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Post by corkwing on Jun 27, 2014 7:06:50 GMT
Mackerel had an Ed Psych assessment the other day and it's left me sad, angry and confused.
Kermit home schooled him for 18 months, at the end of which his reading age was around 8.5. That's a couple of years below his chronological age but, given the effort it took to get him to read at all, seemed pretty good. He then went into a school for children with behavioural, emotional and social difficulties. Their reading age test gave similar results. A year later and it had gone down by a couple of years and they confidently said that they thought the original test must have been administered incorrectly. He's now at a different school, which should be better. I'd asked about his reading age but they only spoke in levels, which mean nothing to me. However, according to the Ed Psych, his reading age is now around that of a five year old.
I find it shocking and upsetting that he should be in special schools with one to one literacy intervention and, over three years, he's regressed so much!
The Ed Psych also said other things about his language processing skills. I'm confused because he has a speech therapist assess him earlier in the year and he said that Mackerel had no problems in that area. That surprised us, to be honest, as he does mispronounce words and it's difficult to get him to actually listen to you. So which of them is right?
The Ed Psych said that his level is so low that, if it were the same in other skill areas he would qualify for a school for children with moderate learning difficulties. That is a bit shocking to read about your child. He also said that some could interpret that as meaning that he has a specific learning difficulty but that the scope was actually too wide for that and he has global delay. Well, that wasn't unexpected for a child with his background.
Then stuff about not expecting him to be able to achieve anything in his exams in a couple of years, even with a scribe and someone to interpret the questions for him. That's really, really sad.
But I'm also not sure how valid any assessment is of Mackerel. How much does it depend on his co-operation? For instance, if it was just based on the Ed Psych asking him to read words, if he wasn't in the mood, he just wouldn't bother. That confuses me.
I'm hoping that this can be a lever to get him into some sort of specialist provision - even move him from his current residential unit to something more therapeutic - but...
Love,
Corkwing
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Post by peartree on Jun 27, 2014 7:29:02 GMT
Corkwing, hugs a plenty to you and Kermit xx When blossom moved to the TC, educationally we had been told despite her other needs, she was reasonably average at school. Yr 8 then so we were looking at levels of around 7 When blossoms assessment came back, even making allowances for trouble taking any kind of accurate test, she got level 3 mainly and a level 2a I was angry Upset and then more angry Like you, we had taught her to read and write at home mostly, but the comprehension and processing of information was very impaired. Turned out she has a specific Learning difficulty. She has semantic pragmatic disorder. I wept when I recalled the fight to get her even to see a speech and language therapist for 2 years at primary school only to be on the group for 1 term and then told all was fine with her vocab... She had no emotional literacy I pointed out and got a lot of understanding nods but I suspect the school didn't really know what I meant
I've found that you really do need an expert pair of eyes with complex young people who have suffered extensive trauma and genetically have a 'risky to dire' genetic profile.
But, in encouragement to you- that information lead to being able to get salt to work in blossoms class with her and explain that "moving the goal posts" doesn't mean we are off to play football any minute....
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Post by sooz on Jun 27, 2014 7:29:28 GMT
I've often been confused with some of the assessments that snooz has had. Especially speech and language.
The reports showed a difference from what I see at home.
So, cue a shocked speech therapist one day last year when snooz had something he obviously wanted to share and not only willingly went in to see the therapist (at school) but didn't stop talking the whole time he was in there apparently. She was stunned. Next time he didn't particularly want to engage, so nothing.....but she'd seen how he 'could' be. She was actually recommending signing him off but I've asked for it to continue.
One day snooz can read almost everything in sight, another day he appears confused.
The senco told me that inconsistencies are common in children like snooz.
I think sometimes an average score may be more beneficial, taken over a few weeks or so, not just a one off assessment.
Snooz also had an attachment assessment which threw up several peculiarities and surprises, and yet it could be more the way he views life and interpreted things that gave the outcome it did.
I don't think anything is that clear cut.
Still hard to hear these things though xx
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Post by peartree on Jun 27, 2014 7:32:17 GMT
Also, Corkwing I seem to recall that young mackerel has a SEN statement and I would be requesting an urgent review of statement before they are replaced next term.
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Post by corkwing on Jun 27, 2014 8:12:17 GMT
Hi, Peartree -
We've already raised that, but it can't happen until they get the full, written report from the Ed Psych.
Corkwing
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Post by milly on Jun 27, 2014 8:30:14 GMT
Having read many Ed psych reports over the years both as a parent and a teacher, I have found they have their limits and don't necessarily take into account the child's motivation - which is especially likely to be skewed in our type of child. I think it's because they are looking mainly at cognitive skills and not the emotional/ traumatic overlay. Maybe it's just not valid to do a cognitive test in isolation like that.
Could you consider getting a second opinion from a private psychologist, preferably one versed in the needs of an adopted child, and a salt assessment too?
I fear the school system tends not to allow sufficient assessment to really drill down into the problems. That's my view anyway. All very frustrating for you.
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Post by corkwing on Jun 27, 2014 8:41:37 GMT
Hi, Milly -
In some ways, the fact that the Ed Psych report is suggesting that he has significant needs works for us and I'd be worried about getting another assessment done. That could say that he has less needs and so he may not get the help or change of school that seems to be indicated.
Early on in our adoption journey we were pressing for more assessments to be done and we were told that subjecting him to lots of assessments could be considered to be abusive. Not a view that we shared, but that's what the LA said. I wish that we'd had the money etc. to have been able to get them done privately. But, as I'm sure many of you have found, the huge amount of effort that we had to expend in just coping with a very traumatised child meant that we didn't have any left to seek out professionals and check their experience and references.
Love,
Corkwing
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Post by sooz on Jun 27, 2014 9:14:38 GMT
I backed right off on getting assessments done on snooz once he had his statement, he hated it. Sometimes, as you say, they are just a means to and end, and if having this report helps mackerel get the support he needs then it's all for the good.
Snooz is definitely more comfortable in his home environment and I guess he'd fare better in assessments at home than at school, but life isn't spent entirely where we are comfortable and if a drop in ability is happening at school then that's where he needs the help.
The only thing I would query is the 'apparent' regression in ability and why that would be so.
Snooz has his asd assessment within the next week, I'm hoping I can be positive about the results, but it's sooooo hard isn't it?
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Post by corkwing on Jun 27, 2014 9:47:05 GMT
Hi, Sooz -
I think that the regression is because he can't handle school, basically. However much it may be for kids with BESD, he still doesn't seem able to cope with it.
Love,
Corkwing
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Post by milly on Jun 27, 2014 9:52:57 GMT
I see your point Corkwing. Although if they were private assessments and showed less need, you wouldn't actually have to share these with the school!
We have often thought of getting private assessments done but that's where we stop - at thinking about it! For us dd is borderline re a lot of things so which assessment would be right, is one issue. Then there is the issue of what good it would do. Much as I'd be totally fascinated to hear what someone thought, it wouldn't change the fact that she is sort of doing ok at school, and maybe that's all she can do. And I actually doubt they would tell me anything I didn't know in essence. Sometimes all you can do is deal with what the child presents.
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Post by donatella on Jun 27, 2014 11:11:34 GMT
I've had different experiences with ed psychs - some better than others. I'd say that this one sounds pretty on the ball. Middly had been assessed twice by one ed psych who spotted nothing. Salt saw nothing. Then his current schools ed psych assessed him. She saw his poor reading age, she saw ASD traits, she saw a spld - in his case dyslexia. Still 'sees' wrong words, gets letters wrong - particularly b and d still but lots of support put in place. She's now assessed him twice and observed him informally as well. Her contribution enabled him to be statemented and she was instrumental in getting him a place in his new unit.
My daughter has always read really well - her problem is in the processing and understanding. She could read it but if you then ask her to tell you the story in her own words she'd struggle.
Reading words on a page and comprehending the story are different things.
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Post by doubletrouble on Jun 27, 2014 11:41:04 GMT
Oh dear. No wonder you are confused. If he has global delay surly his ability shouldn't have regressed in one area the way they are suggesting it has. Any global delay our children had - said to be about 2 years behind originally - has reduced gradually in a lot of aspects, especially educationally. they however have not progressed as much emotionally however. We have had a private Phyc.ed. assessment for DD and to be honest it gave us much less info (apart from the fact that we found she needed glasses) than we had gained from the CAMHs O.T. and their specialist Speech and Language therapists They have looked at her ability to cope socially and have improved her ability to recognise other's emotions and intonation in their voices. So now she doesn't think everyone is being 'mean' to her. I am not suggesting that Mackerel has the same problems as our DD but that there may be some underlying reason for his non co operation and regression in skills. I would suggest looking at a more specific type of help where the profs. have a real understanding of children with Mackerel's problems.
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