Two sets of test results in. Definitely the same pattern, but more pronounced

[TerryJ2]

Middle School Student Report, forwarded to HS and parents: Math 29 out of 50 correct, fail, retake intro to algebra in HS.
Reading (analysis, comprehension) 39 out of 45, pass, advanced
Science (investigation, force, motion, energy, matter, life systems, Earth and Space) 41 out of 50, pass, proficient
Writing (composition, capitalization, punctuation, spelling, usage) 20 out of 24 correct, pass, proficient


Wechsler, WIISC-IV (administered by tdoc)
Verbal comprehension 108 composite, 70%
Perceptual reasoning 102 composite, 55%
Working memory 88 composite, 21%
Processing speed 85 composite, 16%
Full Scale 98 IQ, 45% average

Recommendations to staff: Gfg does not always retain what has been said--it is important to note that he does not fail to listen on purpose. Repeat verbal instruction, write everything down, check notebooks and agenda; difficulty w/planning and construction so posters and presentations need to be done step-by-step w/supervision; may benefit from practice puzzles and models; difficulty paying attention to small details; should practice reading and correcting items w/mistakes, both math and reading; should memorize and repeat strings of digits and letters read aloud; have him repeat back paragraph info immediately; needs speed-based drills in basic math facts.

This is tough stuff because we've had tutors along the way, especially for basic math, and it seems as though gfg hasn't retained much of it. Nor has he applied any tricks or tools of memory he has learned.

He took another test this week, the Woodcock-Johnson, and I'll get the results soon. This is a good a time as any to sign him up for "special" tutoring, which will train him to think differently and use different parts of his brain, because clearly, what we're doing is not working. I've been wanting to do this for yrs but DH didn't want to spend the $. I'm going to find the $ somewhere.

The teacher recommended Too Loud Too Bright http://www.amazon.com/Loud-Bright-Fa...right+too+loud

He's been really bratty today but I'm trying to be patient.
It's not just the stress of testing, and doing chores, and his wanting to be on the computer every second of the day; it's that PC leaves tomorrow and is so mad at gfg for stealing from her room that she doesn't want to have anything to do w/him any more. It's repeated behavior and she feels violated.
My insides are crumbling.

[TerryJ2]

Oh, I just realized that I hadn't commented on my subject heading. He has taken these tests before (this is our third time) and was very weak in math and strong in reading and sociology. Also, he clearly showed signs of ADHD as a kid, and is still lacking focus now, although the meds help to a degree.

[InsaneCdn]

Gfg does not always retain what has been said--it is important to note that he does not fail to listen on purpose. Repeat verbal instruction, write everything down

Read more: http://www.conductdisorders.com/foru...#ixzz23jxPkjMG

Terry? Just me, but... THAT sounds SO much like APD, it isn't funny.
Ever had him screened for auditory processing disorders? Especially the lesser-known ones like auditory figure ground?

[TerryJ2]

I did, years ago, and it was a joke. I couldn't believe it was even covered by insurance. I should probably look for something more sophisticated. Have your kids had the testing done? Where did you go?

[TerryJ2]

I found this online: Auditory processing disorder can be developmental or acquired. It may result from ear infections, head injuries or neurodevelopmental delays that affect processing of auditory information. This can include problems with: "...sound localization and lateralization (see also binaural fusion); auditory discrimination; auditory pattern recognition; temporal aspects of audition, including temporal integration, temporal discrimination (e.g., temporal gap detection), temporal ordering, and temporal masking; auditory performance in competing acoustic signals (including dichotic listening); and auditory performance with degraded acoustic signals."^[7]

... as well as a note that kids who have attention problems are not included in this category. I have no idea why.
Also, my son has had 13 ear infections (age 11 mo's to 5 yrs). Is that a cause or effect?

[InsaneCdn]

The process here - Buddy can probably validate what is done in the US - is that you start with a SLP eval. There's certain tests they run to screen for all sorts of things. We had to make sure the SLP covered ALL the bases... and found out the second time around, that when we did it the first time, they didn't even know about the tests we needed. SO... you do need to get the right tests done.

If the SLP "suspects" some form of auditory processing disorder, that report goes to family doctor for referral to advanced audiology (here, PhD-level at teaching university). SLP can't refer, because SLP isn't considered "medical" staff. MDs rarely refuse to refer based on their recommendation, though.

Sometimes they want a hearing test done first, just to make sure the problem really is "auditory processing" and not "hearing".

Advanced audiology then does a raft of specialized tests - took us 2 appointments, about 3 hours of testing in total. And if they find auditory processing disorders? The "rx" is... personal FM system. Here... ONLY if it comes from advanced audiology, it's a guaranteed intervention at school. It's expensive, but they don't blink at these. Anything remotely related to physical disability (mobility, hearing, vision, etc.) is automatically dealt with and fairly quickly.

Your GFG could have both problems - hearing and APD. Generally, ear infections are more likely to cause hearing loss than APD, as APD is a "brain" problem not an "ear" problem. But... it's a bit of a grey area. Where does one problem start and the other end? The important thing is for the person to actually "get the message" in the first place.

And for my GFG? That was the one single intervention that had major positive psychological impact.

[TerryJ2]

This is interesting, too: Students with Auditory Processing Challenges have great difficulties remembering information given. This is referred to as Auditory Memory Deficits. If the teacher says, “get a piece of paper and a pencil out of your desk and write down your spelling words,” the student may get confused because there are too many commands at once. Impairments in the auditory memory deficits can severely weaken not only long-term memory but also language development and comprehension.
How can a child with Auditory Processing Disorder get help?
The sooner a child with Auditory Processing Disorder is given proper teaching strategies, particularly in the very early grades, the more likely it is that they will have fewer or milder difficulties later in life. These students will need a very structured, systematic, cumulative, repetitive and multisensory teaching method such as the Orton-Gillingham approach. By using a multisensory approach the student will be able to learn using the visual and kinesthetic modalities while simultaneously strengthening the auditory channels.

[TerryJ2]

I had his hearing checked yrs ago and it was beyond perfect. But it wasn't multileveled, such as a 2-hr test.
Their background noise was general static. Nothing like what I've just read online.

[InsaneCdn]

The auditory figure ground test? Specialized headphones with multiple microphones coming from different directions. GFG had such a headache when he was done that... he felt like he'd just had the worst possible week at school. BINGO!

[MidwestMom]

My daughter Jumper has a very poor memory, which has impacted her ability to do well on tests. She does fine on her every day work, but when she has to remember, as in testing, she needs accomodations. I'm not sure part of it isn't anxiety too.

Jumper was diagnosed with processing problems when she first got her IEP and was put into special ed for reading (she could not read at all at the time at age 8) and math. She has since been testing twice by neuropsychs who do not find APD, but I think she still has a taste of it. It isn't fun to have a very poor memory. I hope this testing helps your little guy to get more help in school. You can not help it if you have a poor memory and it is not necessarily ADHD. There is a lot of "maybe" "maybe not" regarding Jumper and the ADD diagnosis.

Good luck and I'm glad the testing was done!