Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional Hmmm Interesting - DIBELS Scores and Benchmarks

For background info on my recent dyslexia concern see here: http://giftedissues.davidsongifted....s/143874/Dyslexia_Advice.html#Post143874

Okay, so, Geofizz had mentioned in the aforementioned discussion DIBELS and I was goign through my son's file and came across somehting I had not noticed before. My son was given DIBELS at the end of kindergarten last year. It looks like he was below the benchmarks (despite his managing to stay on grade level in terms of reading). I am wondering this is significant given that I have been suspecting dyslexia and the screening test his vision doctor gave him (the Dyslexia Determination Test) came back as indicative of mild dyseidesia dyslexia.

Here are the the scores:
Letter Naming Fluency: The January Benchmark was 32 and he scored 27; The April Benchmark was 43 and he was 40.
Phoneme Segmentation Fluency: January Benchmark was 37, DS scored 20; April Benchmark was 58 and he scored 40. He appeared to have slightly exceed both benchmarks for the Nonsense Word Fluency, though.

Is this significant, does anyone with some knowlege in this area know? I didn;t even realize he was given DIBELS and the scores were never discussed or shared with me... except that in was in tucked in the school psych report that was the precursor for his IEP (for anxiety, hypotonia and vision disorder).

Just wondering... I kind-of found it surprising it was in there I had no idea he was given DIBELS las year and I had no idea he wasn't meeting the benchmarks either.

Incidently I was doing a phonics program at home all last year with him as I didn't like the emphaisis on sight words and whole words at school and also because he was at some points flat out refusing to particiapte in the reading activities and I felt he wouldn't learn to read if I didn't take matters into my own hands and teach him reading myself with phonics. [At the time we didn't know about his vision disorder... so now when I read all of the reported behavior inicidents with DS 90% of them are involving reading time and the reading para (who he hated). So now I realize poor thing had no idea why he felt so angry and uncomfortable with reading (he was literally physically uncomfortable for him and very fatiguing).] Anyway, my point is I would have suspected that he would have at least met his DIBELS benchmarks considering that I was working with him consistently at home through a phonics program... now, like I said, he had the vision problem that we didn't about but I am wondering...

I looked around on the internet and it looks like he missed the cutoff for being "at risk" for both benchmarks by only one point (eg the cuttoff for being catagorized as "at risk" and recieving supports was 19 and DS scored a 20; same with the April Benchmark - at risk score was at 39 and below and DS scored a 40).

I know the Spec Ed and School PSych pulled his file and looked at all his testing before speaking with me about evaluating him for dyslexia/dysgraphia and I am wondering if this is why she was so willing to do the eval even though he is allegedly currently "reading above grade level" pursuant to the DRA assessments.

Sorry (LOL as I post to myself) ... I am thinking out loud and have no one to bounce this off of right now but y'all..

Hi,

I know nothing about benchmarks except that they want them met. However, I find it soooo frustrating that they can test your child and not tell you anything about it. I'm glad you came across this and I hope you can get some answers.

Seriously. Not to pat myself on the back too much (and not to villianize schools and teachers too much b/c how can they possibly be able to spot everything), but if it weren't for my almost obsessive persistance to get to the bottom of what was/is causing my DS' sturggles and acting out, my poor kid would right now very likely diagnosed with ADD (or ADHD) and some sort of autism (probably PDD-NOS) and no one would have realized he had a vision disorder, no one would have noticed the hypotonia. Just sayin'. I feel like I am almost there - I just have this nagging concern re dyslexia (or maybe just dysgraphia???)


But thank you so much. Because, often even my husband kind of looks at me like I'm a little nutso and says "just relax!"

Anyway, I can't take all the credit! The people here have been invaluable... Geofizz mentioned DIBELS otherwise I would't have noticed the test results on the report. I'd never heard of DIBELS before. Also, it is in small print and not clearly labled ...Which I find rather odd. Not that I think anyone is doing anything purposely but it's just weird... I am thinking the only time it really got looked with an depth of attention was when I sent an email to the school re the dyslexia screening and my concerns. I know she pulled his file and looked at his testing becasue she was referencing different tests as she spoke. I have to say I was really pleasantly surprised at how willing she was to do an eval on him even though he is ahead of the grade in reading right now. I am thinking she maybe thinks the DIBELS combined with DDT screeing and my concerns are indeed some red flags.

And my instincts have quite a track record when it comes to my DS. I was the only suspecting hypotonia and consequent fine motor delays. I was right. I noticed the vision, despite a AI Dupont pysychogist with "twenty years experience" saying "good luck with that I think you're way off." I was right about that too. Now I fear dyslexia... will I be found to be right again?

marytheres - I am NOT saying your son has either ADD or PDD, but I am a parent that dealt with the all the "symptom" issues first (dyslexia, SPD, hypotonia, etc) and then realised all the remediation had helped a lot BUT it still wasn't enough and that she still had issues/differences, which in some ways were easier for me to see after peeling back the overt surface issues. Only problem was I had a really hard time getting my DD the Aspergers diagnosis she really needed because I had already don't so many of the things that they would immediately recommend and they HAD helped. Again I am not trying to diagnose your child, I am just saying I wish someone had told me not to put the cart before the horse. That often "lesser" issues are part of a more over arching neurological difference and you are better off starting with the primary issue.

I hear you but my son is sooo much better since just his vision and hypotonia issues were addressed. His acting out and anxiety have pretty much disappeared. There is no way he could have ASD - his conversational skills are phenomenal and have been since he was 2 years old. He is VERY empathatic and sensitive to other people's feelings, he is very very able to see things from other's perspective. I should have said he'd have an ODD dx too. But his oppositional behavior and anger has subsided almost entirely since vision therapy and since he is allowed to take a break when his eyes hurt. I also do not believe he has add/adhd either (and, incidently, his teacher this year and the principal, both of whom have children with adhd and add do not believe he has that either)... Kids act out especially when they do not know why they are feeling so lost and stressed. Sometimes, it's the other way around - problems, physically, that no one knows you have and even you don't know you have can cause some crazy acting-out symptoms and anger paricularly in children. How much better would he have been given lables of ODD, ADHD, or ASD and put in behavioral therapies (or on meds) when the physical issues causing him so much stress and frustration would not have been addressed?

Also, just as an aside and interestingly, when we took him back to CHOP last week to assess his hypotonia - his hypotonia was so mild now they think they would not even give him the diagnosis. Amazing!

The difference in my son since VT and OT and classroom support for those issues has been nothing short of incredible. He is so much happier, so much more confident and so much less anxious and so much less angry.... There is no doubt in my mind he just needed some VT and OT and some understanding. The only lingering issue is my concern re dyslexia. My strong suspicioon is that he has it but it is mild.