~NEW GLASSES~ *Fontwerks*

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~NEW GLASSES~ Fontwerks

Journaling reads:Well buddy-you haven't enjoyed reading for awhile now. Your grades are good and you're in a high reading group, but I knew something was up. You made passing comments about not being to see things on the board. I noticed you skipping words when you read aloud. I noticed that you never read for the pleasure of it You know you rock at math and science. You say you suck at reading. I am your Mom and I noticed so many things. Filing them in the back of my mind and just observing you. I felt sad that you felt sad. However, things don't add up. You are an excellent speller. Your vocabulary is incredible. You have no trouble expressing yourself verbally or on the written page. Yet once in awhile you'll bring home a failing grade on an assignment that required a great deal of reading. I've wondered for many months now. I recently got a call from your third grade teacher. She said you are squinting a lot and reading with your hand over one eye. It took us awhile, but we finally got an appointment with the opthamologist over Spring Break. The doctor was very kind and spoke with us at length as I described you in detail. I explained the mystery of it all. Well, about a half hour later the doc came out and said he had an answer. STREFF SYNDROME. It sounds worse than it is and is hard to explain regardless. In laymen's terms your eyes, your optic nerve and your brain work perfectly. No problem with the hardware, but there is a glitch in your software. When you read it is very taxing on your brain arranging the letters and making out things that are far away. Letters move around and you spend a great amount of energy using context clues and such to figure it out. The doctor said you are absolutely brilliant and that is why it is so hard to diagnose. You will outgrow this. For now you were prescribed a very low dose lens to assist your software program input new data so to speak. STREFF is brought on by a tramautic event . When Gram died at the beginning of 1st grade I really noticed a difference. At this point we are going to try out these glasses and see what happens. Mrs. Lohse just called while I was typing this. She says she notices the glasses helping. Just so you know Zach-I love you no matter what forever and ever. And you sure look cute in your new glasses.My thoughts: I love this child and my heart breaks when he struggles. His issues are not black and white. More gray. And how frustrating is it when you know there is an issue. When your child asks why aren't they smart anymore. Yet no one does anything because the child gets straight A's and is a joy to have in class. My son is like an eagle with clipped wings. I want to scream at the staff at his elementary school. I feel like as long as they get their exemplary status and my son does well on standardized tests they don't give a rat's happy ass. This started in 1st grade after a triumphant kindergarten year in the gifted program. My Mom died in late summer of 2003 (and Zach was her pride and joy). We all took her death so hard. I barely remember Zach's 1st grade year…I was deeply depressed (without realizing it at the time). I had many meeting that year with the principal over Zach coloring in all browns, grays and black—NO BRIGHT COLORS. He had an incredibly horrid teacher and she made it 100% worse. I asked for my child to be moved to another classroom. I demanded it. Due to my fragililty though I was often in tears and not a formidable opponet. Sadly I felt like I was battling for my son–opposed to all of us being on the same side wanting the best for Zach. Long story short: Zach is in 3rd now and doing well. He just doesn't enjoy reading and now we know why and we must work around it. I am so sad we just figured it out now, but exultant that we figured out something. I may never stop worrying about him, but at least I don't have to cry myself to sleep anymore.TFL, Cami