Major Steps Every Parent Should Take if Your Child is Struggling to Read
This blog post has been written by the experts at Educational Pathways Academy (EPA), a private school for dyslexia in Florida, to help parents in the earliest stages of realizing your child is struggling to read. It is intended to act as a resource and general guide to help parents navigate the challenges associated with a struggling reader, up to and including the point of having your child evaluated for dyslexia (or other learning disabilities) and how to best reshape their educational path if a formal diagnosis of dyslexia is forthcoming. It has been written based on over 100 student experiences from families who have brought their children to our school, combined with third-party, fact-based research. Recognizing each child has a unique set of circumstances and developmental path, it is not intended to be an all-inclusive, prescriptive checklist, plan or substitute for a formal diagnosis for your child.
So, let’s begin:
Often, we find parents seek out advice, resources and educational information about what to do if their child begins to struggle in school.
Major Turning Points
Major turning points in a child’s educational journey typically come when:
The child is reading well below their current grade level, or they have stagnated or made no progress in reading over a long period of time. Simply put, the child may struggle to memorize sight words, with oral reading fluency, and/or receive poor grades on spelling tests.
A child has been failing benchmarks or progress evaluations, typically measured with some form of a standardized test.
The school is recommending your child do ‘extra work’ to close their gaps, such as extra tutoring, extra homework, or Saturday or summer school.
The school has recommended the child be retained (ie. not advance to the next grade.) This typically happens around the end of the third quarter each school year.
If you’ve arrived at one of these turning points, take a moment to consider what’s happened during your child’s developmental years.
Your Child’s Early Developmental Years
Did your child have a speech delay or a walking delay?
When letters and sounds were first introduced during preschool or Kindergarten, did your child have trouble identifying them, rhyming, and decoding works (ie. sounding them out)?
Does your family have a history of dyslexia or other learning disabilities? This includes if one of your other children has struggled to read or been diagnosed with dyslexia. (Source 1)
Is your child frustrated at school, having significant anxiety going to school or even possibly acting out behaviorally? This may also include more passive, avoidance behaviors like frequently asking to use the restroom or sharpen a pencil, etc. as a coping mechanism for the stress they are experiencing during formal instruction or learning exercises.
If you said “yes” to one of the turning points and “yes” to one of the developmental years’ criteria, don’t wait to get help. Early Intervention is key! In fact, dyslexia is identifiable, with 92% accuracy, at ages 5 1⁄2 to 6 1⁄2. (Source 2)
You are the Advocate and Navigator for Your Child
It is important at this stage of your child’s journey to remember that there is no silver bullet for treating or taking away a learning disability, if your child in fact, has one. Children who receive love, support and empathy from their parents and educational partners are wildly successful later in life! So, now is the time to embrace your role as an advocate and a navigator for your child! This plays an absolutely critical role in the successful outcomes you can achieve.
Here are the steps to follow to advocate and navigate for your child:
STEP 1: Meet with Your Child’s Teacher
Find out what areas of reading your child is having difficulty with. Together, put in place a plan to monitor progress. If progress isn’t being made, or is just very slow to come, then it is time to move to step 2.
STEP 2: Request a Formal Evaluation
A formal evaluation typically includes a series of neuro-psychological tests that measure your child’s cognitive processing. A formal evaluation should include, at a bare minimum, these tests:
Cognitive functioning (IQ)
Academic performance
Phonological processing (CTOPP 2)
There are two paths for receiving a formal evaluation: by the school, or through a private source.
Evaluation Path 1:
An evaluation by the school typically takes about 60 days to complete.
Florida Rule 6A-6.0331 provides guidelines for public schools for testing a student suspected of having a learning disability. Public schools must test a child if it is requested by the parent.
Oftentimes, schools will state that they need time to complete MTS (Multi-Tiered Support) prior to testing; however, MTS is not required prior to a public school completing testing.
Parents should submit a written request for testing to their public school. This request should clearly state that you are:
Concerned about your child’s academic performance.
Interested in receiving more information regarding his level of performance, learning strengths & weaknesses, and suggestions for helping him/her improve.
Formally requesting a complete psychological evaluation for your child.
Asking for the specific testing to include: cognitive functioning (IQ), academic performance, and phonological processing (CTOPP 2).
Parents should also be sure to receive and sign a Consent for Testing form soon after the request for testing. By signing this consent for testing, the “legal clock” starts ticking for the public school. The school has 60 days to test and provide the written evaluation for the parents.
Evaluation Path 2:
A private evaluation by a neuro-psychologist skilled in administering the panel of tests can be done as soon as the provider can make the necessary appointments.
For children in Southwest Florida, EPA recommends these private evaluation partners:
Dr. Jim Forgan
Phone: (561) 625-4125
Text: (561) 203-6007
Email: drforgan@gmail.com
Dr. Victoria Frehe-Torres
Office: 239-779-6952
Email: help@gravitypsych.com
https://doctorfrehe.com/
Katz Counseling and Educational Psychology
12641 World Plaza Lane, Bldg. 56
Fort Myers, FL 33907
(239) 247-1756 (phone)
(239) 690-2438 (fax)
info@katzpsychology.com
IMPORTANT: If you plan to pursue a private evaluation, we recommend that you get your school’s commitment IN WRITING that they will accept the results of the private evaluation in order to inform Step 3 below.
STEP 3: Finalize, Implement and Monitor an IEP for Your Child
IEP is an acronym for Individualized Education Program. Here’s the purpose of an IEP, according to Understood.org:
An IEP is a map that lays out the program of special education instruction, supports, and services children need to make progress and thrive in school.
IEPs are covered by special education law, or the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). They’re created for eligible children who attend public school, which includes charter schools.
Having an IEP gives students, families and schools legal protections, too. It lets families involved in decisions that impact their child’s education. It also gives students rights when it comes to discipline.
Although not an exhaustive list, there are some things that occur with a high frequency in the IEPs of children with dyslexia and other language-based disabilities, such as:
Reading remediation & instructional adjustments, such as employing reading instruction that is explicit, systematic, cumulative and diagnostic. This is known as Structured Literacy (as opposed to Balanced Literacy). More about Structured Literacy can be found here.
Limits to instructional group size, such as taking your child out of the main classroom periodically throughout the day to go to special, smaller groups.
Time accommodations, such as more time to take tests.
Speech accommodations, such as someone reading tests aloud to the child.
Finally, during this step, it is important to also evaluate your child’s current school’s capability and resources to deliver the IEP. For example:
Does the school have curriculum and reading instructors specifically trained and knowledgeable in structured literacy?
What is the school’s regular, daily ability to form small instructional groups?
What will the social and emotional impact of having your child ‘pulled from class’ to go to a different room for ‘special students’ be?
Is the school able to provide support and reinforcement with other subjects, and throughout the school day?
What kind of partnership will the school be able to deliver for parents to keep them informed of progress, struggles, and ways they are supporting the child on this journey?
SPECIAL SECTION | Did you know?
The State of Florida allows students with a qualified diagnosis (as determined by a private psychological evaluation or determination of eligibility by an IEP) to apply their state funding to the school best suited to meet their educational needs, in a program called Family Empowerment Scholarship for Unique Abilities (FES-UA). FES-UA Scholarships typically range from $7,700 to more than $11,000 for most students at Educational Pathways Academy, effectively covering more than half of EPA’s annual tuition.
STEP 4: Consider and Select the Right Educational Option(s) for Your Child
Some of the major options are:
Keep your child in their current school, with IEP accommodations.
Implement other interventions and alternatives to help your child. This could range from supplemental tutoring to homeschooling, and beyond.
Move your child to another school; one better suited to address the total ecosystem surrounding their learning disabilities.
Going Beyond Accommodation and Remediation with Educational Pathways Academy
As we said earlier, there is no silver bullet for treating or “curing” dyslexia. Be wary of partners, therapists and educators who tell you that “if your child just does this program (or summer camp, or online curriculum, or is homeschooled, etc.), it will solve everything!” Recognizing that intervention and remediation is a winding journey for many students, especially those who are severely dyslexic or have multiple learning disabilities, EPA specializes in creating a total ecosystem for our students, through our Comprehensive Approach to Learning. At EPA, your child’s journey is about more than just delivering structured literacy or Orton-Gillingham instruction (although we do that, too!) It is about their total academic, social, and emotional success. It’s about helping them overcome and work around their disability, exploring their strengths and talents at every turn. And finally, it’s about preparing them for a successful life and career ahead, with whatever accommodations they may need to survive and thrive.
Don’t wait to get started on your child’s future today — contact EPA.
Educational Pathways Academy is a private Christian school in Southwest, Florida that specializes in the academic, social and emotional development of students with language-based learning disabilities, such as dyslexia.
Learn more about our Comprehensive Approach to Learning that effectively addresses the needs of students with learning differences.
SOURCES:
Source 1: Understood.org - “Is Dyslexia Genetic?” online article - https://www.understood.org/en/articles/is-dyslexia-genetic
Source 2: “National Institutes of Health (NIH) Summary Report.” 1994. National Institutes of Health. NIH-Study-1994.pdf (readingsuccessplus.com)