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Yeah - I know at Ds reading assessemnts they're stringent - he skips a word or substitutes a similar word he gets is marked wrong' and can't move to the next level. I can see why it's important, though.

I know DS' teacher has been given him reading assessments lately... I suppose in response to my contacting the school about my concerns re dyslexia. DS was thrilled b/c apparently he got to move up a level in 100 book challenge. I am interested in what she finds on her assessments... DS told me of at least one instance where he inverted a word. Apparently, a sentence started out "On September" and he, of course, read "No September." He said the teacher stopped him and pointed it out to him. I asked him if she had any other comments about his reading and he said that she did tell him he is "adding words that aren't there." He does do that, which is where I get my suspicion that he is kind-of guessing at what he is reading more than we realize - you know? Like he sees workds and context and pictures and and is sort of reading and 'making it up' to a certian extent. Not sure, if that is another read flag for "dyslexia" or what... But I am interested in how she sees his reading.

Yea, we see the extra words and making it up. Sometimes he is automatically correcting the grammar. He also reads contractions as full words. And words split at the end of the line throws him for a loop, but he has been getting better at that.

The other thing, is he's been recognizing whole words and reading them since he was like two. Pre-K and most of K that was so far ahead. Now in 1st, with more emphasis on phonetics, he is basically having to completely relearn how he thinks about words. He still guesses at words based on pattern matches rather than sounding out. Like if he encountered "pterodactyl" for the first time, he might guess "predator" rather than like "pe-terd-act-ile" a phonetic orientation might go for. But proper names he'll try to sound it out, as if he realizes he probably hasn't seen it before.

LOL I do this! Does no one understand the subjunctive anymore? And why do people insist on pluralizing the word Octopus as Octopi! How does a book get published using the word Octopi? I am not even close to a grammer nazi but sheesh!

LOL - Love it! Thanks... My poor kid loves octopuses and people keep correcting telling him "octopuses" isn't correct that it is "octopi" - he tells them octopuses is not only correct but more correct and they argue with him insisting octopi is the only correct way. Three times this has happened. Octopi isn't correct period - doesn't matter that people say it anyway. So annoying.

So the teacher did reading assessments on my DS. I think I have mentioned before that his reading has never been below grade level. But I still suspect dyslexia or dysgraphia. Of course, I have no expertise in this area so... Like I said earlier in this thread, he did score in the mildly dyslexic range on the Dyslexia Determination Test and we were advised by the vision therapist and doctor that he should be tested specifically for dyslexia by a specialist. However, the teacher wrote me a detailed email today with the results of some reading assessments she did on my DS. She said he started the year on an instructional level 6 which met the fall benchmark and his independent level was a 4. Now he is reading independently at a level 12. The benchmark for the end of January is to at least be a level 10-12 independent, so he has already met that goal. He apparently scored 99% on the level 12 assessment.
Regarding his written letters, he completed a writing task independently today(by choice) within an appropriate time frame, using a word bank on the board and some adult help with spelling comparable to his peers. Of the 142 letters produced, the only reversal was the letter g one time.

She said she does see frequent reversals of numbers and am implementing strategies to help him with this and she will consult with the OT regarding the number reversals. His math progress is on target to date.

Soooo, I am guessing it is not looking good for them testing him for dyslexia/dysgraphia, huh? I did send in the the results of the Dyslexia Determination Test with the doctor's interpretatiosn and recommendations (that he be tested) to the Special Ed Directio and School Psych. She hasn;t gotten back to me yet but she will soon I am sure.

SO what do you all think? Can I still push for testing based on the Dyslexia screening? Should I? Am I being neurotic?

Thanks for any thoughts or advice!

It looks like your school uses the big, bad DRA. The DRA is notorious in dyslexia circles because it's a test and reading instruction system that relies on sight words. A dyslexic child with a solid memory can limp along for quite a ways before showing to the teacher that there's a problem. Indeed, my daughter would never have been uncovered as having reading problems using DRA, and it was not until I took her for a private evaluation did we have a diagnosis.

Further, if 12 is his independent level, then he passed that level, and the teacher should have kept assessing to find his instructional level. It sounds like that wasn't done. If you are to monitor his actual progress, then you need the teacher to find the level at which he makes errors, reads too slowly, or cannot understand the story. And then you need to look at the nature of errors that led to not passing the level. Be aware that at 18, there begin to be non-fiction texts in the assessment, and a child who has brute-forced reading through sight word may show a big difference in reading accuracy between the fiction and non-fiction versions of the test at that level due to more unfamiliar words.

Finally, have you sent the school a request to evaluate? If not, it's not clear to me that the special ed teacher will get back to you. In your place, I'd request tha t the teacher evaluate up to his ceiling on the DRA and ask the school to administer either AIMSweb or DIBELS as an initial screening for dyslexia.

Ohhhh thanks Geofizz. Good advice. I had emailed her back with a simple "glad he is progressing so well" beofre I read your post. Bummer maybe I should have waited and said what you said here about the ceiling etc. But i hate to "micromanage" her anymore than I already am... However, I have actually spoken with SpecEd Dir and school Psych seperately requesting testing for dyslexia. I sent in the doctor's eval which includes the results and interpretation of the Dyslexia Determination Test and his recommendations, one of which is to get a full dyslexia eval from a specialist. I did say to them that just because DS can read above grade level does not preclude his having dyslexia. I stated 'he needs to not be given behavioral assessments or achievements tests as we all know he is above-grade level, he needs to be given tests specially to test for dyslexia and dysgraphia. The fact that he can read does not mean he doesn't have dyslexia.' I mentioned that he is a 2e kid and that's why he does so well. So, School Psych did ask for the report and said she would look at the report and get back to me early this week. I expect to hear from her today.

And I realize he could very well not have it. Perhaps he just has some processing issues still from the vision disorder causing dyslexia-type symptoms and processing issues, right? ... But I want to be sure b/c if he has dyslexia or dysgraphia it will surely catch up to him sooner or later.

Ok, it seems like you have the special ed end covered. Maybe you could write back to the teaher with something along the lines of "so I got to thinking, in the fall you had an "instructional level" for him. Can you tell me what that means and what his current instructional level is?"

I don't think a second email is out of line.

For a response, though, I'm betting you'll get a tip-toe around the fact that she hasn't done it.