Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional Help with possible dysgraphia & services at school

MY DS9 attends a public school for the highly gifted. I met with his teacher this afternoon to discuss an ongoing concern with a)his actual writing and b) the quality of his writing content vs his verbal language.

She agrees that there is a definite problem with the writing and his written expression. She is willing to get the paperwork started to have him evaluated but she warned me that the necessary deviation in his test scores would not happen and therefore he wouldn't qualify for services. She told me that her her experience, her students that were diagnosed as twice exceptional did not end up qualifying for services. What do I need to know about this?

She is willing to modify his writing requirements, however the enrichment component of his education involves a great deal of writing. She is open to him using a keyboard in class - ie Neo, etc. Is something like that appropriate for use in 3rd grade? I can see its application in higher grades where note taking is a large part of his daily classwork. I am happy to get him whatever will be helpful.

Going back to the qualifying for services question, does that really happen? If my HG child IS diagnosed with dysgraphia is there a chance he will not qualify for services because there is not a large enough discrepancy in his scores?

What wonderful information!!! Thank you!

A few more questions.....
DS is not a proficient typer. I would like to get him a program that he can do at home to become more self-confident at typing. What program to use? Any experiences?

Until he is a stronger typer I am considering using Dragon Dictation on an iPod Touch for use at school and possibly the Dragon Dictation program on a home laptop to help with homework. My thought is that this complete change of information production might help with his written work, increase his self-confidence and expression, and then transfer him over to something like a Neo. Also, when they become available, the iPad might be great for typing and Dragon Dictation. Thoughts on that idea?

I am definitely anxious about the evaluation process but at the moment I fell very thankful that his teacher is receptive to accommodations. I believe this partly due to fact that she has quite a bit of freedom in her classroom (students are the top1% in the district) and also that she witnessed, with her own eyes, how his writing is holding him back. She also acknowledges that his written expression does not at all match his verbal expression and ability.

Hi az1!

Your story sounds so very familiar. My 3rd grade son is also in a highly-gifted public program (145+ on group-administered CogAT) and has just been diagnosed with dyslexia/dysgraphia. Where are you? We were fortunate enough to connect with the Drs. Eide, who are experts on kids like ours. They were instrumental in getting the school district to pay attention; we are in the process of finalizing my son's 504 program right now!

hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii


I knew my son had a problem with writing when I saw that his first-grade journal contained mostly drawings and only a few sentences. In second grade, Austin was still reversing the letters b and d, something most of his peers had outgrown.

His teachers called it laziness, but as he did his homework, I saw him labor to form letters correctly. He worked slowly, erased a lot, and cried. One day, after he'd struggled with a paragraph for two hours, I had him type it at the computer. He was finished in 20 minutes.

Austin has dysgraphia, a learning disability that can accompany attention deficit disorder (ADD ADHD). Dysgraphia affects handwriting, spelling, and the ability to put thoughts on paper. It makes the process of writing maddeningly slow, and the product often illegible. Forming letters requires such effort that a child may forget what he wanted to say in the first place.

The act of writing something down helps most of us to remember, organize, and process information, but children who struggle with the mechanics of writing learn less from assignments than do their peers. Work often goes unfinished, and self-esteem suffers. Fortunately, there are strategies for helping children

Master of None - thank you for the wonderful resource on Yahoo! I have learned TON since Friday.

Pinku - what was your process in getting your son diagnosed? Did you go through the school or on your own? Does your DS have an IEP or 504? Does he use any assistive technology in the classroom?

Pinku's post here, like all Pinku's other posts, was a direct paste from somewhere else on the web (though its software did a better job of appearing relevant in this thread than elsewhere!). I assume the point of the posts was the advertising link in the signature.

ColinsMum -

I wondered about that link at the bottom of her post. Geesh! I should have paid better attention. Thanks for the heads up!

Just to add my two cents. We have been going through a similar process. Last summer my DS8 was diagnosed as dyslexic and dysgraphic. DS8 is in a gifted classroom but struggles with the writing and spelling components. The teacher has been supportive in the classroom but the school has been reluctant to put anything in writing. I finally got the teacher to acknowledge in a meeting that DS8 needs extra time in with writing assignments despite consistent effort. When I pointed out that DS8 probably will need extra time to perform to potential on state tests that start in third grade (something that is in their interest), they finally agreed to start documenting such occasions. They plan to develop a 504 solely for the purpose of giving DS8 more time on the standardized tests. It's not everything that I wanted but I'm hoping that this is our foot in the door for this process.
Re the keyboarding, we tried starting this school year (2nd grade) but DS8 has been too tired after school to make much progress. Right now, it is just another frustration. We plan to pursue it more aggressively this summer.

Just an update -

We have a meeting with the Assistance Team at DS9's school on Monday. This group is made up of teachers and other staff. This is the first step in the process to have him evaluated. I believe that at this meeting his teacher will discuss the issues she has witnessed in the classroom and I will be asked to contribute what we have seen at home. There will be trouble-shooting to try and "handle" the problems within the school. My plan is to try and be quiet and listen very closely to what is discussed - easier said than done. My main goal is to to get my point across that DS has labored and mainly illegible writing, struggles to complete any written assignment (he NEVER finishes when the rest of the class is done), that his written expression is significantly less sophisticated that his verbal ability, and that something is very wrong and it is has become an impediment to his academic success.

I plan to pleasantly but firmly insist that he be evaluated via a psycho-educational exam. I have my own list of specialists that I will pursue if they are hesitant.

I don't expect there to be pushback as his teacher agreed at your previous meeting that there was a problem and that she had already consulted someone about allowing him the have a keyboard in the classroom and has already made some modifications to his writing assignments. That said, I feel like I need to be ready to be railroaded or pushed off.

I am very anxious about this meeting and hope someone can give me some BTDT suggestions.

Ugh, why does this have to be so hard?!

Hello, we are also in a very similar situation. My 9 yr old son has been diagnosed with dysgraphia with very high intellegence so he is unable to get an IEP, but can get a 504 plan. Any suggestions for accomodations to ask for? We have a meeting this week and I'm very overwhelmed with the importance of getting my son the help he needs but having to fight the school for every little thing. I will ask for more time for tests.. etc. just curious to see what people are aksing for. Have you been able to get typing help for your children? thanks for any advice or help.
Angie in Portland, OR