This year we began a new unexpected journey with Gabriel. We have been trying to figure this mess out. I have been pretty tight lipped about what has been going on. I do not like to talk about issues until I have a better handle on them. Please understand the reason why we feel very surprised about all of this is that we really didn't see this coming. Gabriel has always been a good student with average grades. My yearly complaint has been about his handwriting but I was always told not to worry about it.
Having your child struggle in school is hard. Being told that the teachers want to have him reviewed by the Child Study Team for attentional issues and learning problems feels like you were sucker punched. You go through a few thoughts. "Yes some homework seems hard but his grades are good enough." "Maybe he is just bored in your class?" "Not my kid!" "You have too high of expectations." Okay you get the point. I fought hard against the idea he had attentional issues because Gabe only presented after my surgery, and I had warned them regarding this behaviour in hopes of getting him help for his emotional needs. I didn't know enough about learning disabilities.
I couldn't argue the fact that for the first time he had a severe grade drop. Last year he received a B in math and now he received an F! Leo and I both understood that a big part of this was due to the fact that I couldn't help him with his homework or studies anymore. I was very upset that no one was taking this under consideration. I was very upset that more than a few times they suggested ADD inattentive disorder. I had hoped that if they had seen him daydreaming the teachers would have talked to him or send him to the guidence office because I did tell them what was going on at home. I am not saying that the teachers were not helping Gabriel but they were not taking into consideration what was happening at home and how it could affect him.
This whole process was frusterating. There was a large disconnect between the teachers and I. This process did bring out the defensive side of me. All of this was happening while I was supposed to be recovering from my second back surgery in 5 months. My emotions were on edge.
As soon as I could spend some serious time on the computer I turned into my obsessive self and began to research ADD and Learning Disabilities. I had heard of Dyslexia (my nephew TJ has recently been diagnosed with this) but I didn't know much about any other LD's.
The first interesting FACT I learned is that ADHD/ADD is not a learning disability but a brain based mental disorder that affects the behaviours of a child. The second fact I learned about it is that it must be present in more than one area of a child's life. Meaning, that having attention issues only at school is not enough to suspect this diagnosis. ADHD/ADD disorders can accompany LD's compounding the problem. ADD inattentive type is defined as an inability to sustain attention. Does fidgeting, daydreaming and clock watching define this disorder? I found a checklist to help me decipher this http://pediatrics.about.com/cs/adhd/l/bl_adhd_quiz.htm . On Gabriel's behalf I can say that he does not have any issue with; sustaining attention during tasks or play activity, listening when spoken to directly, following through with instructions and chores, being distracted by outside stimuli, and he is not forgetful regarding his daily activities. He does obviously have issues with schoolwork and homework. I am not sure how to answer the question regarding organizing tasks or activities, because I do not have a frame of reference for this question. He does fidget with his hands and feet. Gabriel was an early talker and can talk your ear off but he never does this at an inappropriate moment. He does not; leave his seat in class or at other situations where he is supposed to remain seated, run about or climbs inappropriately, have difficulty in playing quietly, he is not an "on the go" or seem to be driven by a "motor" type, he does not blurt out answers to questions, he does not have difficulty waiting his turn, and he does not butt into games or conversations.
Gabriel does not fit the profile of a child with any type of ADHD/ADD. What I have learned is that he needs help with school as it is clear that is where he has problems. Taking this information I then educated myself about Learning Disabilities. This is when I hit the jackpot! Parents please take my advice. Even if you do not know about LD's or ADHD use what the teachers are telling you and combine it with what you know of your child. Go with your gut! If your gut tells you that your child has trouble with something then follow up on it! I had fallen into a rut of being concerned about Gabriel's handwriting but was constantly told not to worry about it.
This is what I have learned about Learning Disabilities:
There are 4 types of LD's. Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, Dysgraphia and Dyspraxia. You can see the pattern here, the Dys of each word is greek for inability. Dyslexia is the inability to process language; reading, writing and spelling. Dyscalculia is the inability to do math facts; computation, remembering math facts, concepts of time and money. Dysgraphia is the inability to perform writen expression; handwriting, spelling and composition. Dyspraxia is not really a LD but can affect a child's learning development. Dyspraxia is the inability to coordinate fine motor skills, coordination and manual dexterity. Executive Function issues are not a LD but can affect children with LD. I quote from http://www.ncld.org/types-learning-disabilities/executive-function-disorders "Many people with LD struggle with executive function, which can make activities like planning, organizing, strategizing, remembering details, and managing time and space difficult. Problems with executive function — a set of mental processes that helps connect past experience with present action — can be seen at any age and often contribute to the challenges individuals with LD face in academic learning."
Then you have a list of what they call co-occuring disorders. Disorders that are not LD's but can mask or accompany your childs LD. ADHD, Autism Spectrum, Visual Processing, Auditory Processing, and Giftedness can all compound and combine with your child with an LD's learning experience.
As you can imagine it is a confusing and frusterating process to figure out. Which one or more or none of these applies to your child? Where do you start and how can you really tell if your child has a LD? As explained to me by the Child Study Team it is a 20 point or more discrepency between his highest acheived score and the lowest score on the educational assessement evaluation. You also need to take into consideration the other evaluations involved in the process. We had Gabriel complete the Educational Assessment, a psychological evaluation, a questionnair that we (his parents) completed and his teachers completed, a social assessment, and based on my concerns we also had an occupational therapist evaluation completed.
Based on the information pulled from the evaluations the Child Study Team has stated that Gabriel does have a Specific Learning Disability. We have developed an IEP (Individual Education Plan) so that we can modify his education to best fit his needs. We are also giving him Occupational Therapy (OT) for his handwriting issues. I have given all the evaluations to our pediatrician for his review. Our pediatrician has told us that Gabriel fails to meet the criteria for ADD but he does have a fine motor handwriting disorder. He also told us that he finds it interesting that the only time Gabriel seemed to have become fidgety or distracted was when a pencil was in his hand.
So what does all of this mean for Gabriel? Where do we go from here? I still have my homework to do to find the best steps to follow for his long term educational needs. That is my next step to figure out.
No comments:
Post a Comment