The History...

I will refer to my son as K.C.. He is our #4. We have five children, and he was our baby until the arrival of his sister 8 months ago. My son K.C., is remarkably brilliant, has a huge personality, and is always happy. He has a smile that will melt your heart in an instant. He remembers everything he hears, and has the most painstaking drive to learn. He’s intense, athletic, inquisitive and very chatty. Regardless of the fact that he suffered a life-threatening illness as a 10 day old infant, and was unable to speak a full sentence until he was three; he has the memory that would put Harvard students to shame.

K.C. was potty trained at the age of two. And, at the young age of four, my sweet baby guided me mile -by-mile to his cousin’s house 10 miles away. K.C. is brilliant, but he cannot rhyme or remember sounds that make up the symbols of our written language. He has difficulty remembering letter and number symbols, and always writes and says letters and numbers in reverse.

I consider myself not only a Reading/Learning Specialist, but a Dyslexia Expert. Is there a degree that certifies me as being an "expert?" No. But my resume of experience, education and success with students that are Learning Disabled, Dyslexic, ADD, or students experiencing Reading Delays, etc. is endless. I am not only apt at treating Dyslexia, but I'm good at spotting the symptoms of Dyslexia, and I knew, in the back of my mind that my K.C. was Dyslexic.

I knew that my son was Dyslexic, and so when I received the much anticipated RTI referral note that most parents dread in the Fall of K.C.'s First Grade Year (2012/2013) I wasn't surprised. Although I knew what K.C. needed from an instructional viewpoint, I decided to “see what the school” could accomplish with him in a small group,  receiving "targeted, research-based reading instruction" 30 minutes a day, 2-4 days a week.  "Our school's RTI program is highly regarded. I'll wait to see what they have to say." I thought,

And so, I waited. I received all three of the "Progress Monitoring" reports from the school’s R.T.I. program, including the year-end summary report, and no one 'said' anything.

I can interpret the AIMSWeb jargon that school sent home, because I do this for a living. Iread the report that concluded, K.C. did not meet the goal of, "K.C. will read 51 words correct with 0 Errors from Grade 1 Reading," because K.C could only read 11 words.  I wondered why and how he couldn't have met his goal- especially with the amount and intensity of intervention he received?

K.C. spent anywhere from 30 to 60 hours of his First Grade receiving targeted, Research-Based Reading Instruction at his school, and he STILL DIDN'T MEET HIS GOALS? Wow. 

Did I receive a phone call yet? No.  

I was offended, hurt and angry. 

I know how to build the skills in my son to get him reading, (in less than 30 hours, I may add) so I'm not stressed. I'm very well aware of the political steps I have to take, but I cannot stop thinking, "What about parents who don't know what steps to take? They are receiving the same reports from school and have no idea what the reports mean. Other parents are trusting 'the system.'" 

In August 2013,  K.C. completed a full Psycho-Educational Evaluation. We needed concrete standardized data to give to the school regarding my son’s reading deficits. 

September 2013, 2nd grade: K.C.'s frustration of learning became evident. He became sad and embarrassed. (He told me that boys on the playground called him, 'stupid.') Again, I received the RTI referral note home, requesting MORE time than he received last year. This time I emailed the RTI Specialist for some feedback, and received no reply. I was really praying that the team of Specialists at the school would convey the same concerns and (Professional) observations that I noted above, but the response never came.

Three weeks ago, the results of the Psycho-Educational Evaluation came in just as I suspected: Dyslexic- (or according to the A.P.A., is also called a Learning Disorder in Reading).

I knew it all along, and through the past two years, I would calmly say to myself (and my husband), “If K.C. has Dyslexia, it’s no biggie-I’m here for him. God gave me the amazing gift to teach people how to read. We’ll handle this…. No Problem!” ….

But-- Reality set in. The diagnosis is real. My sunny little man with the biggest heart is Dyslexic. My heart aches for him. Three weeks have gone by and I still have a difficult time making it through the day without breaking into tears. My son will have gargantuan political, social andacademic obstacles to overcome with this disability, and while they are mine to defeat in the near future; the tumultuous journey of going through life with this disability, is his to conquer for his entire life.