Homeschool and my 2nd Grader

[kayci]

I want to start out by saying that my daughter attended a wonderful school up until this point. In fact, they helped point us in the direction of services when we discovered our daughter had Dyslexia last year. She started one on one therapy with a therapist who uses the Lindamood Bell approach and they really suggest parents read Dr. Shaywitz's book which has also been incredibly helpful. However, our daughter was falling further and further behind the rest of the class. She'd come home stressed and tests were just causing too much anxiety. She was gaining such ground with therapy but the pressure in class was too much for her. Her self esteem was dropping despite every attempt by the teacher, therapist and ourselves to convince her she was a very bright girl She was at the top of her class in mathematics. She is naturally drawn to the arts and loves ballet. We didn't want to see her lose her self esteem, and so, we made the decision to homeschool this year.

Our son is homeschooled. We began homeschooling due to some social issues and decreasing self esteem. He homeschooled in 2nd and 3rd grades. He returned to school for 4th and 5th grade where he was friends with every boy in class and at the top of his class academically. We moved just before the start of 6th grade and he asked to homeschool again rather than start a new school. By the end of this homeschool year, his Stanford test scores were an overall post high school. He is involved in so many activities and outside classes that he is far more socially integrated in the community than he would be in a typical school.

For this reason, we decided to homeschool our daughter for 2nd grade. We began in July of this year. Her test anxiety has disappeared. She loves to learn. She also has more time to study ballet and will be performing in our community's Nutcracker this year. We have just seen such an improvement academically. We tailor the curriculum to fit her learning style which is something that just cannot be done in the typical school. We will continue therapy because it is so beneficial.

The biggest change that has come about as a result of homeschooling? Our daughter is reading for enjoyment now. She always seems to have a book in her hand and, at night just before lights out when she asks for 'five more minutes to read', it is difficult to say no.

I just had to share our homeschool story because it has been such a success. I meet so many other parents now who also homeschool children with Dyslexia and share such successful stories. I'd love for parents to know this is an option as well.

[Morning]

I love your story. If it works for you, do it!!!

I choose not to homeschool my dyslexic child. I tried, but I needed more help. Even with my college degress, it was not a choice that I made.

However, the school system failed my child, and I had to get an advocate to put some things in place. I also failed my child by not reading my procedural rights, etc. Once I contacted my state department of special education, understood my rights, contacted state resources and got an advocate--everything fell into place.

I can't fully blame the school system for the failure but they did "push my son" along. Now, they are under a microscope. But, they did quickly put some plans in place once I started asking the right questions, got an advocate, etc. And, they understood that I was not afriad to go into due process. And, they paid for an evaluation. And, I have plans to get on some state education commissions to make sure that dyslexic kids are not "left behind."

It is and still is a lot of work. But, that is ok. I am learning a lot and hearing a lot of stories from parents. It is worth it to pay for an attorney or an advocate. You have to.

I know moms who homeschool and it works for them. Your story is an inspiration. [/code]

[kayci]

I just have to share some further good news.

My daughter had her annual evaluation (including the Woodcock Johnson III) early this month. One year ago, she was not even scoring at a Kindergarten level in some areas of the exam. One year later, our second-grade daughter scored overall at the third-grade level. Her lowest score was a 2.4 which is pretty much where she is now in school.

Homeschool has been a success. We were planning on putting her back in therapy but the clinic said she really doesn't need it right now and just to keep on doing what we're doing.

I really hope our story helps somebody else.

[LizzyBee]

My 15 yo is mildly dyslexic and has mild APD. A few years ago, her audiologist told me dd's doing so well because she's homeschooled, and I started crying right there in her office. My dd goes to a public charter high school now and is doing very well.

My 9 yo is severely dyslexic. Thanks to homeschooling, we had time to fit in some therapies she needed to lay a groundwork for learning. I am simply amazed at how well she's doing now. In February, she basically went from being a non-reader to reading 2-4th grade chapter books. We still have a lot of work to do to get her up to grade level in spelling and writing, but we are thrilled with the progress she's making.

I have friends who were told by school personnel that their kids will never read fluently, and I suspect we would have had the same result if my 9 yo had gone to school. I am thankful for the opportunity to homeschool and teach our kids the way they need to learn.