right- so I think I'm going to go to the "committee" meeting with the idea of saying:
"I keep getting reports that he is unfocused and needs redirecting to finish his work. He is not struggling academically, but he is not shining either. He is not ADHD and is obviously really smart. WISC report states that he may have trouble coding/writing (some mild form of dysgraphia, perhaps). What accommodations do you, committee members, recommend to better engage him with the curriculum and help him succeed?"
I think your approach with the school staff is fine, but I'd recommend you also look a bit deeper into the issues with handwriting that the teacher has noted. Your ds is the same age/grade my ds was when he was diagnosed with dysgraphia - your ds' PSI and WJ-III Achievement scores in writing are higher than my ds' were at that time, but much of what you've written sounds *exactly* like what was happening with my ds - issues with handwriting (spacing, reversals, etc) and reports from his teacher of difficulty staying on task in class etc (his teacher suspected ADHD). With a discrepancy as large as your ds has on his WISC (between VIQ/PRI and PSI), it would be really beneficial to look at further testing to determine *why* there is a large dip in processing subtest scores. For instance, you'd want testing that looks into potential visual issues and fine motor issues (both can be root causes of dysgraphia). Vision issues aren't as simple as going to your regular eye dr and having a checkup and getting a report of 20/40 eyesight etc - they can be issues with tracking/convergence etc or it can be a quirk in how visual information is processed in the brain. Fine motor isn't necessarily something that will be remediated with practice or OT work - with most dysgraphics it's an issue with inability of the brain to develop automaticity, which means the student might never be able to rely on handwriting to fully show their knowledge. Sorry, didn't mean to sound dramatic about the dysgraphia :), but just wanted to point out that you've got two very clear indicators that *might* point to dysgraphia (as well as a tester who suggested it?). You mentioned possibly "minor" dysgraphia, I'd just caution that dysgraphia can *look* minor from the outside looking in, but it can really impact a child in a big way, and 2e kids with high IQ often get lost in the shuffle because they can compensate so well in the early years of school - yet these early years of school are the time you want to catch LDs if they exist and start remediating what you can and accommodating what needs to be accommodated.
Those notes always frustrate me because if I am not in class with him, how am I supposed to help him focus and keep him from being distracted? Isn't that the teacher's job, after all, to engage the kids?
Yes, it's the teacher's job to engage the kids, but it's easy as a parent to think that the issues are only revolving around a bright child not being challenged or engaged. I was soooo there myself in 2nd grade! It's also the sign of a good teacher to notice when something's not working well for a student, which it sounds like your ds' teacher has mentioned (handwriting etc). It's highly unlikely that any teacher is going to be able to pull all the pieces of the puzzle together though and be able to tell the parent that their child is dysgraphic or ADHD or needs extra help with (fill in the blank). You're going to be your ds' best advocate as a parent, in seeing the big picture, putting together the data you get from different places (teacher, testing, etc) and coming up with a game plan moving forward.
So yes, there may be things you can do as a parent that will help him be less distracted in class even though you're not there. First step that I think would happen here is a bit more testing to determine why he has the large gap in processing speed. The tests that are typically given to get to the root cause are things like Beery VMI (Visual Motor Integration) and finger-tapping (to see if there is a fine motor issue), possibly an OT eval. Those are tests that weren't offered in our school district and we had to get privately through a neuropsych eval, but they were well worth the extra time/$ and testing. You can also do some informal observations of your own at home that might be helpful - have your ds do a writing assignment using handwriting, then do a similar exercise having him tell you orally - and compare the difference in # of words output + quality of the writing (descriptive detail etc). You can also time his handwriting while copying (or have him write the alphabet, for instance) - basically write something he doesn't have to think much about. Then google "letters per minute + 2nd grade" and compare your ds' handwriting speed to the range of lpm you find onlin for his age/grade. If it's considerably slower, that's another sign of potential dysgraphia.
Hope some of that makes sense!
Best wishes,
polarbear
