Hi!  My name is Karen Mauney and I just recently joined the group.  I'm not even sure where to start.  We have been having issues with my son's schools since he started Pre-School and now I'm terrified as to what's going to happen when he starts Middle School in the fall.  When he was in Pre-School, he was identified as being "gifted", but he showed a severe speech delay.  He was referred to the Special Education Center through the Virginia Beach Public Schools and was tested.  They found that in everything but his speech, he was at least a year to a year and a half advanced for his age.  So he was further referred for Speech Therapy and attended that twice a week for the next year and a half.  With his birthday being September 22nd and the Pre-School no longer offering care for the year he would turn 5, they suggested to go ahead and start him in Kindergarten as a 4 year old because he was definitely "smart enough".  So that's exactly what I did.  He attended Kindergarten with a few "behavioral problems" due to him being the youngest in the class and seemed somewhat immature and was easily bullied.  He was referred for Summer School that summer and went on to the First Grade.  He was found ineligible for Speech Therapy when he started the First Grade.  Throughout Kindergarten and First Grade, I noticed that he had a few "issues" that other children didn't have such as not knowing his left from his right, not being able to tie his shoes, and switching a multitude of letters and numbers around.  When I approached his teachers with this, they would say that those were all "normal" things and that they would disappear with time.  It was also in the First Grade that the teacher suggested he be tested for A.D.H.D..  We agreed to the testing with his pediatrician and due to the pediatrician not being able to make a concise diagnosis, he was referred to see a Neurodevelopmentalist through C.H.K.D., which is a well known childrens hospital in this area.  His Neurodevelopmentalist evaluated and said that he did not have A.D.H.D. and that he was at least a year to a year and a half advanced for his age and was simply "bored with school."  He was referred for Summer School that summer and went on to the Second Grade.  We had moved during the middle of Second Grade and I was told that since we were just moving school districts, he should be fine with the transition.  However, he failed that year and was force to repeat the Second Grade.  He didn't have Summer School that summer.  At the beginning of the second Second Grade, I still noticed the above "issues", but was still told that these were "normal" things and that he'd simply "grow out of them".  He was referred for Summer School and went on to the Third Grade.  The Third Grade was where we had the most problems with him and school.  I finally had enough and had him tested this time for A.D.H.D..  Somehow, he was diagnosed.  So, I did what any normal parent would do and had him medicated.  This was a BIG mistake.  Not only did he have severe headaches, stomachaches, and other issues with even the smallest dosage of Metadate-CD, his grades further dropped in the nine weeks of taking the medication.  I knew this was not what was expected of an "A.D.H.D." child on medication and yet again had him tested with his pediatrician.  His pediatrician yet again couldn't make a concise diagnosis and he was referred back to his Neurodevelopmentalist.  It was then that his Neurodevelopmentalist diagnosed him as severely dyslexic.  "Finally!!"  I thought.  "Now we can get some help and some answers!"  This, however, was not the case.  Due to it being so late in the Third Grade school year, he was referred to Summer School and went on to the Fourth Grade.  However, with the school having the misdiagnosis of A.D.H.D. (because once he was diagnosed I had to give the school the paperwork because of Jacob receiving medication while at school), they labeled him as "Other Health Impairments" and created an I.E.P. to be implemented in the Fourth Grade.  When I took the paperwork stating that the A.D.H.D. diagnosis was wrong and that he, in fact, had Dyslexia, the school didn't want to change the label because his discreptancies wasn't severe enough and that he wouldn't qualify for Special Education services/accommodations under the "Learning Disability" label.  So he was referred for Summer School and went on to the Fifth Grade.  That's where we're at now.  I have since had him re-evaluated with his Neurodevelopmentalist and have found that he's in the Fifth Grade, but his word attack and reading capabilities are at the mid-Second Grade level.  However, the school doesn't agree with that.  But the school has NEVER tested him either.  They have only done assesments on him and say that he's just slightly behind reading at a Fourth Grade level.  I just got out of another Parent/Teacher Conference and now they want to "make him more responsible" and if he doesn't have his homework or doesn't receive a passing grade, he will receive a 0.  :(  I have tried and tried again to get help from places here, but no one seems to be able to help me.  I don't know what else to do.  Please feel free to e-mail/message me back here or call me.  Any help would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks!