yet she read the following 3 books in the series! She did have a few words she asked for help on but other than that she read them all herself!! We are so excited for her. She is now looking at other books she might want to read. :)

Good luck!!