Educators Publishing Service [eps_update at topica.email-publisher.com]

BY MERE coincidence just found this in my inbox.  Perhaps it will be
helpful. Lucille Cuttler
  -----Original Message-----
  From: learningdisabilities-bounces at nifl.gov
[mailto:learningdisabilities-bounces at nifl.gov]On Behalf Of maureen
  Sent: Sunday, November 19, 2006 5:09 PM
  To: The Learning Disabilities Discussion List
  Subject: [LearningDisabilities 778] Re: A view of learning disabilities
fromaconsultant's prespective


  Thank you for your reply.  It was helpful and did answer some of my
questions.
  I have an additional question for all of you out there.  Does anyone know
of standardized test which will identify a reading comprehension problem
which is extreme but does not show up on the "typical" tests.  My son scores
at grade level on most tests because he can process and integrate small
chunks of information.  I need to show that he has a problem with
integrating, processing, and therefore comprehending information which is in
more "real life" situations, such as reading a book of any kind.  He cannot
complete an assignment that is just two pages long because although he can
"read" the words very well, he cannot interpret what he's read, find the
themes, etc.  If anyone knows of such a test, please let me know.  His
neuropsychologist is looking for such a measure too.
  Thanks,
  Maureen
    ----- Original Message -----
    From: Judith Sinclair
    To: The Learning Disabilities Discussion List ; RKenyon721 at aol.com
    Sent: Saturday, November 18, 2006 11:53 AM
    Subject: [LearningDisabilities 777] A view of learning disabilities from
aconsultant's prespective


    Hello, Miriam, Josh, Maureen, and all members of this wonderful list:



    I could not help but be impressed with the personal stories you have
shared about your own experiences with learning disabilities, and your
sensitive descriptions of inherent problems and possible solutions.  For
many years I have worked with individuals with learning disabilities as an
educational consultant and advocate, and continue to do so today as part of
my professional activities.  Consequently, I have learned a great deal about
the effect of learning disabilities from people who have them, including how
it affects their lives and the lives of those around them.  In essence, the
effect leaves no one out—not the members of the affected individual’s
family, school system, or community.  The inherent issues and ramifications
are often complex.  So to help, here are just a few things I would like to
share, if you have a moment.



    1.  From my own observation, many learning disabled people go through
most if not all of their school and career lives never knowing that they are
learning disabled.  This occurs often because of their ability to
compensate, that is, to adjust their thoughts and behaviors to social and
other needs in their everyday lives so that the problem(s) is obscured.  For
example, a child may not be able to read, but will pretend to read, thus
risking the attendant poor grades.  An adolescent with an undiagnosed
hearing loss may effect a certain stance, not out of style but in an effort
to hear better.  An adult may see him or herself as a “slow reader,” yet for
a variety of reasons not be consciously aware of an actual disability.



    2. What may appear at first to be an individual’s learning disability
may in reality be some other kind of learning difficulty, or it may be that
the person has a learning disability as well as some other mental condition.
For an accurate diagnosis, the individual’s condition must fit the accepted
criteria and characteristics for this diagnosis (see the Diagnostic and
Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders for the exact criteria).  Students
may be delayed in learning for other reasons, including environmental.  For
example, children suffering from abuse are unable to process information
efficiently, yet often display signs indicating “special needs” or a
learning disability.



    3.  Many people who are diagnosed as learning disabled fail to get a
complete report of their true condition, thus limiting their chances for a
full life.  For example, an individual may be diagnosed with a reading
problem, yet in the interests of time and/or money and/or facilities the
examiner fails to notice/test for a hearing loss, as well.  This situation
appears to be most prevalent with the assessment of children, who often are
unaware of an additional disability or too reticent to report it.



    4.  In my experience, learning disabilities are not transient in nature
but permanent, in that while they may be addressed early they never really
go away.  Left untreated and without adequate personal compensation, the
condition may worsen.  Consequently, the earlier and more complete the
assessment and diagnosis, the better.  However, not only early assessment
but constant monitoring and management are essential.  Developmental changes
along an individual’s life path must be considered at each appropriate time,
and revised or possibly new solutions examined to prevent regression.



    5. Learning disabilities are not simply a cognitive manifestation, as is
sometimes thought, for evidence of the problem(s) presents in the learning
disabled person’s social, emotional, psychological, and spiritual
expressions, even though the individual’s learning disability problems have
been diagnosed and theoretically dealt with.  In sum, learning disabilities
affect every aspect of an affected individual’s life.  In my opinion, it is
always a good idea to have a learning disabled person evaluated fully for
the presence/absence of other problems, and treatment available for all
additional diagnoses, and for all aspects of the presentation (see below).



    6.  In my experience, the frustration encountered by almost all
learning-disabled people who have average or above-average intelligence as
they attempt to reach their life and career goals is incalculable.  This
diagnosis along with the constant need for compensation and adjustment
serves so many times to keep the idea of the disabilities or the
disabilities themselves at the forefront of the affected person’s mind.
Consider, for example, the individual with a reading LD.  While he/she may
have been diagnosed early and treated successfully, the core of the problem
itself remains part of the person’s life.  The person may know how to adjust
for their diagnosed dyslexia, but is still fully aware that he or she has
this condition and must constantly compensate for it.  This awareness
sometimes prevents people from following their dreams and pursuing their
goals, because they have in mind that despite all measures of relief they
are somehow tainted.  This is especially true in a society that prizes
perfection and excellence above all else.



    7.  There are various treatments available for people with learning
disabilities.  These include the relatively well-known and accepted forms of
therapy, medication, family and community support, and school intervention.
I have also found that people with learning disabilities profit from the
experience of working one of one with a learning disabilities professional
who understands the full implication of the diagnosis, and can work with the
individual to set impressive yet realistic goals, and implement manageable
strategies to reach them.  For example, a young person with a reading
disability who wants to become a lawyer needs to know that there are
provisions for learning disabled people now in some law schools that will
provide the services and structure required of a law program.  This person
also needs to become acquainted with lawyers who have succeeded and who are
also in some way learning disabled.



    8.  Most K-12 schools today typically provide some learning disability
services in the form of classes, tutorials, and so on, depending on the
individual student’s diagnosed needs.  And most colleges and universities
offer similar services, although I have found that this assistance varies
from place to place across the board.  However, despite laws to the
contrary, there remain at all levels institutions that seem to flatly deny
the existence of any condition that could be called a learning disability.
Indeed, these institutions insist that the diagnosed student is instead
lazy, disorganized, mentally disturbed, and so on.  This is an unfortunate
condition, and if encountered requires delicate management and/or outside
help.



    9.  Most K-12 schools also offer some form of learning disability
assessment.  Herein lies the rub, as they say.  The diagnosis provided may
or may not be accurate and complete, two factors that must be present if
proper and adequate treatment is to be given.  All too often I have seen the
diagnosis of a student left to someone who was not properly trained, lacked
cultural and social sensitivities, was not fully aware of what the label
 “LD” meant to the student now and in the future, and/or had certain biases
toward segments of the population.  Parent have often complained that the
school provided diagnostics were unfair, incomplete, and or inaccurate, and
it has been just as often my unfortunate experience to find that the parents
were right.



    What are the options?  If the parents can afford it, there are outside
testing facilities for students of all ages that can provide appropriate,
complete, and accurate assessments of a student’s level and category of LD.
It is important to find out in advance, however, how reliable these
institutions are, and whether they are fairly priced as viewed by the wider
community.  If the parents cannot pay much or perhaps at all, they are left
to the mercies of outside agencies, both for-and non-profit.  Here again the
outcomes may be on the mark or less than desirable.  I have seen both good
and poor results.  But testing is merely part of the equation, and only
initiates years of work ahead.  Sometimes parents can proceed on their own
successfully, and sometimes not; it depends on their work schedules,
attitudes, other demands, personal problems and health, for example.



    Hiring individual help may be a good idea, if, and I emphasize the “if,”
a qualified educational consultant and advocate can be found.  Both of these
characteristics must be present: the person you select should be an
experienced and educated professional, one who has worked extensively in the
school system, and knows how the system really works.  In addition to
knowing and providing the precise method of approach to the schools to
obtain the desired goal, the consultant must also have in their heart the
ability to champion the rights of the student.  I say this out of my own
experience over many years, as I witnessed both good and bad consultants and
advocates hired by concerned, often desperate parents seeking help for their
children.  The good ones worked wonders.  They were knowledgeable,
articulate, analytical, and prepared.  The bad ones caused havoc and pain.
They were short-sighted, lacked enough education and preparation, and let
the school system run rampant over the case.



    What should you look for in a good educational consultant and advocate?
As I began above, both the ability to perceive the real problems in each
case, and not just the ones provided by the school system and family, and
the real solutions to each case, that is, what in realistic terms can be
done within and without the system to help each child.  Each case is as
varied as the colors of the rainbow, a good consultant knows, and each case
requires full concentration, adequate education and preparation,
professional manner, adequate time, and a firm, fixed agenda.



    In terms of fees, I have seen perfectly decent people working for as
little as $50 an hour, and I have seen people who should never have been
allowed near the case charging $400 an hour and more.  There seems to be no
rhyme or reason to the pricing, and often it is what the community will
bear.  Here in the Washington, DC metro area most consultants and/or
advocates charge from $100 to almost $1000 per session, with more for
special services, depending on what they advertise they can do for you and
your youngster.  Amazing but true.



    What you want to look for is someone you like and trust, first, so that
the time you and your child spend with them will be production.  You also
want someone who is educated in the field and can prove it, and someone who
will spend time with you as a parent, your child as a student, you and your
child as a team, the student’s school, the school’s administration, the
school system administration, the many meetings that are inevitable,
available resources and alternatives, available treatments and options, and
access to potentially necessary extended help.  It is also a good idea to
know if the person works with any lawyers who specialized in education law,
“just in case.”  While you may or may not need, ultimately, to seek counsel,
it is always a good idea to have “on tap” a name or two of law firms that
you have already checked out.



    I would recommend that you explore all of this before deciding anything.
I would also suggest that you try to work out an agreement on an hourly
basis, with a letter of contract that lets you out of the relationship if
you find out that the person is not working out.  If they insist on a
retainer larger than 5 hours of their time on an hourly basis, or if they
ask for all the money up front, or any other large money arrangement, after
deciding whether their reasons were sound, I would perhaps look elsewhere.
There are many very good educational consultants and advocates who do have
fair rates and who are more than happy to assist you.



    I hope this information is of value to you, and that you will contact me
with any questions you might have.



    All best,



    Dr. Judith Peyton Sinclair





    Contact information:



    Judith Peyton Sinclair, PhD

    Cognitive Psychologist and Educator

    Life and Career Management Services Consultant

    Telephone 202-364-3893

    www.sinclairsystem.com

    j-p-sinclair at worldnet.att.net





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