Dyslexia/Visual problems and the 11+
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Re: Dyslexia/Visual problems and the 11+
Thanks so much for your advice and kind words mum23. DD has had an ed psych consultation for dyslexia through school. Again the message was that they were quite shocked that she had been managing as well as she had been. I'll certainly follow your advice and get in touch with the grammar school and the LEA. It is encouraging to hear the success story of your children, and it is great to hear that with the right support they have flourished. I know that even if DD doesn't get into the grammar school she will do well, the determination and work ethic she has shown at such a young age makes me very proud. I just need to stop feeling sad and guilty that she has struggled and set to action!! Thanks again!
Jo
Jo
Re: Dyslexia/Visual problems and the 11+
Good luck Jo, keep us posted. If you do want to find out more about dyslexia the British Dyslexia Association do a useful workshop for parents and hold these at various venues around the country. I did one in Birmingham. Your DD sounds like a great girl and I am sure she will thrive wherever she goes. Some comprehensives do much better at supporting dyslexic students so it is worth looking at them and talking to the SENCO at the open eves.
My DD did her 11+ in a different room because she had more time and that helped I think too, plus it was the cookery room and apparently smelled nice of cakes and bread!!
My DD did her 11+ in a different room because she had more time and that helped I think too, plus it was the cookery room and apparently smelled nice of cakes and bread!!
Re: Dyslexia/Visual problems and the 11+
Hi all - just to give you a quick update, the admissions team have confirmed that DD will get extra time in the test and will be able to take a piece of black card in with her to help with her difficulties in tracking. They have also confirmed that she will be in a separate room for children who have extra time so less disruption. I can't guarantee the cookery room but I had visions of an enormous hall with all the other children leaving at the regular time! Phew! Thanks for all your advice and support!
Re: Dyslexia/Visual problems and the 11+
Thats fantastic news- I am so pleased for you ! My dd is taking the test in Kent today and I have been so pleased at the way her school considered the adjustments for the practice tests a couple of days ago. If the real thing goes the same way I will be very happy. Dd is on her own too and that was a big relief for both of us...I was worried that everyone else would stop and they would have to wait for her to finish before they could go out to play 
Well done for perservering
x
Well done for perservering
x
Re: Dyslexia/Visual problems and the 11+
Great news Jo 
I am very happy that your DD will get the chance to show what she can do and she deserves it after a hard year. Well done for persevering and now all going well you can move forward knowing she can get some support as she needs it. Let us know how it goes. Best of luck. Fingers crossed for you. We are a few years down the line with DD but she is still very happy at her school. I do still have to keep an eye out especially when she changes teachers and they don't seem to be aware that DD can't copy from the board fast etc but all in all I am pleased.
Nice when things turn out well. I was hoping you would get some help. BTW was it your primary school that secured the time, the LEA or the grammar school senco?
I am very happy that your DD will get the chance to show what she can do and she deserves it after a hard year. Well done for persevering and now all going well you can move forward knowing she can get some support as she needs it. Let us know how it goes. Best of luck. Fingers crossed for you. We are a few years down the line with DD but she is still very happy at her school. I do still have to keep an eye out especially when she changes teachers and they don't seem to be aware that DD can't copy from the board fast etc but all in all I am pleased.
Nice when things turn out well. I was hoping you would get some help. BTW was it your primary school that secured the time, the LEA or the grammar school senco?
Re: Dyslexia/Visual problems and the 11+
Hi Mum23
Sorry for the delay in replying. It has been down to the primary school who liased direct with the grammar schools admissions team. As I said before, we are really very lucky that DD's school is so supportive and pro-active. Two weeks to go and it will all be over, thank goodness!
Sorry for the delay in replying. It has been down to the primary school who liased direct with the grammar schools admissions team. As I said before, we are really very lucky that DD's school is so supportive and pro-active. Two weeks to go and it will all be over, thank goodness!
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bendyspatula
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Re: Dyslexia/Visual problems and the 11+
I'm wishing I'd read this thread when it was first written! Feel I've really let my DD down by not pushing to get her extra time. She took the 11+ last Saturday and became ill and upset during the 3rd paper, partly due to awful timing of the onset of a cold and partly due to emotional frustration at slow processing.
Our dyslexia journey began a year ago. DD (in Year5 at the time) began 11+ tuition and the tutor said she suspected mild dyslexia. DS (2 years younger) was already struggling with reading but his Y2 class teacher had told me not to consider dyslexia as she thought he'd "learn his way out of his issues".
I took both DD and DS to Dyslexia Action and paid for an assessment (the state primary they are in weren't able to help). DS came out very dyslexic, DD not but they suggested because she is bright she could be covering for it and it will only show when challenged at higher reading levels.
DD has progressed through 11+ tuition and all efforts have been focussed on getting her skills up to speed, augmenting the rubbish school teaching etc. Now that she's had the set back she had at 11+ I wonder whether I should have pushed to get her the full EP assessment (spending the £400 per DC to do so) and hence got her the extra time?
The other side of my thinking is maybe turning cartwheels to get them into GS isn't the way forward if they'll always need extra help and they'd be better off going to schools more tailored to meeting their needs? DS is only now in Y4, but is already demonstrating great strength in Maths and mental manipulation of facts yet he can't retrieve it off the page nor replicate it in writing. His spelling is non-existent, numbers and letters regularly written backwards and he too is doing eye exercises to work on convergence issues identified in March by the optician I took them both to further to the SENCO suggesting dyslexia can be linked to eye issues of this kind.
DD doesn't have convergence issues diagnosed but does make some of the types of silly mistake you mention, such as reading + symbols as x and vice versa....
Ironic really, as I'm blind but not dyslexic at all. DH's family have dyslexic tendencies but not in DH himself....
Our dyslexia journey began a year ago. DD (in Year5 at the time) began 11+ tuition and the tutor said she suspected mild dyslexia. DS (2 years younger) was already struggling with reading but his Y2 class teacher had told me not to consider dyslexia as she thought he'd "learn his way out of his issues".
I took both DD and DS to Dyslexia Action and paid for an assessment (the state primary they are in weren't able to help). DS came out very dyslexic, DD not but they suggested because she is bright she could be covering for it and it will only show when challenged at higher reading levels.
DD has progressed through 11+ tuition and all efforts have been focussed on getting her skills up to speed, augmenting the rubbish school teaching etc. Now that she's had the set back she had at 11+ I wonder whether I should have pushed to get her the full EP assessment (spending the £400 per DC to do so) and hence got her the extra time?
The other side of my thinking is maybe turning cartwheels to get them into GS isn't the way forward if they'll always need extra help and they'd be better off going to schools more tailored to meeting their needs? DS is only now in Y4, but is already demonstrating great strength in Maths and mental manipulation of facts yet he can't retrieve it off the page nor replicate it in writing. His spelling is non-existent, numbers and letters regularly written backwards and he too is doing eye exercises to work on convergence issues identified in March by the optician I took them both to further to the SENCO suggesting dyslexia can be linked to eye issues of this kind.
DD doesn't have convergence issues diagnosed but does make some of the types of silly mistake you mention, such as reading + symbols as x and vice versa....
Ironic really, as I'm blind but not dyslexic at all. DH's family have dyslexic tendencies but not in DH himself....
Re: Dyslexia/Visual problems and the 11+
I'm really sorry to hear that your DD found the 11+ distressing. It really is a terrible process and I know I am hypocritical in saying this, but I too wonder if it was ever the right thing in putting my DD through the whole thing. Not because of her SEN, but because it seems such a tough experience for our 10 year olds to have to go through. I'm sure you did what you thought was best, and as parents that is all we can do. In terms of whether to go for a full assessment it might mean she has the proper support whichever secondary school she goes to, but I'm new to this as well. I would say that going to see an optometrist to rule out any convergence issues might be worthwhile. My DD has been working on eye exercises for 4 months now and has improved massively, and she is also more aware of the problem. Only yesterday, she had to re-do her handwriting work because she missed lines out, but she recognised it was because she hadn't used her black card, rather than thinking she was careless/stupid. This is a huge thing in terms of her confidence and she is now walking taller and feeling much more positive. We went to an opthalmologist who simply tested whether DD could follow a light and identified the problem immediately.
Don't beat yourself up. I'm sure you're doing a great job!
Don't beat yourself up. I'm sure you're doing a great job!
Re: Dyslexia/Visual problems and the 11+
Just wanted to say thanks again for all the support and advice! Results arrived today and DD passed. I'm absolutely delighted for her and so proud. I'm convinced that she wouldn't have such happy news if she hadn't had the extra time and the very simple solution of the piece of black card, It felt like we had uncovered the convergence issues too late in the day, but she has proven me wrong! So for anybody next time round all I can say is don't give up!
x
I'm absolutely delighted for her and so proud. I'm convinced that she wouldn't have such happy news if she hadn't had the extra time and the very simple solution of the piece of black card, It felt like we had uncovered the convergence issues too late in the day, but she has proven me wrong! So for anybody next time round all I can say is don't give up!x
Re: Dyslexia/Visual problems and the 11+
That is fantastic news- I am so pleased for you and your dd. Completely agree that you should never ever give up...Best wishes to you all and well done again!
Tigger
Tigger
