Interview of Parent for Class Assignment

[bjadams]

Hello!!! I am so glad that I found this site as I did not know that something like this existed. I am a parent of a twin child who was born with a speech impediment and has been classified as dyslexic. I was quite alarmed in the beginning because she is a twin and I noticed that I was comparing her weaknesses and strengths against that of her twin, which wasn't fair to her. 
My primary reason for being here today is that I am currently in school to become a teacher. I have an assignment where I need to interview a parent of a child with a learning disability. I was stumped as to how I would go about this and that is how I came upon this wonderful site. If you all do not mind could you please help me with this assignment by answering some or all of the questions below? It would be highly appreciated. Thank you all for your participation in advance. 

1. What is your child’s classification?

2. What is your relation to the child?

3. At what age was the child when the classification was made?

4. How old is the child now?

5. Were there any early childhood traits that indicated the need for classification?

6. Does family history indicate anyone with the same classification as your child?

7. How was it brought to your attention that your child may needed/may need to be classified?

8. What kinds of support have been most helpful to you? (family, support groups, teachers, school’s personnel, etc.)

9. Do you feel that the matter was handled sensitively by those involved?

10. What types of programs/classes is your child enrolled in at their school?

11. What has been your experiences with school personnel? What have they done that was most helpful? Most hurtful/harmful?

12. Are you satisfied with the available programs at this school?

13. Are there any services that are not available at their school due to a lack of money?

14. How did the classification of your child affect you and your family?

15. Do you feel that your child has endured positive changes since being classified?

16. Do you think that the educational assistance being provided to your child is effective?

17. If you could, what would you change about the educational assistance that is being provided?

18. Do you feel your child may outgrow the current behaviors as they enter adulthood?

19. What is the most important piece of advice that you would pass on to other parents and family members of a newly or soon to be classified child?

20. Looking back, would you have done anything differently in relation to the child’s classification and schooling? (i.e.: a different school? different IEP provisions)

21. If I were to be your child's teacher next year, what advice would you want to give me so your child has the best possible education?

[healthy11]

bjadams, welcome to our forum. Several other prospective school psychologists and special ed teachers have had similar assignments to talk to parents over the years. As the mother of children yourself, you likely know first-hand how it's often difficult for parents of younger students to find "free time" to respond to a stranger's questions, because they're often too busy/overwhelmed with trying to get through each day, and still trying to figure out what their child's needs are and how the school might accommodate/address them. Although my son is older now, you still might find his story to be of interest. You can read it at www.millermom.proboards.com/thread/13329/future-teacher-parent-interview and please SHARE resources about "2e" students with your professors and peers!

P.S. When I wrote the above, I forgot to say that as a teacher, it's important to be aware of the fact that even if parents recognize that their student is struggling (some are in denial), others may not appreciate any suggestion that their child could have learning differences. They may get upset at thinking their child is "abnormal." Certain types of learning disabilities can "run in families" and the parent(s) may feel like they "were the same way in school, but grew up and turned out okay," so they don't think it's a real problem. Dealing with the day-to-day issues of having young children is stressful enough for most parents, but if parents have their own learning and executive functioning weaknesses, it can be even harder. (For some very good information about Executive functioning, see www.nldline.com/executive_functioning.htm )

I don't have LDs myself, and I could "sense the differences" between my son's school experiences and that of "more typical" children. (Note that I don't use the word "normal," because there is no such child!) I'm also a fairly well-organized and detail-oriented person who was able to undertake the tasks of trying to learn ways to help him and to "educate the educators" along the way, so we could work together to "maximize his potential." It wasn't easy, but I feel the results have been worthwhile. Your children, especially the twin with learning differences, is fortunate to have you as an advocate and educator "on her side!"

P.S.S. I like your profile picture...my son (the now 20-something I wrote about) adopted a black-lab mix shelter dog, and when he has to travel for work, I end up with a 4-footed companion.

[bjadams]

Healthy11, 

Thanks so much for taking the time to respond. I read your story and I am shocked that the public school gave you so much trouble with getting your son tested. I can definitely appreciate how concerned you were and how you stayed on top of getting your son the help he needed. Some of the problems that you state your son have I have noticed in my son. He is pretty smart and he can read well and is above his reading grade level; however, he has a hard time writing and absolutely hates to do it. He has had this problem since he was in kindergarten. He is always the last one to finish his work if he has to write and then he writes extremely big to fill up the paper. I would go to his classroom and he would be the only student standing and his teachers would tell me that he won't sit at his desk and at times he would just jump up and start dancing or walking around, but he would usually get back on task unless it has to do with writing. I have asked if he could be tested for GT, but I've been told that he has to write and if he refuses to do that he couldn't really be tested. I'm still working on him, but my daughter so far has been getting all the help that she needs. My only concern with her at this time is that we are moving to a new city soon and I am fearful that she won't get the same care as she has been to date. 
Thanks for sharing your story with me, it will definitely help me with my paper. 

[healthy11]

bjadams, can I ask how old your twins are now/what grade? I'd like to be able to give you some resources in your local region, but would need to know what state you're moving to. From what you've said about your son, it does sound like he could be "2E." Some states are definitely more understanding of the needs of "2E" children than others.

I'm wondering what kinds of things your son enjoys...does he play with Legos, for instance? The reason I'm asking is to figure out how his fine motor skills are, or whether he might have some kind of physical muscular weakness that could make the act of writing difficult. An O.T. (occupational therapy) evaluation could help determine that. Sometimes, vision problems can make writing difficult, but the fact your son is an avid reader makes me doubt that's the issue. Since you say that your son gets up and walks around or dances when faced with writing tasks does make me wonder about ADHD, but it doesn't sound like he exhibits that kind of activity at other times in school or at home. (For an ADHD diagnosis, symptoms would have to be present in more than one environment; there are rating scales that parents and teachers can fill out to make that determination.) Since you're moving to a new school district soon, I probably wouldn't bother dealing with the current school about your son, but if you haven't asked his pediatrician about your concerns, I definitely would. Again, it's obvious that your children are fortunate to have such a concerned parent as you!