My 2Nd Grade Dyslexic and ADHD Son

I agree call an ARD you as a parent have the right to call one anytime you wish. The school has to hold one and go over his goals and modification. If handwriting is expected of him then you need to explain he is having difficulty with it. You can ask for him to be evaluted again and let them look to see if he needs more modifications. I was a teacher, but now stay at home with my babies. I am a firm believer in holding conferences and talking it out. She needs to know how you feel and just tell her that taking his recess away is not an option (in the nices way possible :). Explain he needs his recess so he can either come to school early or stay late. If she doesn't agree with you kindly go and talk with the principal.

Has your son been evaluated by an occupational therapist? If handwriting is a big issue than you can request this through the special ed services. Many times parents will seek outside private evaluations to bring "meat" to the meeting. Occupational therapists work with kids that have many issues, ADHA/ADD and Dyslexia are among them. If your child is having to have recess taken away, then he will be more fidgity as he did not get the physical input he needed. Your son may qualify for accomodations with regard to handwriting.
Your child should have still worked on the redo. You could have sent a note in that he would do so much per night. It is hard for the children do know which adult they should listen to and it puts your son in an unfair situation. It also inadvertently gives him the go ahead to be defiant to his teacher and may give him enable him to use his LD as a crutch.

I have a 6th grader and a kinder. and I have battled w/ trying to be nice to teachers for 4 yrs because I did not want to make them mad in fear of them taking it out on my son. She is not asking for the right things from your son and you are exactly right if he is truly ADHD (I have found a lot of kids are not they just have the same symptoms as ADHD from a different disorder, that is going un detected or not worked with correctly) If he is ADHD the number one thing he needs throughout the day is a break, taking away recess is going to cause a lot more frustration and more problems (a teacher should be trained in this area) If he has a hard time focussing or writing making him write will only make him more frustrated and will cause him to react. I would talk to the teacher and if she has no clue; I would demand for him to change teachers. I have found out we have a lot more rights to request specifics from the school than what they want us to believe.

Goodness, that sounds harsh!! My son is in 3rd grade and was diagnosed last year with Dyslexia and ADHD but nothing like that has ever happened to him as his teacher understood why he would fidget or not having good handwriting at times. He is medicated now and that has helped tremendously.

Is your child on medications? I hate to ask but sometimes medication is needed first and foremost..as in with my son.

I would definitely request a conference with the teacher and principal of the school about how they handle "special needs" children. Personally, I would be fuming if our school did that to my children. It is one thing to lose maybe 5 or 10 minutes of recess but not the entire time..goodness!

You have a right to address your concerns, and if your teacher is a real teacher, no bridges should be burned. Immediately have a conference with your child's teacher, principal and counselor and discuss your concerns. Open communication between school and parent is extremely important to both sides when you need to advocate. If you walk away feeling that nothing got accomplished, maybe you should reconsider your child's school, if you have that option. www.ncld.org is a great website for parents with children who have learning diabilities. It is full of information and links to help you! I wish you quick resolution!

I work in special education. You need to request an ARD for your son. This creates special provisions for any child with learning disabilities. As well as a plan of action. The lady before me is correct. There is a "folder", and so help me the name of it has slipped my mind, we call ours "red folders". Anyway, this follows him class to class....ie "specials" such as computer, PE, and music. As for them taking his recess away....I really don't think they can do that. It is required by the state as is a certain amount of PE time every week. That would definitely be something I would bring up...to the principal first, then if need be, the superintendent. Hope this helps....good luck to you.

I have 3 sons that have dyslexia - no ADHD. I have never heard of dicipline like this. She might be at her wits end and maybe she need advice and guidance on ways to help. I think it is time for a teacher conference and maybe also with the couselor. If she feels this is working and does not hear from you she might think you are ok with this type of dicipline. He will always have to write, but writing is fustrating and time consuming for dyslexic children, don't think repetative writing should always be the anwser. I would not worry about burning bridges... You have to be sure the right thing is done for your child, see if the teacher is willing to work with you to help find a better way to reach your child. If your child is in Language Science Class, talk with this Dylexia teacher and normally they work together with their regular teacher. She might have some suggestions. good luck.

I a former school teacher and what you mentioned is in my opinion totally inappropriate.
Speak to the teacher. Explain your concerns.

Teachers are not all knowing as we all expect them to be.
I personally have very little knowledge on dyslexia and find that what you have described would even be inappropriate for a student without dyslexia.
As teachers, we avoid using writing as a form of discipline.
However, most teachers sometimes revert to how they were taught when they were in school.

Sounds like she's being kind of harsh with him. Maybe you should set up a conference with her and if that doesn't help maybe you should talk to the principal or superintendent about the situation and how the teacher's not willing to work with him and try to get him a different teacher. I feel bad for yours and your sons situation and hope it gets better.

IF I remember correctly from my teaching years, IF the school has already evaluated him, then they should have a "folder" for the teacher to use when grading and disciplining your child. I remember that if I had a student with different learning needs, we had to follow those needs so that the child could succeed in school.
Sounds like it is just time to just make sure that everyone is on the same page to insure that your son can have the most positive learning environment possible. If you go in with a positive, helpful attitude, you shouldn't burn any bridges.
Best wishes,
R. B.

It sounds like your child has been diagnosed for you to know about the dyslexia and ADHD but a school evaluation is needed. If I'm assuming on the evaluation for dianosis then go to Scottish Rite Hospital, my neice has a different form of dyslexia and they taught her skills to conquer it. She didn't do well in English but after her skill building tips she made Honors English in High School. The smile on her face said everything!!! Definitely go speak with the teacher without your child present. I understand you see yourself parenting by saying you don't have to do the work but a child must learn respect for their teachers and the request they make. I certainly do not agree with your report of the teacher's actions and she may need educating on techniques to create an environment for your child to thrive and learn. There is a program called ARD, Council 10 in the metroplex that assist parents, children and educators with designing a program of appropriate expectations for your childs learning ability. You do have a right to speak out for your child's best interest. There are things that can be done in the area of diet that you can do at home and educate your child in making healthy decisions when away from home. Best to you and your child.