My son, “J,” was born in late August and as a toddle had some bowel issues. So when it came time to start thinking about school I knew we would start Kindergarten when he was almost 6. So as he approached turning 5 I enrolled him in Pre-school. Let me say we were blessed and had one of the most loving and caring pre-school teachers ever! As that year went on she would tell me that “J” was showing some delays and she offered ideas of things we could do at home (i.e. fine motor, gross motor, and most important he just did not seem to get his letters). So as any mother would do I made it my goal to teach him his letters but by Christmas no progress seemed to be made and now the behavior was really starting to show its ugly head!! Now let me stop for a minute and say that he had been seen by several doctors who told me at this point he was just showing some mild Developmental Delays and would more than likely grow out of them! But as a Mom I knew something was going on so I pushed on. I had him tested at the school he would be going too kindergarten and low and behold he was labeled Developmental Delayed and placed on an IEP for Behavior, OT and Reading. Now I thought I had won the battle now my Son was going to get what he needed but by the end of Kindergarten still not reading and he was just getting his letters down forget about the sound they made!
Everybody loves my son, “J” he has lots of friends and has NO trouble making friends wherever we go. “J” does have some sensory issues and he is kind of particular about food and how things are done but it has never seemed to really matter to his friends. First grade had some ups and downs I had several meetings with the school and his team was always telling me he was making progress but the strange thing was I did not see it as much as they did. I kept on working with him at home and had him going to therapy at Piller Child Development once a week. First turned into Second grade and I was starting to see a different kid.
The transition into Second grade brought on a six week run of bad behavior with calls from his new teacher, his resource teacher and even the school Phycologist. He would tell me every day he hated school and I could not blame him! As a mother I felt as though I had failed my child! The IEP that I thought was my golden ticket had not gotten my son any closer to reading! I was at my lowest and did not know what to do or how to help my son. One night I was on the computer and I found Decoding Dyslexia and I Facebooked Meriah Houser and she messaged me back the very next day! She set up a time to talk to me and with her guidance I was able to get my son diagnosed finally and yes he is Dyslexic. Now deep down I knew he was I have a family history of Dyslexia, my younger sister (she is 11 years younger than me) is a Diagnosed Dyslexic who did receiver service when she went to school and now that I have watched my son struggle I am sure I was or am Dyslexic.
So where are we today? My son, “J” is now in Third grade and is only reading at a beginning first grade level. When I gave the school the Diagnosis at the end of Second grade I was told it does not change the service he is receiving because they do not have specific IEP for Dyslexia. They will continue to service him for his Learning Disability. I was shocked and heartbroken but I knew that is how they would respond. I was again a Mother on a mission. I was able to get “J” into a 10 week summer program using the Barton reading program. When we started the summer program they tested him and told me he was reading at a kindergarten grade level remember I said he was now going into Third grade but he is almost 9 years old because I started him late! He has been receiving services at his school under an IEP since Kindergarten and is still only reading at a beginning first grade level!! But in just 10 weeks “J” completed the first 2 levels of the Barton program and as the school year starts we are continuing with the tutoring! He is lost at school and in a classroom where he cannot do most of the work! Most of his friends have moved on to a higher level class. He is pulled out 3 times a day for his resource class for reading, writing and now math (thanks Common Core)so what is he missing when he is not in his class? My fear is that if things do not change he will continue to fall further and further behind!!
As a Mother I can tell you my son is amazing, unique and smart!! My son cannot read but despite that he has found ways to continue to move forward he figures it out. But I want more for him I would gladly continue to pay for tutoring if in the end he can read better. But I ask myself everyday if they say “No Child Left Behind” what about mine?

WHEN HELP NEVER ARRIVES......................................
Until this past February, I didn’t know a lot about Dyslexia. (Or so I thought!) I know my husband, John, very well though. When we first met more than 20 years ago, I knew there was something amazing and special about him. He was a great father to his son, a loyal friend, dedicated hard worker, and had a kindness about him. I also knew that he was a person that had a learning difference. I could tell that he was unique, highly intelligent and had developed brilliant compensatory strategies. To this day, I have never met anyone quite like him.
During his formal education, John was placed on an IEP and shuffled around from school to school in Tucson, Arizona. He attended about 7 schools in all. He graduated high school in 1988 and was handed a diploma. He graduated without being able to read or write. He also had no real idea about the origins of the LD he struggled with daily.
Besides literacy issues, John would frequently have trouble with verbal communication. This was more noticeable when he felt pressured or had anxiety. Ordering at a drive-thru was difficult. He had trouble with directions, such as right, left, north and south. When we were dating, he missed Thanksgiving dinner one year. He could not find his way to my mother’s home. Trying to follow a sequence of tasks was sometimes difficult. We had many unseasoned BBQ hamburgers, because he missed a step. (They were still delicious!) Navigating on a computer was difficult too.
Try as I might, I was not able to convince John of his brilliance. You see, the world he had been struggling to live in already convinced him otherwise. In fact, there were many times he asked me “Why am I so stupid?”, “Why am I so dumb?” or said things like “There are smart Dads out there, but not this Dad.” Of course, I would do my best to explain how smart he truly was. He came up with strategies to overcome a LD all on his own! He was very successful in the trade he worked in because of it. It made him an “outside of the box” thinker and problem-solver.
14 years ago, John was offered a professional career opportunity. He would be installing aircraft interiors. He had great mechanical ability and it seemed a natural fit. After a few weeks on the job, he came home very upset. His literacy issues were affecting his work. He agreed to his employers request and attended twice a week tutoring to improve his literacy. He has done so for the past 14 years. The literacy group tutoring John does not offer LD specific curriculum. His ability to read and write has improved only slightly, but he has not given up.
About a year ago, his job expectations changed. When this happened, it brought back all the feelings of inadequacy John had struggled to overcome all his life. He desperately wanted to improve, but had no idea what could help him to do so. He asked if I would look online. Initially, I looked for adaptive technologies. Eventually, I searched the internet using his challenges as search terms. Lo and behold: Dyslexia. A neuro evaluation confirmed it months later.
So, at 45 years old, for the first time in his life, my husband finally understands that he is a person with dyslexia. And now, I understand too.