Patti's Story
I am quite familiar with CAPD problems because I
have lived with them my whole life as do 3 of my 4 kids... This is my
daughter's story..
I have a 10 year old daughter who has CAPD is hearing impaired and
dyslexic. She can now read but her spelling is still very dyslexic.
I had my daughter tutored by a credentialed teacher after school twice a
week. Her son and Meridith were both Dyslexic and she was at the end of
her rope. She said "What I usually do isn't working with these two,
what are we going to do?" I told her I think my Aunt Dottie can help
us. She lived about 100 miles away from me and I was planning on
calling her the next day. Well my Sister in Law called and said that
she was in a Coma and dying of brain cancer so I couldn't talk with
her. I was devistated.
I knew she was a tutor but I never knew what she did or the methods that
she used. I just knew when I wanted to talk with her, she was dead. I
felt like one of the foolish virgin's who had let the oil out of her
lamps and wasn't prepared. My aunt was so passionate about teaching and
helping kids. Her funeral was packed with children and parents and the
school district employees of the small town she lived in. Her 21 year
old son got up and said, "When I was in third grade I couldn't read, and
my mom learned how to teach me to read." My Uncle sat next to me during
the funeral and I comforted him as all of his kids, adopted, step, etc.
got up and said how much they loved their mom. I was fired up and
searched and asked my daughter's speech path, what is auditory
discrimination in depth because that was the only clue I had to how my
aunt taught children to read and succeed. She then said, oh that's
Lindamood-Bell's program which is now called LiPS.. I then told her
then that's what I am supposed to do with Meridith and asked her if she
could do it with Meridith until I got the training myself.. Finally a
step in the right direction!!
Talk about guilt...It took me kindergarten, 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade to
figure this out. I guess the timing wasn't in God's plan until now. I
can't fix the past mistakes but I can help guide others from my own
mistakes. We spent over $1000 for my training at a workshop this summer
and according to my husband it is the best training I ever got. I
worked with Meridith last summer and she made a breakthrough!! I had
specialists with the school district working with my daughter since
kindergarten and it wasn't until I got more involved in her instruction
myself that she made progress. Once or twice a week pullouts wasn't
enough. She is very verbal and with a hearing aide she does pretty
good, but the CAPD misunderstandings still get in the way.. and I felt
that a school for the deaf would not be in her best interest considering
her, above average IQ, hearing and verbal level. I felt it would hold
her back.
The signs were there that Meridith had a problem but I didn't pick it up
right away, and I should have considering I knew our hearing impairment
was genetic... She was a slow talker. But is wasn't until her
Preschool Teacher said, something isn't right with Meridith. She is so
good with her small motor skills but she just isn't picking up the
sounds of the letters and things and the way she says certain things
aren't right either. Then the light bulb went on, she can't hear what is
going on so she isn't aware of things. She was always so good She
would entertain herself for hours, draw, talk to herself, which is
something I did as a hearing impaired child. A hearing impaired person
is really good at TUNING out and entertaining themselves when it is too
hard to keep up with the world around them and they feel overwhelmed.
Lindamood-Bell's ADD program had been around for over 30 years and I
learned this way as a kid. I just couldn't remember what to ask for when
my own daughter had trouble. In June 1998 I had an Ah...Hah...
experience at an IEP meeting that was going nowhere fast. The teacher
kept telling me...this..."Your daughter isn't listening to me" I told
her "you know what...She is listening to you because that is how she is
learning because she can't read...she is hearing impaired and learning
auditorially so if she doesn't hear you she isn't learning." The FM
system has been a life saver to her. I am returning to college this fall
and I am going to use one in college myself. I am not going to take a
chance and make things harder for myself by being to proud to use the
latest technology available. This same teacher didn't push the trainer
with my daughter and she was doing her such a disservice.
My daughter was in 3rd grade, reading at 1st grade level and the IEP
team basically told me she needs to be retained, put in SDC or put in a
school for the hearing impaired. I told the IEP team that I didn't
want retention because that would not solve the problem, she is hearing
impaired and learning auditorially because she can't read. She would be
19 years old in high school and she is big for her age too. I told them
that their solutions weren't good enough for me and I was going to teach
her to read myself. So I decided to get trained in Lindamood-Bell
because I knew that my aunt had done it and it really made a difference
for her children and all the kids she tutored. It made a breakthrough
for my tutor's son and my daughter. With my tutoring both children are
now reading and writing on grade level..I now work in a public school as
a title one reading intervention aide. I am tutoring 20 kids 5 to 1
ratio every single day. They are so excited to work with me and I know
the program works. I am actually a professional artist. My website
link is attached at the end of this e-mail..
The teachers that have complied with the IEP and used the trainer
faithfully have had the most success with my daughter. She is getting it
and I am thrilled. Recently when she started summer school, the FM
system didn't make it to the Summer school teacher. My daughter was
upset because SHE DIDN'T have her FM system. She told me "Mom, I need my
trainer, you have to find it!" I work for the district and know the
audiologist personally so I was able to get it and put it back in
service in the classroom.
Any other questions please feel free to contact me. I am turning into
my aunt because I believe she is so excited that I picked up the torch
she had to leave behind to teach literacy and help other parents and
children! My daughter loves reading now as do the other children I have
tutored. You will make it through this. I was just telling my husband
this morning, how amazing it has been for me to meet other people
through the internet that have faced and are facing similar challenges
in their life with their own children and students, and just this
morning I learned about you and your similar struggles. There are so
many people out there who like us need the help and encouragement, from
the trailblazers. You are a trailblazer. You are helping others and at
the same time they will assist and help you.. Good luck.
Sincerely,
Patti Marker-White
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