Dianne,

You raise an interesting point here, regarding if it were a nursing 
scenario, as a nurse, you would have failed and also be sued. Actually, 
what you've called for is intervention by someone who specializes in 
reading difficulties and learning disabilities. We move up the level of 
professional expertise past a nurse, past a general practitioner, up to 
a physician with a specialty in the target area. At each level we would 
deal with professionals, (and it's no guarantee that the specialist has 
talent and meds for a cure) we're not accusing any of being failures or 
poorly trained. They're just not "good enough" in an area of 
specialization that matches our immediate problem. We're all familiar 
with the medical model of being referred to a specialist, and then 
discovering that insurance won't pay for the "best" in the community. 
The problem you're experiencing is complex. Four different reading 
programs failed to successfully treat your daughter's learning 
disability. I have two close friends with children battling cancer. So 
far, a myriad of treatments have failed to cure them and the future is 
downright scary. Neither parent is calling for the firing of doctors or 
nurses -- mostly they are praying for the right treatment -- they feel 
a cure is a bit unrealistic at this time.

  As we all know, curing a learning disability as complex as dyslexia is 
a long shot in the best-case scenario. You are documentation that 
people can learn to live and thrive with reading difficulties. However, 
as with the medical model, second opinions, and other treatment 
facilities become essential. One of my friends is awaiting a slot at 
M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston because according to all of the 
state specialists, nobody in Missouri knows better how to treat her 
daughter's particular form of cancer. All of her local team of 
physicians are highly trained and competent -- and they all accept 
their professional limitations. The strategy is to get out of the box.

Realistically, changing the local school system is going to drain the 
energy you have to seek alternative forms of intervention. As with 
HMO's, your district probably can't insure you for alternative 
treatment -- they say you have to accept what they can provide or pay 
for it on your own. I am not suggesting that you get a reading 
instruction textbook and try it on your own, that would be like getting 
a surgical text and trying it with your sanduko knife -- you have 
neither the knowledge or proper tools to do it yourself.

There is little comfort in knowing a strong group of professionals 
recognize your problem and empathize with your pain, but find strength 
in their collective wisdom to point out resources "out of the box" that 
may help your child to become a more successful reader.

 Jeri Levesque, Ed.D.
 Evaluator, Missouri PIRC
 Evaluator, Missouri Reading First
 Evaluator, Missouri and Kentucky Even Start Family Literacy Programs
 Evaluator, Missouri and Kentucky Even Start Family Literacy Programs

 -----Original Message-----
 From: andreawilder at comcast.net
 To: learningdisabilities at nifl.gov
 Sent: Thu, 28 Dec 2006 3:03 PM
 Subject: [LearningDisabilities 822] Re: 10 year old with dyslexia

 Dianne--

 You are describing the difference between a bureaucracy and a
 profession. In a profession the accountability is to the client; in a
 bureaucracy, the accountability is to the organization. In the end,
 in either type, it may come down to personal negotiation, which means
 you have to yell and scream for change. The school system is a
 bureaucracy, you have to insist that rules and proper procedure are
 followed, that is your life line. So you have to bone up on rules and
 proper procedure. If teaching were a profession, you would just fire
 the teacher and hire another. However, you pay for the school system
 via taxes, so you have every right to yell and scream, you have paid
 for something that has not been delivered.

 Andrea

 On Dec 27, 2006, at 8:21 PM, dianne brakey wrote:

  > thank you for all the helpful responses to my daughters dyslexia. 
just
  > to get the story on line. I also have dyslexia which I have learned 
to
  > adapt to. In nursing school I ranked 95 % in reading comprehension 
in
 > the state of Massachusetts. The real problem my 10 year old who is
  > reading at the first grade level is not having a reading program 
that
 > is working.I pleaded with the school to start the Lindamood
 > program.that seems to be working, but they do not have certified
 > teachers to teach it effectively.and in order to get her caught up
  > would take 3 hours a day of one on one teaching. which of course 
they
 > can not provide.my question again is that they knew all along that
  > this child was not progressing and they as professionals knew what 
was
 > happening with the four different reading programs that failed her.
 > these guys are taught and they did not stand up to the plate and say
 > anything.If I did that to one of my patients I would have totally
 > failed my profession and the life of my patient and I would be sued.
 > These teachers need to be accountable for there actions just as us
 > nurses have to be accountable....
 >
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