Advice for Testing for Dyslexia

My Grandma was a Chiropractor. She used to have a machine that was used for Dyslexia where you would simulate crawling (like a rowing machine, only for crawling); I think what I've seen lately are "climbing" equipment at gyms. It is the motion (like crawling) of using the left leg / arm and right leg / arm motions. If you can get him to crawl around the house, that is what the idea would be (forgot if 8 years olds will do this kind of stuff!!!). Also, they used to use the squeeze balls so when a thought was difficult, they squeezed the opposite side (if they were right handed, they squeezed ball with left hand; if left handed, squeeze with right hand). That's all I remember - I thought it interesting many years ago when I worked in her office....

D.,

Education.com has several articles / resources about Dyslexia. http://www.education.com/reference/topic/SpecialNeeds_Dys...

You might try emailing them to see if they are aware of any specific tests that could be useful.

Some additional info from the Children's Health Council
Click here to read more about communicating with your child about learning disabilities. www.chconline.org/pdf/LearningDisabilities.pdf
For more information, contact the CHC Access, Information and Referral department at ###-###-#### or email: ____@____.com.

Go to Susan Barton's website. You can google it. For reading tutors, I believe the website is susanbartonreading.com. Also, check out the dyslexia association which is in San Mateo. Their website is www.dyslexia-ncbida.com.
Also, There is a workshop addressing both Dyslexia and ADHD on Apris 12, 2007. You can register at the dyslexia website. (The workshop is a combination effort of Parents Education Network and the dyslexia association. I am going with one of my clients, if you are interested you can email me for more information at ____@____.com.

I really like Upgrade Reading. Jessica is an incredibly astute evaluator and will let you know if you need to go have your son evaluated in a broader setting, or they can help you there. As a first step, it would be a lot cheaper and I am truly impressed with this woman.
JESSICA JACOBSON

Phone: 650.369.READ
Website: www.upgradereading.com
Email: ____@____.com

We were really not impressed with the Children's Health Council; they did a lot of damage by inaccurately diagnosing my stepson's learning problems. And they were hugely expensive and very focused on the money.

Good luck!

The tests given at schools would not give you any indication if your son has a learning disability - they just test whether or not he is far enough behind to qualify for some extra assistance.

Get a referral from your pediatrician for a specialist - with a diagnosis you still might be able to get him some time in RSP even if his scores on the test were too high.

V.

Hi D.,

You might check with the Children's Health Council in Palo Alto. http://www.chconline.org or ###-###-####.

Good Luck, L.

My sister's 3 kids have dyslexia and she swears by Scotish Rite (don't know if I spelled that right) and the program they have for dyslexia. She lives in Texas so I don't know how good of a program they have here. I did go to the one off of Hwy 87 to have my son assessed for apraxia, a speech disorder, and I really liked the speech therapist. They have programs you can get into too. I don't know much about Scotish Rite, but they fund the therapy, you don't need to be a member or practice any belief's they have - it is a public service.

Hi D.,

We went to the Morrissey-Compton Education Center in Palo Alto. ###-###-####) They do diagnostic testing for IQ and acheivement. They also evaluate ADD and pshycological issues.

My daughter went there for testing and also attends their "Challenge" summer school program, which she really likes (much better than the summer school offered by the school district.)

Good luck!
D.

Ask the school for recommendations and if they do not give you any at least ask them to write down the tests that they used and any tests that they recommend and what they are for specifically. Also, of course have a copy of the test results so you can share them with whomever you see, but you might consider sharing them after he has been retested. If the new tests come out lower you can demand that he receive services at school. It's a shame that the school will not provide services. The teacher is the best judge because she is with him at least 6 hours per day and can really see the discrepancies and can also compare him with other kids in the class and see the differences. Parents Helping Parents in Santa Clara would be an excellent source of information for you. I strongly recommend that you contact them. Good luck!

Hi D.,

I think you need to take your son to someone who has the ability to test for both ADHD and dyslexia and can tease the effects of those two apart. I would guess your son is not qualifying for an IEP because there's no part of his intelligence testing that's revealing his real intelligence.

I've listed a couple of places that do pretty comprehensive testing below. The Pratt Center charges $3400 for a complete evaluation, they don't do partial evaluations. This is where I would take our son if we were starting from scratch. A lot of people go to the Morrissey/Compton Center in Palo Alto. They do everything from partial evaluations to extended psychoeducational testing ($3300). People seem quite satisfied with them.

Pratt Center
Four Main Street, Suite 210
Los Altos, CA 94022
###-###-####
http://www.prattcenter.com/evaluations/

Morrissey/Compton Center
2555 Park Blvd, Suite 20
Palo Alto, CA 94306
###-###-####
http://www.morrissey-compton.org/

Hi,
The same exact thing happened to me when my son, now 15, was in second grade. He didn't qualify...so I left him in the private catholic school and two years later I had him privately tested. You can ask your pediatritian for some names. I can't remember who tested him, but I do remember it was in San Mateo near MillsPenninsula Hospital. Usually their listed under Educational Therapist. Finally, when he was in fourth grade after the private testing...I had him retested through the school district and thankfully he qualified. He's been in special ed ever since. I'm not going to say he's all better now, because it's been a long road and I'm sure his high school years will be even harder. But with continued love and support we'll get through this. I wish you success and alot of patience.

Hi D. -

You're wise to get him evaluated privately. There are several specialists in the area -- you can check in with Children's Health Council in Palo Alto, or try the following:

Burdick and Associates
Palo Alto Office
415 Cambridge Avenue
Palo Alto, CA 94306
Tel: ###-###-####

Best of luck!

J. J-T
EvoLibri Consulting