My granddaughter of 6 is having problems with reading and writing, her teacher says there is 'something wrong' but doesn't know what!

[ashman]

When I asked about a test for dyslexia she said in this area there is no tests available.

[Hidden]

You can e-mail the BDA asking for a list of specialist teachers in your area that do assessments or look at the list on the Patoss website patoss-dyslexia.org/ or contact a Dyslexia Action centre near you. She is still quite young so you might like to encourage school to do some extra small group literacy intervention with her first to see if that improves things.

[KerryJury in reply to Hidden]

My son who is now 10 was tested just before he was 7 as teacher thought he might be mildly dyslexic, they were very surprised when the test showed he was severely dyslexic!! He's very clever + had developed strategies to cover it up. He's just about to go into yr6 + despite heaps of help is still almost 4yrs behind in his reading age. I'd say if your granddaughter is almost 7, get here assessed, if she's just turned 6, maybe bit early to tell yet. Bda have lists of people who can do tests, but I'm surprised school are saying they can't do it! Has anyone talked to the school special educational needs coordinator? Good luck.

[austinsmrs]

Hi - My son is aged 9 and we started our dyslexic journey last september when he was 8. We took him to Dyslexia Action to be tested and were told he was very severe and to ask the Local Authority to assess him. This we did and they of course refused. However, we were not going to accept a 'no' as the Psychologist at DA told us they would say no and we had to fight for everything. So we embarked on this journey which is very very tough and an emotional rollercoaster. After two private further assessments we have been told our son is very severe and needs to come out of mainstream school and attend a specialist school. As the LA refused to assess we applied to SENDIST to take them to Tribunal and the hearing was scheduled for June which after their Ed Psych had looked at our son they pulled out of the Tribunal and agreed to assess. We have now instructed solicitors specialising in SEN Law as the LA are now in breach of the law as they are late with the draft statement. You have to be very persistant and dont take a no for an answer. First port of call for your granddaughter is to talk with the school and get extra help or ask her to be placed on an Independent Education Plan (IEP) with a view to being on School Action (ie extra help) if no progress is being made after two terms then you need to be asking her to go on School Action Plus (SAP) and ask to speak to the SENCO at the school if things are not progressing. A good age to assess for any specific learning difficulty we have been told is around 8 yrs old where you could go to a Educational Psychologist and pay around £100 for a report. Most schools do not pay for reports but will support you getting your own evidence and complete relevant forms etc. We have paid for extra reading lessons for three years which because of our childs difficulties have been a waste of money and I wish we had someone to advise us which course to take. We found a local specialised teacher who does after school lessons for children with learning difficulties and she helped us enormously. It has been a very long road to travel with many a door slammed in our faces but when you see the childs self esteem hit rock bottom and cant even play games with their siblings because of the impact that game has you know you have to fight for whats best for your child. Good Luck

[videoman]

That is load of rubbish, all schools now must do the test if asked.

If the test is not done, get on to your Education Department LEA

videoman

Stand up for your rights and a better future for your kids

[AmandaSLynn]

They have a yearly budget. I volunteered at a primary school a year ago and mentioned this to the teachers as I am a dyslexic adult, they usually use up the budget on ADHD. Teachers don't care enough.

[hac71]

videoman not only do u sound ignorant but u must be reading a different book than every other person dealing with these issues....it is basic school policy not to test for dyslexia or pay for a test..the teachers themselves have absolutely no training regarding dyslexia and if u strike it lucky u may come across a teacher who has sat in on possibly a 1 hour talk on it once or read a book.....my son did a private test last month that cost me 380 quid....he is severely dyslexic like myself and I was actually advised by his school 2 month ago not to waste my money going private...unluckily for his school I had the inside line as I am it and know more about it than any of them....my point is simple .....1 in 5 children r now dyslexic so an education system set up to learn left dominant brain children would simply go bankrupt if they accepted their duty to educate every child properly...they simply cannot do it so the problem of dyslexia continues to be hid for as long as possible with 1 in 5 children paying the price due to the usual reason ....budgets....America is changing policy regarding dyslexia at the minute so know doubt in 10 years Britain will too but until then it is a battle for each parent against a corrupt system....on closing id just like to add DYSLEXIA IS A GIFT....use its strengths

[vicschicks]

You must get her properly tested ASAP, I wasted two years trying to battle with my daughters school and it turns out she is quite severely dyslexic and they are not teaching her in a way which she can understand...the battle continues but I wish I had had her diagnosed a year ago. There are people out there that will test at 6 - there is a specialist in Northampton who only deals with the younger clients. Hope you get the support you need.

[imk71 in reply to vicschicks]

Can u give the email ID of Northampton specialist? I will be obliged.

[imk71]

Can someone provide the list of specialists dealing with Dyslexia including their email ID / addresses. Thx.

[jentopt]

Can someone please explain the process a child has to go through if s/he is struggling with their reading & writing!!!

How as a parent, after 2 years of getting nowhere can a child be tested for dyslexia? Who do you see, where do you go, what is the process? Is the process the same in Wales as it is for England as the education system in Wales is run by the Welsh Government?