What does this sound like?

[Black-eyed Suzan]

DS11 says he often thinks a letter or number, and writes a different one. The letter/number mix-up seems to happen several times in a school day, although he does sometimes correct it later. It makes spelling and writing (including any writing for math) difficult.

 

He also reverses lowercase b and d. The B/D reversal happens frequently.

 

I know the B/D reversal points to dyslexia, but can anyone give insight about what the first might be?

 

After prioritizing speech for quite a while, I think we are finally ready to look for an evaluation for this. Where should we start?

 

Thank you!!

 

Edited to add: I now see the other similar thread on evaluations. The school system isn't a good option in my case. We're looking at private evaluations, but not sure if a full neuropsychologist is best or an educational specialist.

Edited August 8, 2017 by Black-eyed Suzan

[PeterPan]

Honestly, it can be ADHD and midline issues. The reversals don't have to be dyslexia. My dd has straight ADHD, no SLDs, and had midline issues, retained reflexes, and needed VT (vision therapy). She had word retrieval issues, which we found during her $$$$$$$ neuropsych testing. It's not really worth that. You can just buy a book for word retrieval and work through it, done. 

 

Think, Talk, Laugh!: Increase Verbal Processing Speed and Language Organization Skills  This is a great, affordable workbook for word retrieval. 

 

Does he find when he's having the issues that slow down helps? Has he had an OT eval? I don't recall if TTL has anything with letter formation and getting all that to connect, but it sounds like he might want to do the Dianne Craft 8's exercises, forming the letters and saying them aloud, as a warm-up. Has he already done that before? How did it go?

[Black-eyed Suzan]

Interesting, OhElizabeth! I always thought reversals were automatically dyslexia. I read a book about dyslexia, though, and he didn't have many of the other symptoms, so what you said makes more sense. And thanks for the book recommendation!

 

We did writing 8 last year for a while (a few months? I honestly don't remember, but it was not just a few times). He hated it, and it didn't seem to help. We also did her Brain Integration Exercises, and I was surprised at how hard they were for him. I wanted to continue those and they didn't complain about them so much. Unfortunately they got pushed aside for other things. I should pull those back out.

 

He had trouble learning to read at 6: a small amount of VT for convergence issues and learning the phonograms from SWE helped. He does still like larger print on the Kindle, but will read regular books, too.

 

No OT eval yet.

 

I'll ask him about slowing down. He does rush on subjects he dislikes.

[PeterPan]

So yeah, update your vision eval, look up retained reflexes on youtube or find an OT who is good at testing for them. Retained reflexes would be an explanation why the midline stuff was so hard for him.