Monday, June 22, 2009

Fixing the Wonky Picture

Have you ever looked at a picture, and known immediately there was something wonky (something not right), but you were unable to pinpoint what it was? That's what it's been like in our school room for a while now.

It is so frustrating to know that there is a problem with your child, and yet not know what it is. I have known for several years that Ellas has learning issues, but I didn't know what they were. Until this year, it has not hindered him too much in school, so I wasn't in a tizzy to get to the bottom of it. This year, however, has been slow and agonizing for both of us. Lots of tears, but very little learning.

Our pediatrician believed me when I said there was a problem, but was also at a loss as to what it could be. He has tested Ellas for many things over the years, with no diagnosis.

All I could think was, "Am I crazy? Do I WANT something to be wrong with my sweet little boy? Am I damaging him by not knowing? How much therapy is this kid gonna need by the time I'm through 'teaching' him? Please, God, give me wisdom. Show me what to do for my precious son."

Now over the years, Scott and Crissy have agreed that there was something wrong. Like me, they weren't sure what. Lately, Scott has said that we needed to have Ellas checked for dyslexia. You see, Scott is VERY dyslexic in a couple of different areas. He was starting to notice similarities between his issues and Ellas'.

So, I scheduled a conference with Debbie Landry, our fantastic homeschool administrator, who has been such an encouragement to me. She pointed me to the Alabama Scottish Rites Foundation. They have taken dyslexia/literacy as their cause. Because of their fundraising, they offer free testing, free evaluating, AND provide a free 2-year video-based curriculum. Woohoo!!!

Turns out, Ellas is dyslexic! Our issue has a name! We know how to fix the picture. Ellas can get the help he needs. Thank you, God, for providing for us. Thank you, God, for loving my baby even more than I do.

3 comments:

heather said...

I am so glad you can put a name to it and a way to help him.

Virginia said...

I love how you described it as fixing a wonky picture... that so accurately describes that feeling! I'm glad you got a diagnosis and you can move forward into new ways of learning!

Anonymous said...

i know exactly what you are going through. i wrestled with the feelings of knowing something was up with brandon for a very long time. now that we've been in therapy i finally feel like we are on the right path. you dont' want to pigeon hole your child but you don't want to ignore your gut! my advice is just trust god as much as you can. he has a path for ellas. believe that and believe you all will find the way. i can tell you that having faith in that has been the only thing that has kept me from having a nervous breakdown.