P-T conference, reading issues, too chatty, thoughts?

[crl]

I had my parent-teacher conference this week with ds' second grade teacher.

For background I should probably mention that ds received special education services fro age two though mid-year of first grade. He did not have an aide at any time in K or 1st grade. He has some, now very old, tentative diagnoses of ADHD and anxiety disorder.

She said that he is too chatty in class and not paying attention. This was news to me as his K and 1st grade teachers consistently reported to me that he listened very well and they put disruptive children next to him as he was a goo influence. I told her that. She didn't have any thoughts on what might have changed.

His teacher also said that he is rushing through his work and getting answers wrong even when he is capable of getting them right. She also said that in general he needs to be better at organizing. I think these are and always have been true for ds.

The third issue she raised is reading comprehension. According to her, his fluency is okay but his reading comprehension is very low--nearly a year behind. I have raised reading issues with his teachers in the past and they always assured me that his reading was at grade level. I have always worried about this because ds asks me questions when I am reading to him that make me think he isn't listening or isn't understanding.

I asked her if she thought any of this could be related to attention issues (ie ADD) or to his history of difficulty with pragmatic language. She was unsure as to whether the reading comprehension was connected to attnetion issues. She felt that he did not have language processing issues because he is able to follow directions.

Her suggestions were for us to reinforce the importance of doing his work carefully and to try to instill good organization habits. I told her I would be happy to do this, but that I already try on the organizig front with little success. And as to reading, she suggests that I continue to read to him and focus on asking questions to practice reading comprehension. And that we revisit the issue at our third quarter conference.

I have already resolved that I am not going to let the reading go that long. I think we should try for a month or so and then I will check in with her to see if there has been any progress. If not, I think we should be looking at more intensive intervention of some kind, ASAP.

As to his classroom behavior, I feel like that is her problem. I am not there and I don't see anything I can do about it. On the organizational front, I am a bit perplexed as I already do try to have him be organized with his homework and backpack.

Anyone have any thoughts or insight on any of this? To me it sounds like it really could be ADD and I hate to waste a lot of time if we need to be getting him some sort of help. I also worry that there is some sort of language processing glitch that we should address somehow.

Thanks,
Catherine

[lalasmama]

I do wonder if it's related to the ADD. DD definitely has issues like you mention with you DS when she's not medicated--she rushes through work making careless mistakes, she doesn't comprehend what she is reading or hearing, she can't manage to put things where they go. It's like she's trying, but something just isn't actually "clicking" into the right place, if that makes any sense.

In kindy, medicated or not, her teacher spoke glowingly of her. Then-SO and I kind of wondered if he was telling us about the right kid, because she was such a challenge for us! However, what we were expecting was much more than a teacher with 34 five year olds was expecting! In first grade, I would get notes home--"Did DD take her medicine this morning? She had a hard time connecting the dots between what the instructions said to do, and how it related to her." But the teacher still, generally, talked about how well she managed when she was medicated. And, again, then-SO and I had noticed she had settled down a lot from kindy, but still the reports we got from school weren't much like what we were getting out of her at home.

Now she's in 2nd grade. I think a shift happens between 1st and 2nd grade. It seems like 1st grader teachers are still pretty lenient on things. They expect kids to be unorganized still, to have a hard time paying attention, etc. But when they move from 1st to 2nd, they move from "pre-schooling" to "real" schooling, IMO. While still a lot of fun, it seems like DD's teacher is much more serious this year about the classroom learning. Last year, DD was on the top of the behavior/learning charts on a daily basis. This year, she's on the "Ready to learn/Good Day" much more often than the "Outstanding" that she was constantly at last year. (That being said, I actually like her teacher this year; DD seems to be grasping on to things well with this teacher.)

I guess, like you, I would look into things, and investigate the ADD thing a little more. It seems like 2nd grade is much more academic, and kids need the advantages we can give them.

[lurksalot]

Based upon the information you provided, I would follow up on both the ADHD and auditory processing. The ability to follow directions is not the same as auditory processing, there are tons of nonverbal cues when dealing with directions, apples to oranges, imo.

We have very similar concerns with our DS(6) and are waiting until he turns 7 for the auditory processing assessment. Our pediatric neurologist will do the referral when he reaches 7.

hth,
Tiffany

[Gena]

DS is in the 2nd grade and has been on an IEP since he was 3.



The third issue she raised is reading comprehension. According to her, his fluency is okay but his reading comprehension is very low--nearly a year behind. I have raised reading issues with his teachers in the past and they always assured me that his reading was at grade level. I have always worried about this because ds asks me questions when I am reading to him that make me think he isn't listening or isn't understanding.


What we found was that in Kindy and 1st grade reading instruction seems to focus on decoding and fluency. Comphrehension doesn't seem to be something teachers generally look at until 2nd grade. Basically it has to do with the switch from "learning to read" to "reading to learn". So if your DS has good decoding and fluency skill, it makes sense that his past teachers did not see a problem.

DS has an unusual reading profile because of his hyperlexia. He is a natural decoder and has been highly fluent since he was in preschool. However, he has some challenges with reading comprehension, particularly with fiction. We pushed for him to get additional help in this area since kindy. In his kindy year he was in the autism classroom and the teacher worked on comprehension with him one on one. Last year (1st grade) and this year (2nd) he has had pull-outs to do the Read Naturally (http://www.readnaturally.com/approach/default.htm) program. This program has benefitted DS a lot in teaching him to make predictions about a text, identify the main idea, understand how story elements relate to each other, etc.

I agree with the PPs that it sounds like you should follow up with the ADHD issues. ADHD is a difficulty in executive function skills and this includes things like organization, so it sounds like they are definately related.

I also agree that Auditory Processing Testing may be helpful. DS was tested for this over the summer - finally, like PP said it needs to be done after age 7, so we waited for years. The results gave us some very helpful information about how DS processes what he hears.

[crl]

Thanks everyone. I really appreciate your input. I emailed ds' ped this morning about a referral for evaluations for ADD/ADHD and auditory processing issues.

Our old evals were done at Kennedy Krieger and we have since moved to CA. Although I loved ds' developmental ped at KK so much (and they take our insurance) that I am tempted to try to find a way to go back there. The main downside, in addition to the cost of the flights, would be the difficulties in getting follow-up referral and care on the opposite coast. Sigh.

Catherine

[Reina]

My ophthalmologist says that one of the most overlooked causes of focus issues and reading comprehension problems is eye movement disorders. When was the last time your DS got a comprehensive eye exam? Just throwing it out there...

[rlu]

Now she's in 2nd grade. I think a shift happens between 1st and 2nd grade. It seems like 1st grader teachers are still pretty lenient on things. They expect kids to be unorganized still, to have a hard time paying attention, etc. But when they move from 1st to 2nd, they move from "pre-schooling" to "real" schooling, IMO. While still a lot of fun, it seems like DD's teacher is much more serious this year about the classroom learning.

It seems like 2nd grade is much more academic, and kids need the advantages we can give them.

I agree with this 100%.

OP hope the tests help you find resources to help your DS.

[ladysoapmaker]

In regards to the disorganization stuff, it can occur by itself or with ADD. One thing I have noticed is naturally organized people seem to this everyone should be instantly organized and instinctively know how to do it. And as those of us who are disorganized know it's not.

Teaching your child to be organized is a challenge. I know I have trouble being organized myself. (DH is so much better then I am). The biggest thing is at least once a week go through his bookbag and folders and talk to him about where he thinks those loose papers belong and if he has a homework folder, does the completed graded homework belong there and if not where? Also if he has an agenda work with him to write down what needs to be done each day (did he write down his math homework, and the reading or writing assignment). These tips are what we've been working on with DS#2. I believe DH has other things he's been working with DS#2 on but I'm not sure at the moment.

Oh and DS#2 was having some trouble with reading until we got his ADD diagnosis and on his medication then OMG it improved noticeably.

Good Luck,
Jen

[MamaKath]

It sounds like you could use an eval for adhd, and also additional testing. Reading comprehension problems can be the result of numerous other things including both visual and auditory issues. Organization would be something that you can work on in small pieces- routine is a big part of organization.

Chattiness can also be part of a change in maturity and also class dynamics from 1st to 2nd grade. I am often shocked to see the kids who have been really well behaved in K and 1st become confident and chatty in 2nd. Sometimes it is just a comfort level with the kids that has taken awhile to develop.

As far as following up, I would hesitate to go to KKI from across the country. My experience has been that they want you to conduct follow up through them rather than helping you find appropriate services in your area. A great eval doesn't work if there is follow up needed that you can't provide.

[crl]

Thanks everyone!
Catherine