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After 30 months of special education, he has fallen further behind.

"I have done a great deal of research about the components of an appropriate reading program for learning disabled children.  I requested that the school use a program that is structured, systematic, sequential, repetitive and phonologically based." 

The school insists that Paul’s strengths are “reading in context” and “employing a variety of different strategies to decode words” (i.e. picture cues, context cues). Despite test scores that show that Paul has not made progress with their methods, the school team continues to use it.

The special education supervisor attended the last IEP meeting because I refused to sign the IEP. She said our school district recently purchased the Wilson Reading System to use in resource classes.

Wilson is a good system – it’s based on the Orton-Gillingham principles of remediating kids with dyslexia. I was encouraged when I learned that the school purchased the Wilson Reading program until I discovered that Paul's teacher had no training in how to use the program and did not want to use it.

Paul's IEP says he will receive 45 minutes of “pull out instruction” a day. The teacher says she will use the Wilson Reading System two days a week. On the other three days, she will put him in a group where she will teach “alternative reading strategies.” If she doesn't use an appropriate program like Wilson consistently, Paul will to fall further behind.

I asked that Paul receive Wilson Reading System instruction five days a week. The principal said they were “trying to meet me half way.” She said I was “not entitled to dictate the method they chose to use to remediate my son.”

I requested additional time to review the IEP and did not sign it. We agreed to meet again in two weeks. Should I sign the IEP and be grateful for two days of Wilson?  I am so tired of fighting with them. I feel like giving up but my son is too important.

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You’re right – your son is too important. You can’t give up.

From your description, it sounds like your son has a language based learning disability - dyslexia. After 2.5 years of special education, he made 1.0 year of progress in reading. The fact that he made so little progress is evidence that the reading method that was being used is not appropriate.

Unfortunately, school culture often prevents school staff from realizing that sometimes, parents really do know what their children need. Teachers who need training in research based programs often do not get support from their administrators and do not get the training they need.

Your Game Plan

Get a Private Sector Evaluation

To get your son the help he needs, you need to have an independent expert who evaluated Paul and describe his educational needs. The evaluator should attend the IEP meeting and explain that your child needs a reading program that is “structured, systematic, sequential, repetitive and phonologically based,” and needs to be taught be a teacher who is trained in this method. The evaluator also needs to describe what will happen if the school does not provide the educational services he needs. Most IEP teams give outside experts credit for knowing what children need.

Your independent expert should be a child psychologist or educational diagnostician who specializes in reading disorders. To find an expert who understands the educational needs of children with dyslexia and other language learning disabilities, go to our Reading Library and scroll down to the Database of Service Providers.

Strategy: Use this federal Guidance Publication on Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, Dyscalculia

On October 23, 2015, the US Department of Education issued a Guidance Publication to all school leaders about the need to address the "unique educational needs of children with dyslexia, dysgraphia and dyscalculia" and legal requirements for ensuring that these students receive a "high-quality education."

Your job is to educate the educators about these issues. We suggest that you download this Guidance Publication on Educating Students with Dyslexia, Dyscalculia and Dysgraphia and make several copies to share with the educators and adminstrators at your child's school.

Strategy: Use IDEA 2004

Read 10 Tips: How to Use IDEA 2004 to Improve Your Child's Special Education by parent attorney Wayne Steedman.

Wayne explains how IDEA 2004 creates a higher standard for a free, appropriate public education and how parents can use NCLB to obtain a better IEP for their children.

Learn how to include research based methodology in the IEP and ensure how to that the IEP goals are comprehensive, specific -- and measurable. Wayne advises you about pitfalls to avoid and offers advice about how you can resolve disputes without resorting to a due process hearing - and what you should do if you cannot resolve your dispute.

IDEA 2004 places schools under increased pressure to use educational programs that work, i.e., that have a track record of success. “What works” for dyslexic children are research-based reading programs based on Orton-Gillingham principles. Learn more about research-based instruction.

Strategy: Connect with your State Decoding Dyslexia Group