Wednesday, February 04, 2009

Not Lysdexic?

Great. 
So we heard back from the dyslexia testing person; to wit: 
"I've shared David's screening information with (another expert) and we agree that although he has many indications of dyslexia, there are some other things that don't fit. The recommendation is that he be seen by a pediatric neuropsychologist for an evaluation. A neuropsychologist can explore both brain function as well as psychological concerns. Following that evaluation, we can discuss the possibility of dyslexia testing."
Naturally, the first thing Doug and I do is look at each other and ask, "And how much is THAT going to cost?" None of this is going to be covered by insurance, we already know that. I was scraping up the $1,000 for testing, but there's no way that adding more testing onto the testing is going to be feasible. I was feeling quite glum after that email. 
Four days later, we were at the Pinewood Derby for Scouts (hey! David took 3rd place for the Wolf Scouts this year! We took 2nd last year for the Tigers division...we're falling, not gaining. Of course Doug is all over this, what with the physics and all.) and I met another mom who is homeschooling her two kids. Turns out her boys had terrible reading problems and she says they tried this wonderful new reading program, it's called the Barton System. 
Which made me laugh hysterically, we just bought the Barton System in...what, October? It's super, super, horrible-shock kind of expensive, but has some fabulous recommendations and testimonials. So we figured anything was better than daily crying sessions over figuring out what "ink" and "ank" say.
This mom says she's up to Box 7 (we just bought Box 3) and went from Box 2 to Box 7 in just two years. By the time you get to Box 9, you're supposed to be proficiently reading at a 9th grade level. Her kids are in third and fourth grade. 
Best of all...she said we could borrow the Barton sets if we wanted to. That's...just...like...well, worth more than $1,000, that's for sure! Wow! I could practically kiss the woman. Of course, that would certainly negate the offer...