Reading Recovery

[katiekat]

All kids are tested in 1st grade here to see if the need to go to Reading Recovery, which is a pull-out class for extra reading help. Well I found out today that the people whose kids need it have already been notified. I am in shock here-I cannot understand for a minute how Sean cannot need extra help. He cannot read the words "it" or "and" or "the." He still can't identify all his letters yet! He can't tell the difference between p,b,d,or q. He also confuses u,v,y,and w and t and f. What actually justifies needing help around here? I am confused.

[lillian]

Write to the teacher and ask. She should be able to tell you. Usually, children are given tests at the beginning of the year and placed as a result of the testing.

[katiekat]

Yes, they did the testing during the first 2 weeks of school. I am just completely baffled by the fact that he was not put in the Reading Recovery class. I just can't imagine that he doesn't need the extra help. When they sent home a letter saying that they were doing the testing I was so happy because I thought he would finally be getting the help he needs so badly. I just don't see how a 7 yr. old who doesn't even recognize all his letters doesn't raise a red flag.

[charliegirl]

I would contact them and ask.

I can remember struggling with certain things in school but when it came time for the important tests, something seemed to click and I would do really well on those. My son is the same way and its taken until this year (7th grade) for them to recognize how serious his problems are.

Its finally become obvious that he doesn't have the basics available to him as they should be. Too often the tests seem to be set up in such a way that you can guess at or figure out the answers without really knowing them.

Unfortunately, how they do on tests seems to be the most common way for them to rule out whether or not a child needs extra help and with cognitive problems that isn't always the best way.

[katiekat]

I asked the teacher about the Reading Recovery-Sean has to read a book every night and I have to sign a sheet saying that he did. There is also a section for comments each day and I never write anything because I know they don't care about what I think. Last week the teacher wrote in the comments section that she would like for me to start writing comments. So I did and was honest. I wrote that I was very concerned that he still doesn't know all his letters. Another night I said the book was way to hard for Sean and he was punching himself in the head, then I asked why he was not in reading recovery. She wrote back that he is not reading recovery "needy" and they just started reading groups and I really need to give it a chance before jumping to conclusions. OK well HE IS SEVEN!!! He SHOULD know all his letters at this point AND he has been trying to learn how to read for A YEAR now! I don't think Im jumping to any conclusions and I think I've given it plenty of time. I will not be writing any more comments and I cant wait until his conference next week.

[lillian]

Ugh! I have so much to say about this, and I HAVE to get ready to leave for Dallas for IDA's national conference. Here are a few of my thoughts, though, and I will elaborate more on Sunday when I return from Dallas:

1. Reading should not be a time of dread and anxiety for a child. If he is hitting himself in his head when attempting to read, stop the reading! Take a break and come back to it in thirty minutes. Don't let him do the reading. Sit beside him, cuddle with him, let him sip on his favorite drink, and read to him. Point at the words as you read them, having him read along, or, something my son loved to do, have him act out the characters, while you read aloud. Laugh and have fun. Reading should be a pleasurable experience for a child, even if the child cannot read. After you have read, write in the comments, "Sean could not read this book, so I read it aloud to him." That's it. You don't need to say anything else, but you absolutely must let the school know that Sean could not read the book independently.

2. Once a child is thought to have behavioral issues, the child's issues with learning can be completely ignored. The teacher will say, "He could do it, if he would try harder," "He's trying to get out of doing his work," or, my favorite, "I know he can read those words and recognize his letters because he's done it for me."

I hate to focus on the handful of bad teachers my son has had because he's also had so many wonderful ones, but his third grade teacher, the worst he's ever had, came up to him during lunch one day when I was there to have lunch with him because of the school anxiety we were dealing with every morning, and said, "XXX, you could read, if you didn't play with your feet," looked at me, nodded, and walked away. It took ALL my energy not to stand up in front of a lunchroom of students and tell her what a moron she was! Eww, just thinking about her...

The above was one of the reasons I decided to pull my son from public school, home school him, and place him in a private school, hoping he could be brought up to level. I knew that the school was going to blame everything on ADHD. They were never going to see past it to notice his learning issues. Everything was always going to be blamed on not focusing, not paying attention, fidgeting, moving around, etc., and he never was a behavior problem. That's what was so sad. He didn't disrupt the class, fight, or argue with the teacher. He just zoned during reading and writing assignments and would begin to fiddle because he couldn't read and write, and fiddling kept him awake. It actually was a compensatory technique that he used. But that didn't matter.

The school couldn't see past his ADHD dx, and I knew he would not be labeled LD but OHI, if I pursued the testing I was requesting. I didn't want him labeled OHI because I didn't think that was his primary issue. I thought, and, still very much think, dyslexia was his primary issue. There were many people who told me it didn't matter. Go ahead and label him OHI. And I refused to let it happen. I wanted the school to be held responsible for remediating my son's LD and not be given the opportunity to say, "This remediation isn't working because we can't get him to focus." Funny thing? I never hear that my son doesn't focus, anymore, since he's had his IEP for a Disorder of Written Expression and his school work is modified/accommodated accordingly. Hmm. Wonder why that is?

KK, I fear you're going down the same path with Sean. It sounds like he's comorbid, with an LD and behavioral issues. The longer the school waits to address the LD issues, the further behind Sean is going to get. Early remediation is the key. Can you afford private testing? Can you afford private tutoring? If so, I think your best best is to take him to a diagnostician, who specializes in dxing language-based LD, have him evaluated, and start a remediation program at home. Ask this diagnostician what she thinks of "Reading Recovery," also. You may be surprised how little respect these programs have in the private sector.

I have to get out of town. I'll write more on Sunday. Take care and ((((hugs))))).