Diagnosis and Remediation of Learning Disabilities

[pardeeprojra]

While doing psychological testing on primary class students, finding its surprising that even a 10 year old student is not able to read and write Alphabets. Its surely a flaw in our education system that these students are not diagnosed and remediated on time.

[Edwilson]

Interesting point pardeeprojra I agree that the education system is fundamentally flawed. However, I'd say there is a definite postcode lottery, even a class room lottery within schools. That is to say if your child happens to go to a school and be in a class where the teacher recognises a special need and is able to adapt teaching methods to suit that need a child is likely to be far more successful, as well as fight their corner when it comes to more formal assessment. Secondly some children just aren't going to get it and we have to deal with that. I know as I'm in a situation where my 3 year old daughter can already sing the alphabet where as I can't get past M, I'll be 30 in June. Yet I'm sat here writing on your blog page and just about able to string a sentence together. When the government produced Every Child Matters (ECM as those in the know like to call it) it set out a policy for all childcare settings, including schools, to adopt an approach that built on a child's strengths and helped to develop their weaknesses in an appropriate way. I wonder how many of us see that going on around us!

[Hidden]

Hi totally agree with both the comments - the education system and teachers are very poorly equipped for helping dyslexic pupils and I find it shocking! We are told that up to 20% of children leave primary school unable to read and write effectively. Is this the same proportion of pupils with special needs who have not been helped? my 10 year old son developed school phobia due to a total lack of support, or even empathy, from his school. I now work there and I am shocked by the teachers' lack of knowledge and training about helping these children. They have them labelled as 'thick' and don't understand how difficult a poor working memory can make it for pupils to 'keep up' with what is happening in the class. So many times I have witnessed these children being told off and belittled because they can't remember an instruction. I find it so upsetting, as I can see now why my son HATED school so much and has such low self esteem. Surely we should be putting all our resources into helping these children by training teachers properly in how to teach these pupils in a way that they can learn. Also, if we scrapped the SATS at primary age then teachers could focus on each pupil's needs rather than results. I have heard teachers discussing that there is no point helping the lowest achieving group as they will only get a level 1 in their SATS at aged 7. They said they need to help the 'middle' group of children to move up a level, as it is these they said that would 'improve' their school's results. So basically, those that are stuggling to learn the basics are being left behind even more. unbelievable!!!

I have written to Michael Gove and my local MP to highlight these issues, but just received replies saying how much money the Government spends on SEN. I wonder where this all goes, as it has yet to materialise in our schools here.

Sorry, rant over, feel better now all this is off my chest!!! We now home educate our 10 year old son who is much happier, but I feel cheated that our education system has failed him.

[catseyes]

Yes.The education system is flawed.

When my first child was suspected as being dyslexic I innocently asked "what age are children screened for dyslexia?" . Of course the answer is they aren't.

There is the old excuse of not wanting to label the child. Labelled as "thick" would seem preferable to "dyslexic" in many schools.

[Edwilson in reply to catseyes]

I agree with both of you and it's written all over this site that we are systematically leaving 1 in 6 of our school children behind because the education system doesn't seem to be able to work with this group. It is quite obviously a class room lottery only going on some of the stories I think your more likely to win the national lottery than win the class room lottery.

I also agree about SATS on paper they work but in reality the education system has turned round the pressure on pupils. When in reality they are to ensure teachers are doing their job. So surely it would be better to do an assessment at the end of the year, like the baseline assessment in reception year. It would then give a true reflection on how the school is doing.

It also seems that whilst there's lots of anachdotal evidence out there nobody has done any hard hitting research on. If 1 in 6 people are dyslexic and our schools can't educate them we should be able to show it. Maybe dyslexia action uk should run a high level campaign showing how our 'world class education system' is letting down so many people. Id happily go to my MP and raise the issue just don't make me write!

[nosilac]

My son went through the whole of primary school with no help for his dyslexia (he has Asperger's too). They waited till he was 10 to test for dyslexia and by then he was 4 years behind in ready but 2 years ahead in comprehension. They just didn't want to know. Even after diagnosis, nothing happened. I've paid a private tutor for 9 years to help him. In secondary school they're supportive. He gets notes from the teachers, extra time and reader/scribe in all tests and exams. Does all his work on a laptop. Still no actual literacy help though!! He's just passed his standard grades/Int 2's (we're in Scotland so GSCE equivelant) with top grades in every subject - we're delighted. But his reading is still very poor and he can't write (joint problems). He relies on is aural memory and is just able to memorise things he hears very quickly and accurately. I worry about what will happen in the world of work, when he can't have a reader/scribe with him all the time!

There is something rotten within the education system when they neither want to test for difficulties and then, worst still, after diagnosis they still won't do anything effective to help.

[Montanna Volunteer]

I think it's totally unfair that children are allowed to leave school without basic skills to survive.

Children are tested and retested without learning to take tests.

They are asked to regurgitate facts but told how to think or formulate independent thought around these into ideas.

I don't really know how we can solve these problems of children skipping out of school unprepared for life, when this is not a new phenomena to this generation.

Parental and teach vigilance, and perhaps a red flag policy for literacy, that goes beyond statementing but true coping skills for the rest of their life.

Because life is not fair.