My dd10 is having trouble with writing at school. She's always been an exceptionally bad speller and her writing is sloppy, but as she's gotten older, her writing quantity has declined too. She used to write several-page stories, but this year, she's not writing much. In the past, she wrote mostly about experiences she'd had or about her life, but now she has to write non-fiction, persuasive letters, and responses to what she's read.
She says that writing hurts her hand, it's distracting to write in the classroom, she can't think of what to write, and she can't spell the words she wants to use. She's been using a keyboard in the classroom, but she can't spell well enough to use the spell checker effectively and she doesn't type very fast.
I had her tested recently. Her FSIQ is 131, with VCI 142, PRI 119, WMI 107, and PSI 126. On the WIAT, her highest score is math problem solving (136) and her lowest are sentence composition and essay composition (both 78. The tester gave her a diagnosis of dyslexia. We have a family history of dyslexia & dysgraphia.
The school is willing to give her a 504 plan, but I don't even know what accomodations to ask for. I know she needs a keyboard, but she needs more than just that. A spelling checker isn't enough. The school says she doesn't need an IEP because she's not failing. I may have to hire a lawyer and fight that opinion, but I need a better handle on what kind of help she needs.
I need some opinions, experiences, whatever you've got. I'm at a loss of where to go next.
Thanks.
