dyslexia | One Great Mom

Despite being severely dyslexic, my oldest son had to take the state’s mandated PSSA testing in March and April. His accommodations per his IEP allow him to have parts of the test read to him, but the state, in all of it’s infinite, ahem, wisdom, decides every year which specific parts are okay to be read aloud. For example, he can have the question type description read to him, but not the actual question in some sections. So, he knows that he must “Choose the answer that is the most appropriate”, but he can’t have the question read. For math. Because in math he should be penalized because he can’t read on grade level. That makes…sense. Or not.

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Super A - In your face dyslexia. My boy loves books!

Dyslexia bites.

Super A was diagnosed (finally) this time last February with rather severe dyslexia and while it was such a relief to have a formal diagnosis, it’s also heartbreaking. I watch him struggle and give so much of himself – trying and trying and trying and trying to decode words. And his brain just does not want to cooperate.

When he had his formal testing last year he was in third grade and reading at a low first grade level. His silent reading comprehension was at a kindergarten level. His math scores were on target and his vocabulary was great. He just can’t decode the words and, oy, his short-term memory for sight words is almost nil.

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