Dyslexia but High IQ == best approach for 11+ success?

Delilah · Post by **Delilah** » Thu Jun 25, 2009 8:39 pm

My daugter is severely dyslexic...but has an IQ of 134. Will this help her thru the 11+?..We are in South Bucks so only do VR. Will she be at a real disadvantage as it is solely VR and she has a language based disability?
Which bits of VR will be difficult for a dyslexic?..

Guest55 · Post by **Guest55** » Thu Jun 25, 2009 8:52 pm

Is she sitting the 11+ this year?

Have the school applied for extra time for her?

I would try the demo CDs to see which sections she finds hard.

Delilah · Post by **Delilah** » Sat Jun 27, 2009 10:15 pm

No she is jusr finishing year 3... appreciate that a soley VR test as in Bucks will be a real challenge for her...but wnated to get some strategies in place early as she will have a tough time. I suppose I really need to understand if she would thrive (or even survive!) in a GS with her ld

Guest55 · Post by **Guest55** » Sat Jun 27, 2009 10:20 pm

Delilah - if she's bright she'll be fine - you might have to think which GS would best support her. I teach in a GS and we do have pupils with SEN and they do well.

Look at the word list in the free downloads section -

Guest11 · Post by **Guest11** » Sun Jun 28, 2009 3:57 pm

My daughter is also dyslexic (moderate dyslexia) with a high IQ. We asked for extra time for her in the Bucks 11+ but the school would not apply as she was working within 'normal' levels. We paid for an independent educational psychologist report which showed her standardised IQ was 137, also scores of 135 for NVR, 133 for spatial skills, 129 for number skills and 125 for VR.

She sat the Bucks 11+ which is VR only, in Oct 2008. We practised at home from the Easter beforehand. There were two types of questions she found particularly difficult:
- moving a single letter from one word to another to make two new words
- identifying a three letter word to fit inside a longer word.

She eventually obtained a score of 120 - aargh! We went to appeal with the EP report and her Y5 class teacher report, which was excellent. Fortunately we were successful at appeal and she will start at grammar school in September. I have no worries about her ability to cope; she was already at L5 in all subjects at the end of Y5.

I think that you should encourage your child to sit the 11+ if that is want she wants, but to make sure you have lots of separate evidence of her academic ability just in case you have to appeal like us.

Guest55 · Post by **Guest55** » Sun Jun 28, 2009 4:22 pm

Guest11

Your school was incorrect not to apply for extra time - I think it would have been granted in the circumstances you outline and would have prevented an appeal.

May I suggest that you speak to the SENCo at the Parents evening (most schools hold one around the 7th July induction day) - it wil ensure that support is in place from day one.

ian35mm · Post by **ian35mm** » Mon Sep 28, 2009 9:28 am

I note with interst that Bucks CC are up to their normal tricks.

One of my student's has an Ed Psych report that clearly identifies Dyslexia and ADD. His parents aplied for extra time and the letter back basically said this.

We accept that you have a report that states that your child has a Learning Disability.

We accept that under legislation children wth Learning Disabilities should have reasonable adjustments made to exam so they are not disadvantaged.

We have talked to the Headteacher and she disagrees with the report.

Therefore, no adjustments - no right of appeal.

So the report of an educational psychologist can overidden by the opinion of a Headteacher who has never taught the child.

Sally-Anne · Post by **Sally-Anne** » Mon Sep 28, 2009 11:13 am

It seems that Bucks are looking for every possible opportunity to deny extra time, and the slightest whiff of doubt from any quarter will result in extra time being denied.

Undoubtedly that is because so many people have abused the system in the past, but it does mean that genuinely deserving cases are now being disadvantaged.

S-A