Jeff didn’t receive the early intensive intervention he needed to overcome his dyslexia and have a balanced life. This is what CAN happen if you take the band-aid approach to intervention, or even worse, just wait and see.
As a preemie, Jeff had challenges from the day he was born – from allergies to problems with attention and focus. Health concerns were just the beginning; there was a family history of dyslexia, and Jeff displayed all the early symptoms. At age 3, he had a speech delay; he had problems pronouncing words, which made his speech very difficult to understand. At age 4, he wasn’t learning preschool skills like rhyming, memorizing the alphabet, making the connection between sounds and letters or counting from 1 to 20. At age 5, his parents decided to put him in kindergarten even though his readiness skills were lagging behind his peers.
That first year of school was a disaster for Jeff. At the first parent–teacher conference, his teacher expressed concern that Jeff wouldn’t sit still and listen to a story. He wasn’t able to remember the letters or numbers they had reviewed since day one.
Was Retention the Answer?
The teacher suggested repeating kindergarten, but that wasn’t acceptable to Jeff’s parents. They assumed that their local public school wasn’t capable of working with kids like Jeff, so they switched him to a “more nurturing, accommodating” private school for his 1st grade year.
It was not long before the same thing happened there. While all of his classmates were reading the “Frog and Toad” books, Jeff was still trying to learn that the letter ‘B’ says “bu”, the letter ‘C’ says “ku” and so on. His classmates were memorizing the addition and subtraction facts up to 20, but Jeff was still trying to remember that the number ‘5’ represents five objects.
Eventually that private school told Jeff’s parents that he wasn’t a good fit for their program. They encouraged Jeff’s parents to take him to the local private school for bright children with dyslexia, but it was expensive and not conveniently located.
How Many Different Schools and Tutors Would it Take?
For 2nd grade, Jeff went back to the local public school. This time he was tested for special education. His IQ was normal, but he
still wasn’t reading, and he was now two years below grade level. Those factors qualified him for special ed. He started in the Resource Specialist Program; he was pulled out of class for two hours a day to target his reading, writing and math.
It took another year for Jeff‘s instructors and parents to realize that this plan was another poor fit. He still wasn’t getting the intensive individual instruction required to get him on the right track, and he was being pulled out of class so often that his curriculum was disrupted. When he did return to class, he didn’t have a clue what they were studying. Jeff was lost!
Jeff’s parents took him to a teacher for after-school support. That teacher was followed by another teacher, who was followed by another one. Jeff kept falling farther behind.
Jeff is Still Struggling!
That was 8 years ago. Jeff is now a sophomore in high school. He still struggles to comprehend his history and science books. He still has to refer to a table or count on his fingers to do his math. And Jeff HATES to write.
He is still enrolled in special academic support classes, and he is still going to several tutors after school. But Jeff frequently refuses to attend these special classes because of the stigma associated with them.
One thing Jeff does enjoy is Junior ROTC. He is successful there. He is a kind, social kid and enjoys community service. He loves military history. In fact, he would like to join the army if/when he graduates from high school. His parents are hoping he can go into the military as an officer…. but that requires a bachelor’s degree.
At this point in time, we are hoping to find a motivation for Jeff. We are hoping that he will graduate from high school and go to a junior college with a program for kids with special needs. We are hoping he will eventually obtain a bachelor’s degree and then go into the army as an officer.
We have not given up on Jeff! There is still time for him to succeed.
What if he had received the intervention necessary when he was in second grade… or better yet, in kindergarten? Jeff is a bright, social kid. Where would he be now?
Parents, please, identify your children’s difficulties early and get them enrolled in appropriate intensive intervention. It is never too early or too late to begin, but the longer you wait, the longer it will take to close the gap. Call us at 858.509.1131 or contact us via our form today!