lynnej

Alot of the schools will now carry out there own assessments. Or they can ask school support to conduct the tests. Also alot of the local dyslexia associations will provide a basic test at a reduced cost. Any way my child was diagnosed with dyslexia in July this year. I actually thought he was dyslexia a few years ago but the school and ed psy kept telling me he wasn't. Any way went with my gut feeling and I was right he is dyslexic. (We also have an 18 year old who has dyslexia so I compared my 10 year old to my elder sons difficulties. From experience you can rely on the school to provide all the help the child needs. So you have to find ways of supporting your child. From April (before diagnosis) we have been doing the TOE BY TOE approach. Its a book which covers a highly stuctured multi sensory reading manual. It starts off very basic and than builds up on letters and sounds. It also uses nonsense words so you know your child is reading what is there and not guessing the words. In August we also started the DORE programme. Which is about doing exercises twice a day, every day. These exercises take about 2-4 minutes to do and use different sensory areas of the brain, muscles, balance etc. I don't know which one is working but my child is now confidence with reading and writing. His reading age has gone up by 1.5 years over 6 months. He use to write a quarter of a page with help. He will now write 2 or 3 A4 sheets independently. He has always got 100% correct in his spellings but could never retain them in his long term memory. Well he is now retaining them in his long term memory. So I am very happy with his progress. Some children with have visual problems with reading. Some letters move or a tree branch grows up the page and hides some letters. So it is worth get there eyes checking with a qualifed opticion who is experienced in this area. Lynne

I too have got a child with ASD Dyslexia and Sensory Intergration Dysfunction with sensory modulation difficulties. School and sensory issues are very complex. When the school calender changes for xmas there is extra pressure on our children with sensory difficulties. The school needs to understand your child can not block out sights and sounds which other children can block out. My childs LSA and school goes by the silent signs that my child is stressed. He is unable to take in less verbal instructions, he becomes more restless, irritable etc. So when he is like this, we call it a day. My child can not tell the teacher he is stressed and needs to stay in to avoid the noise, movement confusion of play time. The school has been wonderful and provide my child with a small plain room where he can retreat to. This allows his senses to reduce, so he can function as a child. In the past he has had to receive instructions on how to do a lesson, than he will retreat to the quiet room and complete his work. Have you tried using lavender with your child. It works wonders on mine. You can get a spray from a famous chemist. Or you can buy it in cream form and rub it in pressure points on the temple. Also it helps my child if you run cold water on his wrists. It helps to prevent him being overheated. Sometimes we take the last week off school or the last day it all depends on how he is coping. There are specialist sensory OT who can diagnose children. They can also do sensory assessments at school. PM me if you want the details of the one we use. I do think sensory difficulties are very difficult to understand for parents, carers and teachers. Because one day our children can cope and yet the next day they can not. But in the teachers eyes its the same environment. So its our job to teach and guide people we meet. Have a merry christmas Lynne

Dear Amanda, The pain will get easier but it will never go away. But just remember you are blessed to have had 11 wonderful years with your son. Keep talking about him with everyone. Laught at the great times you had and remember the difficult times as well. He was a real person in your life. I will say a pray for your family Hugs and kisses to everyone Lynne

He does suffer from dyslexia. Which is one of the reasons he opened 15. He has done some wonderful things and he is still only young. Jen

Schools do not automatically go for a statement. All over England the LEA are encouraging people not to hve statements saying schools can cope by putting in extra support. However a statement gives your child a legal contract that the schools and lEA have to follow. You can apply for a statement by writing to the LEA to request a statement. Even with a diagnosis or several the lEA can still refuse to give you a statement. If a child has a statement and it is shown he is not coping in mainstream school than a special unit or special school is the next stage. Saying that your child does not have to have a statement to go to special school it all depends on the lEA Jen