[blindkid] Braille reading speed and more...

[Carly B]

Hello again,

I'm so glad we are talking about IEP stuff because I have another question
for all of you. I have a 9 year old third grader who has been reading
Braille for about 2 years now. He attends the state academy for the blind
because our home district was not providing services (although they said
they were) and he was not making any progress at all.

Last spring his IEP goal said he would improve his reading speed from 30
words per minute to 60 words per minute, and that he would know 130
contractions. I just received a report that said he has met his goals. Wow!
Except... I'm not seeing it at home. For the reading speed, it states that
he is reading a word list of familar words. Now, I thought reading speed
would be measured by having him read something real... not a reading list.
I guess we didn't specify that, though. And for the contractions, at home
my son refuses to read anything contracted because he hardly knows any. As
soon as he runs into a contraction he says, "Oh! Contraction! I don't know
what this is!" Very rarely he'll know it. So it hardly seems he knows 130.

Also, he totally reads with his left hand and does not use his right hand
without constant reminders. I mean, constant. He drops his right hand off
the page within a second or two and has to be reminded again and again.
When I brought this up with the school I was told that he's reading with
both hands just fine there. Really???

So how do I bring this up with the school? His Braille teacher and I are on
good terms, but still I'm not sure how to approach her. Any suggestions are
greatly appreciated.

<weary smile> --Carolynn