Wow, you are lucky the school is putting so much your son HannahKate. Over here I've had to fight for help at school, we get time with a teacher aide for one on one reading for 15 minutes a couple of times a week. Unfortunately because of the issues with short term memory, maths is also an area that is way behind. We do SPELD, but have to pay for that ourselves and we do this outside school hours.

I also got family to buy the STEPs programme when they specialed it on Yazoom a few months ago http://www.learningstaircase.co.nz/cart/index.php?cPath=25 and through Spectronics we previously purchased Wordshark and Numbershark on the recommendation of the tutor. So at home at least twice a week we have sessions on the computer using the software. Actually the two lots are similar, but STEPS has a NZ accent and the others a British accent.

So yeah, here it seems to be mainly parent driven (or in my case by me). RTLB service just doesn't have enough money to throw at all the kids that need assistance at school. I was told by one teacher that she felt very sorry for my DD as she was never going to learn much at school as there just isn't the funding to cope with her and despite Dyslexia now being recognised many teachers still don't believe it exists and it's just a label.

So despite my best efforts the school does not follow up on recommendations from the SPELD tutor, I'd love to change schools but there are issues with the ex and shared custody etc. The other school doesn't get any more in funding, but the teachers there that I have spoken too seem to have a better attitude to or understanding of dyslexia. As far as decoding goes, we have made huge progess in two years of tutoring - but at the same time her younger brother and her peers have also advanced at normal pace. So instead of being 12 months behind on the first assessment 2 years ago the latest assessment shows 11 months behind. There are times when the progress is fast - it's like all the cogs interlock and others when the tutor feels like we are going 1 step forward and 4 steps back.

I just got the school report today and for enthusiam and effort she excels for everything, but the achievement level in all subjects except art and sport is below standards.

Big hugs GG67

It is so hard when are kids are having problems. We just want the best for them. It is really stressful when you have to fight their corner all the time and the one place (school) when you would hope they would get all he help in the world just doesn't come up to scratch.

Ive realised over the years (my son has ADHD) that it is up to me and his father to push his cause and get all the assistance we can from every avenue. Even then it is slow to come and expensive and time consuming and we both work and have another younger child to take care of as well.

We are waiting to get seen at the Kari Centre in Auckland so that we can finally get some professional assistance with how to manage his behaviour and get some assistance for him on how to manage beter socially and with his peers and dealing with his younger brother.

I am thankful that he doesn't have learning difficulties, he is achieving at levels above his age group for all areas and had a glowing report. It is his social skills and managing othes that he is struggling with.

Learning or behavioural difficulties are both very hard to deal with.

Good luck and keep on with what you are doing, providing the best learning environment you can and all the extra assistance. That's all you can do, she will be what she will be.

Thanks for all your words and experiences. GG67 you just confirmed what I thought about schools in NZ and the support we are getting here far out weighs what we would get in NZ( we were thinking of coming home prior to diagnosis but have had to re evaluate our plans) How much is private SPELD tuition?

Has anyone tried acupuncture for dyslexia?

No there are some schools that are great with teachers with more awareness, check out the website for Cockle Bay school for instance.

The tuition fee varies between areas of the country, they try to have all the tutors within a district charge the same fee. In our area the fee has just gone up 15% but it is still cheaper than the local Danks Davis tutor. There are also tutors that have retired or teachers on maternity leave and are offering tuition privately. In our little part of the world the SPELD district was able to get charitable grants and they have used this to subsidise the assessment costs. They also tutor a number of needy pupils for "free" for one year, the tutor being paid by the grant. I think the hourly rate is still very cheap, but it is hard to find that money every week.

Brain gym exercises is something to get into. anything that crosses the left and right brain interactions, ball throwing catching etc.

Has anyone used DORE? DD1's teacher mentioned them to me but want to see if anyone has any feedback on them. I am suspecting DD1 has dyslexia as a family trait on both sides. Thanks.

I have looked into it and it is very expensive. They have a website. They haso have free information evenings at the Parenting Place in Greenlane that is run by Ian Grant. It takes dedication and commitment to do these excercises twice a day.

the ed psych who tested M told me not to touch DORE with a ten foot pole - he has really poor fine motor skills and dysgraphia and she said it was expensive and for the most part, didn't do what it claimed to and there were no real benefits. i am sure there are people out there it has worked for, but, yeah, from what i can tell there are mixed feelings about it.

Hello lovely ladies. I have a bit of an odd question.

History: I think my daughter could be dyspraxic. She's always had poor muscle tone. Couldn't handle anything but pureed pear or baby rice until 10 months. Delayed speech. Slow to crawl (1 yr) slow to walk (17 months). Clumsy as all heck. So much so her preschool teacher asked me to get her eyes tested at the optometrist. I did and they were fine. And her teacher told me to start saving for the SPELD testing six weeks into school. Her new entrant teacher is the one in charge of special needs at the school. And she said she doesn't know what is up, but something definately is. We think she's got an auditory processing problem, but Greenlane wont test her until she's 7. The audiologist ran a couple of general AP tests after her hearing test, and he said the results were very weird, even for an auditory processing problem, but wouldn't speculate on what it was until the full testing was done.

Anyway, a week into term this year she had a bad day. Was having a little cry at school because the work was hard. Our LOVELY DP who was her new entrant teacher went away and applied for an RTLB which has been approved. YAY! I'd read on here it was hard to get schools to do that, and I didn't even need to ask.

My odd question is, is that Amy can babble in made up words ad um finitum. They were playing this in the car today with other kids, and the others could do a few and then ended up repeating the same sounds. Which is what I end up doing if I'm pretending to speak a foreign language. Amy on the other hand can rabbit on in these intricate complicate and varied sounds for ages. She did this before she could talk. She had this speech delay, but really wanted to talk, so would just babble at you - lots of sounds, and in a really complex, non-repeating pattern. It was very cute and funny, because she'd be expressive and gesture, and it was like she was speaking a whole other language.

Anyway - is that a characteristic of anything like dysrpaxia?

Dore is the outfit I was trying to think of the name of in the other thread. Yes very expensive and the only family I know that used it thought it was great but as an outsider looking in I don't know how much greater the improvement than if the kid had been going to a SPELD or Danks Davis tutor (which they did after). it's probably like a weight loss diet, the results will depend on how well you stick to the plan.

Before you jump up and down with excitement CountryMum, a lot of kids in our area get RTLB referals but not all of them get extra assistance because there is only so much money and the very worst of the kids get allocated the help. But the good thing is that RTLB might be able to point you in the right direction about what you can do to help before you get a formal assessment. RTLB also help the teacher to find a way to teach your child, explaining things slightly differently etc, but it looks like you've lucked onto an excellent NE teacher anyway.

We were advised to wait until 6 before we did the SPELD testing (initially told had to wait until 8) and for us it was the right decision as it is pretty intensive and for my child it was the right age, I think any earlier and she'd have been struggling to understand what was expected in some of the exercises. You don't have to do it through SPELD either just find an Educational psychologist and self refer.

I think it sucks that you have to wait until 7 to get that suspected APD checked, you'd think they would follow it up sooner if they found weird results. I just looked at various DHB's websites around the country and quite a few will test for APD from age 6. I also found a Sound Skills clinic in Greenlane so not sure if you went there or the hospital but it might be something to follow up.

Sorry I don't know much about dyspraxia except that like dyslexia and all those brain things no two people are ever affected exactly the same. I also think that brain gym exercises left brain/right brain stuff helps all these kids and the more that you can before age 7 the better. Your teacher might have a brain gym book she could lend you. My daughter too spoke strangely and it wasn't until my son was talking and could be clearly understood that I realised how far behind she was. Plunket had kept telling me not to worry it'll happen and it was the nurse at one of those preschool mobile ear clinics that referred us to speech therapy and further auditory testing.

I was told she's getting a teacher aid to share between her and another little boy in her class that is similarly troubled. No idea how many hours she'll get, but it's a start. The two of them are doing the quick 60 program together with the DP who isn't teaching for the first two terms. She's a qualified SPELD tutor, so is quite good at seeing things. Thank heavens!

I need to update my siggy. Twins turns 6 last month, and that is when said teacher said would be a good time to get tested. Well, actually after the six year net, so there is more data to start with. Probably wont happen for a while unfortunately.

I have a friend who has found sound skills horrendously expensive. Greenlane is very thorough and free so thats it for us. I know we could get an ed psych assessment for APD, but absolutely no money for that right now.

The advice I'm getting is so varied about the ed psych's Some say don't touch pro-ed, others say it's fine, just philosophical differences. Someone else mentioned indigo something or other. We have one of the best SPELD tutors in the country at our little school so I'm told, but its too expensive for us. Makes me feel quite helpless. I have a good friend who is a teacher that could tutor my daughter for mates rates. Does it need to be a specialist tutor? Would a regular teacher be able to help her?

Thank you for replying to my post - I do appreciate it. My daughter has so many wonderful qualities, its hard to see her trying so hard at school, but just not picking things up like the other kids. I'm sure that is a sentiment often expressed by other parents on this board.

Country Mum when you say Greenlane is that Kari Centre? And if so do you mind sharing your experience either here or PM? I've contacted Kari centre and they've sent me the initial forms but they said can't help with the possible dyslexia side of things. Just really wondering what they have helped you with and whether it would be suitable for us. It's really hard to know which way is the best way to go.

Has anyone here had experience with Read Auckland? I've also spoken to her and she sounds great but was quite expensive esp because I want it for both school boys.

Also what's pro-ed? Just wondering if I should do the ed-psych thing first or just go through speld or just keep looking for a RR teacher who is retired and tutoring... (that might be best for DS1 who is just slightly behind rather than DS2 who is way behind).

Heart breaking isn't it. My DS2 is the same. No one at school sees his great side because he's busy getting in trouble all the time - he hasn't bought his homework books home all week so I had to "dob" him into the teacher this morning and then he tried to go home and after I marched him back to class he had to be peeled off me, crying and pleading while I walked away ...heartbreaking to see him so conflicted and upset.

Oh that's aweful 3boys. Amy has a separation anxiety issue, and is usually fine after I'm gone. But I know as a mother when you see that wide eyed panic/pleading look in your childs eyes as you're going it rips your heart out.

Pro-ed is ed psych and occupational therapy based on the Shore. It's a bit cheaper than SPELD, and some people say its good, and others say it's rubbish. I don't know who is right.

Greenlane is the Greenlane hospital audiology dept. My eldest is deaf in one ear, so the twins were screened to be safe. All their APD reference data is from ages 7+ so they refused to do the testing before hand.

Oh yes! I've heard of them now you say the Shore - a friend of a friend had her daughter assessed through them because of bad handwriting (another of DS's issues) and they were really happy with the results (mother is a teacher). And cheaper than SPELD you say... hmmmm.....

I'd really like DS to get tested for APD. We went through the free SLT clinic at Auckland Uni but they don't really deal with the APD I don't think (although there would seem to be a sort of cross over there). We are booked to go back to the SLT but they haven't contacted us yet (must follow up) so I might just investigate our options through the audiology dept there.

I feel such a newbie in this realm can I ask some questions?

- has your child been assessed to have a learning problem and if so was it through school or privately or....

I really dont know where to start? I have talked to DD1's teacher and she is great but gave the impression there is not much help especially if she is not hugely behind or in need. How do they determine needs?

I think SPELD is reasonably priced given that I pay an hour's tutorial per week ($35 - $50 per hour is the range I've heard) and the tutor must have at least another hour per week of lesson planning, p/copying and resource making etc. I think the cost depends on which area of the country you are in but ours is $10per hour cheaper than Danks Davis and that's the only alternative within a reasonable travel distance. I know that some people have managed to get child disability allowance to help with the costs but WINZ have tightened up on that.

If you feel that your child has a learning issue than you have to push things along yourself. Many teachers are not up to speed with learning problems - this is when you envy Country Mum. I've found that unless your child is many stanines behind his or her peers that there won't be any help until they get to 8. Perhaps some reading recovery or assistance with a teacher aide which is all good but not necessary helping whatever specific issue your child has. There is the whole thing where your child may be just maturing more slowly and will grow out of the issue. Steiner schools don't start their formal reading/writing lessons until 7 for that reason.

As far as I understand funding for assistance, firstly if kids are a little behind the school pays for a teacher aide etc, if the problem is bigger or that need some outside guidance on how to teach your child they call in an RTLB teacher and he/she can help the teacher or teacher aide set up a plan to help your child or in some cases they have some money that can be used to pay for assistance over and above what the school would normally be expected to pay for one child. But that money has to cover all the pupils of all the schools within a set area so only the worst will get access. Schools do not assess your kids for learning difficulties, some teachers may advise you to go "somewhere" but really in my experience you are on your own. You might be able to get a referal to Child Development Services to get an assessment but we went to an educational psychologist via SPELD. I think for peace of mind and knowing what you are dealing with, if the eyes and ears check out, then you owe it to your child to get testing done. Whether you find a way forward yourself or use a tutor like we do, at least knowing what you are dealing with means you can target the issue. And having a report seems to help with getting assistance at school too.

Just remember whatever problems we have with our kids with learning difficulties, parents with gifted kids have the same issues in keeping their kids happy, motivated and learning.

Oh 3boys, that must have been oso hard this morning

Sorry, not sure, but have the school got the RTLB's involved at all?

I have a few LD's this year in my lovely Y3 class. One in particular is under the RTlit (actually, I have 2 with her). 3 others go to onsite lexia (a programme I mentioned elsewhere.

oh! I can answer the APD thing, and why they dont test ealier - it is beause they can't get a 'true' reslutlt until the kids hit about 7, or in some cases, 8. This is soemthing that has come up because both myslef and my child's muym suspect my student of having (along with many other things) APD. Her older son (yr 4) hs very similar LD to my student, and was tested for APD last year - and the results were inconclusive. As mum and dad pay for all these tests, it is pretty important that they don't spend too much dead money.

Anyway, my lovely boy sees the rtlit 3-4 times a week. The Rtlb is currently in the process of testing him (and does a mild apd test for us). I did reccomend to the parents that they visit the behavioural optometrist (another $$ option, but while they aren't rolling in it, they are able to access $ to a certain level). STOKED they did, found a vision issue (he has the CUTEST glasses now, has to wear them for 3 or so weeks before retesting on the behavioural side), so feel that we are on the way to helping him achieve this year. It is going to be a full on, difficult year for him, inasmuch as any year of learning will be, but the more tools we have, the better.

this is SO school dependent. Some schools have TAs that go around the room working in class to support the childen with needs (or to occupy the more able kids while the teacher has intensive time with the learning needs kids). Some have removal groups with specific programmes. Some have both. And some, don't ask me how, have NOTHING.

The thing is for kids to actually get funding, they have to be really, really bad, or have enough things going on to be accepted by the RTlits/RTlbs or similar. Being below national standards is not enough - that worked out to something like 30 bucks per kid or similar when I worked it out last year, and no extra funding was announced for these below NZ kids (makes you wonder why we spent so much money idenitfying the kids we already know are struggling with learning, eh). You are, to a large degree, at the mercy of the direction of the school's ush in learning support.

And GG67 - I SO agree re gifted kids - in fact this is an area I hve already seen worsen under national standards as resources are taken fromt eh more able in some schools to meet the needs of the less able - the problem is the lack of money, pretty much no extra money has been given to support the below NS kjids - and IME many teachers cannnot adequately understand and cater for gifted kids in the classroom programme (as in they give busy work or make them help the lower achieveing kids ALL the time).

Thanks F, and no there is no RTLB involved (I just googled that to find out what they do ). I had a good discussion with my SIL who's daughter is also in a similar situation (she's a couple of years older though). They already have their ed-psych report because of other stuff so she went to Read today and she is going to send her daughter there.

From talking to her and to you guys in here I think what I will do is follow up our SLT and try to organise some APD testing through Auckland Uni tamaki campas. And I will also do the ed-phych report. If I don't go through SPELD I hope they will accept the report if we decide to go through them for tutoring? Just need to find a ed-psych to do it... any suggestions anyone?

With DS1 I think I will just keep looking for someone to tutor him - If anyone has any recommendations in central AK that would be good. I think he just needs some basic stuff covered and a bit of work with comprehension. His teacher seems pretty onto it this year so I will be meeting with her in a couple of weeks and will be able to cover anything concerning me then.


With the eyes. I took DS2 to the optometrist. He was pretty un-cooperative but she concluded he had no issues. But is that different to a behavioural optometrist and wouldn't she have suggested referral if there was anything suspected or maybe not?

I have another friend who is about one to two years further down the track than me with all this stuff. I think I'll also give her a call and see what she thinks.

From what I read about the RTLB I really don't think she will suggest anything that the current teacher isn't already doing? I think he needs more than just group tutoring or a different teaching approach...

3boys, my student is off for his ed psych appt soon, it is one apparently the school rates (we see a range of reports out there in terms of quality) can find out the details next week if you want?

In terms of behavioural optometrists, I know that some people don't 'believe' in them. The one my stendent went to sounded awesome. She was talling the mum how she could tell when the child was lying (well, saying what he thought she wanted to hear) just by watching the eye and pupil movements. I suggested it because I could see tracking issues - he was finding it difficult to copy off the board for handwriting, even when I have him seated in his special near the board desk - and it was very much 1 letter at a time time looking and writing. The question is, is it a vision thing? Or more? At least now we are on our way to finding out. In terms of your DS2, it is ahrd to know, I think some optoms are more embracing of BO's than others.



See, that is what the RTLB would be able to extablish, or reccomend. It gives support to the child in terms of saying - actually, putting him in that group support situation isn't going to help improve skills there, as he learns best when done in a paired situation etc. They can also do the basic testing (mine has done the dyslexsia thingy with my boy and will do a basic APD and others, which means that if the parents want to spend money getting official testing done more in depth, there is an indication for them as to if the money would be well spent or not).

And even a great onto it teacher benefits from having another professional to talk to. I know wiuth my RTLB i have already been able to say to her tried x with him (which has worked with other kids like him) and didn't work - she can follow that up by checking on a learning area, suggest an alternative or in discussion help me realise that it didn't work because x, y, and z had gone on porior to trying it, so it is worth trying again in different conditions.