Using a Scribe

[lisacap]

Just curious and was wondering, I am sure most of you saw my 50 page IEP on Justin last week, and all the disabilities that have come into play with him...all his paper work, and all the spec ed teachers are all requesting that he use a SCRIBE...first of all I am really clueless as to what a scribe is, except for the fact that he won't have to write. Does anyones child use one, and if they do are they eventually able to learn to read and write, or does that just make it way to easy for them, so that they don't have to...I am having a hard time with the learning disability end of all this, since , I for years have been dealing with the ADHD and the Cerebal Palsy, this is a first with the learning...sorry for all the questions, all the time....

[katiekat]

I actually used to be a scribe for my student when I was a one-on-one. She has Down Syndrome and although she is an excellent reader and speller, writing took her a long time. Most of the time she did do her own writing but when the state testing was going on it was in her IEP that she was to have a scribe.This was done for the essay portion. We would go into a room just the two of us and she would tell me what to write and I would write it word for word. In her case they were not working toward anything because she did do her own writing in the classroom, but I'm sure it varies from child to child. Many of the kids I worked with also had one-on-ones who were also their scribes on a daily basis. Depending on their disability they may have been working toward losing the scribe but it depended on their progress. I also worked as a sub a few times for a girl with CP and had to scribe for her. She was in regular mainstream classes and was really smart but had a hard time writing(she could write but not quickly enough to take notes) so her one-on-one scribe was permanent. If improvement is possible I think that they take it year by year to see if the scribe is necessary.

[charliegirl]

A scribe is someone who writes for him. They can take the notes plus write his assignments out as he tells them to. That won't affect his ability to read as he will still have to read his assignments. He will just give his answers to the scribe orally and he/she will write them down. That allows him to learn his school work and show what he knows without his inability to write getting in his way.

You can request that they give him writing work so he gets practice writing without it interfering in his other work.

My son didn't have a scribe in school but I worked it out with one of his teachers that I could be his scribe for his homework and then he could copy it legibly. He also would type out his work at home and then e-mail it to his teacher. He thought that was cool and it made such a difference. His teacher could see what he actually had learned and with reports, she could see whether he knew how to format them, etc, since he didn't have to struggle with trying to remember how to form his letters on paper, and keep his ideas in his head long enough to write them out.

A scribe will have to be careful to have him spell the words, add punctuation, etc, so that its his work.

My son still doesn't write neatly most of the time but he can when he has to. Allowing me to scribe took so much of the frustration out of schoolwork for him and allowed him to learn.

[lillian]

According to your son's evaluation, he can write and legibly form his letters, so I would imagine the scribe is being used to help with the spelling, for his spelling was in the 7th%. When a child can't spell, at least phonetically, the child can't say what he wants to say. The ideas are in his head, but he can't put them down on paper. The scribe is used to get around this. It's a way of showing what the child really knows. Still, I am curious how much a scribe is going to be used. Did they say?

[lisacap]

Wow, I had the complete wrong impression of what a scribe was...I thought it was a machine that he talked into LOL...see told you I knew nothing about learning disabilities....they didn't say but reading through all the papers they all say the same thing, everything read and reread to him, and the use of a scribe. For all of the oral, writing and testing in speech, language arts and reading and a scribe for the word math problems....I signed the papers and sent them back, I should hear something next week on what they really plan on doing.

[charliegirl]

Having everything read and reread to him isn't part of having a scribe. I would make sure he has some reading on his own even if it meant that he read to me and then told me what he had read each night.

Its good they want him to understand and be understood but if they make it too easy, it will be up to you to make sure he learns to read and write as much as he is able.

See what they plan on doing to make sure he doesn't get to rely totally on a reader and a scribe. You can always insist that there be some things he has to do himself or as I mentioned above, you can work with him independantly.

[charliegirl]

Lisa, check this out. I think you may find some answers here.

www.schwablearning.org/articles.aspx?r=286

[lillian]

His reading comprehension is in the 1st percentile, so he can't read on his own. Because he goes to a private school, he doesn't have the option of resource, which is a classroom for kids with LD's and or ADHD that is severe enough to require a smaller classroom size, in order for the child to be able to focus. The only option the school has, therefore, is to give heavy modifications to the general education curriculum. He cannot read what the other children in his classroom can read, so someone will read to him. I am in total agreement with CG, however, and believe that children in this situation should also be given Assistive Technology (AT) to make them independent learners. He's young, yes, but he can listen to books on tape. When I was his age, I read books on records, which is what we had available in the Dark Ages . Does anyone remember those? Danny Kay recited them, and they would ding, when you were supposed to turn the page? I loved those!

[charliegirl]

Lillian, I remember those books. I didn't have them when I was little but we had some for my 7 years younger brother. I thought they were so cool and wished they had them for me.

We had a father who read to us also and he was better than any book on tape or record. He is the one who gave me my love for reading. Not only would he read them with a voice for each character and all the emotions, he would stop and answer every question we had so we all read at an early age. He also let us read to him, and as a parent I know how bored he must have gotten in the early years. I'm a strong supporter of reading with your child every chance you get.

I think there is a place for both in every child's life.

[katiekat]

Lisa-Does your son currently have a one-on-one aide?