Thank you so much for the input! I will definitely do the calendar thing and will schedule an appointment with a vision specialist. I know he is kind of young to be labeling him (which is why I don’t use the term dyslexia) but the signs go way beyond b/d reversals. Until about a month ago, he could not: rhyme at all (he still struggles with simple rhymes sometimes). could not separate word sounds (ex: If I told him the word bathtub, then said if I take bath away what is left of the word, he could not tell me) Did not know all the letters of the alphabet – despite preschool and a half year in kindergarten (and being exposed to them at home) If you sounded out c-a-t he couldn’t tell you what the word was Though he finally memorized his letter sounds, if I asked him what ‘mom’ started with or ‘sit’, he would just as likely say ‘k’ or ‘p’ than use the right letter (and his name starts with an M) He still has no concept of left or right – nearly every morning he reaches the wrong way to grab his seatbelt. Simple before and after problems still give him tremendous trouble and patterns are a nightmare for him. He has trouble pronouncing certain letters (and is getting LIPS for that now) Sight words are a real problem – I have been working with him on just one for 4 months (the) and it still hasn’t clicked These are just a few of the things I noticed. I try not to stress over the diagnosis and I’m fine if he is just one who takes a little longer to grasp concepts, I just want to make sure I’m doing everything I can so that IF there is a problem, he’s getting the help he needs. I guess I’m trying to take the proactive approach J THANK YOU again for all the wonderful suggestions!

Lauren and Shay, Thank you for the advice! I am just now getting into finding out the laws in our state. Actually my son is in a private school (in NC) and just has a wonderful and observant teacher who felt there was more going on with him than just being a slow learner. I had him privately tested and was very blessed to find a lady in our area who has a phd in early intervention and ld's. She has been a wealth of information and recommended a tutor I should use. I asked the school to let me take him out twice a week to go to the tutor and they agreed. The other days they allow me to go to the school and pull him out during phonics and reading time so he can be taught through OG methods. This way he doesn't waste time with ineffective methods and he doesn't miss his play time after school. It's worked amazingly well and I'm so happy with the progress he has already made. Now I'm just trying to keep the progress going with his reading and start working on his math skills. I have to go to the public school soon to see about what would happen if I enroll him next year. I will be sure to ask lots of questions about how they teach reading to the kids. I would prefer to homeschool him at least for his first grade year because I really don't feel the ps can give him the 1-1 time I can or the expertise that an experienced tutor can but my ex husband is insisting that I put him in public school. Sigh...another battle for another day! Thanks again for the info!!

My ds does not have an official designation but he was tested as to the likelihood of him having it (after his teacher expressed concern that, although very bright and trying very hard, he just wasn't getting many things in school). The test showed that he has an extremely high likelihood of having dyslexia. (And with the abysmal score he got, they said it is likely very severe.) Dyslexia runs very strong in my ex-husband's family so I knew some of the signs and saw a lot of them in my son. I could have him officially tested and diagnosed this summer since he'll have had a full year of school under his belt but it's obvious with the things he struggles with that it's present. The reason I went ahead with the test, even though it wasn't an official diagnosis, was that I needed something to give to the school so I could request that he get tutoring now, rather than waiting. I have not told my ds that he has dyslexia (since I don't have a definite diagnosis) but I working under the assumption that he does. I have started him working with a tutor and have begun working with him with OG methods and have seen a lot of improvement.

Yes, he's almost 6 - his birthday is in April. Shay (and everyone) thank you for the suggestions! I've found the Singapore Math place card holders and will be ordering those. I'm also looking at RS as a possible curriculum - for the summer and possibly next year when I may be home schooling him. You guys have helped me see that he doesn't just have trouble recognizing some of the numbers visually but that he doesn't get some of the concepts either. For example, he can count to 1-10 but if you ask him what comes before 6 or after 8 he doesn't know. So, I will definitely be working with him on the concepts! I have hesitated on the Vision testing because he has such good eye sight - he excels at any sport, can spot things a mile away and has no trouble playing video games where there are things coming at him from every direction and he sees them all - but it sounds like I might still need to get him tested. I'm also a little nervous about some of the bad experiences people have had but I've read some of the back threads and they gave lots of info about what kind of equipment the optometrist needs to have and what to do to ensure a proper diagnosis - so thanks for that too! :001_smile:

I can't thank you guys enough for the suggestions! These are wonderful! EKS: Thank you for your input on place value - I hadn't even thought about that! TAKlinda: My son can count the numbers to 100 but he has trouble remembering which order they go in - for instance, if I give him a prompt at the beginning of each ten row, he can name that whole row (31..32...33) but when he gets to 39 then he'll often forget which number goes next. And the funny thing is he can count to 100 by 10's! I guess that just shows that he's not getting the relationship b/w the numbers. So much to learn! Thank you again for your help with this!!! :001_smile:

THANK YOU so much! This is perfect! Just printed out your response! :001_smile:

I have been working very hard with my son on his alphabet and he can pretty consistently recognize all the letters and their sounds now. He is still way behind on his numbers though. He still cannot get 1-10 down and his school is working on 1-100 for year end. (I seriously doubt he'll get there but I am hoping to at least get him to 30.) He understands the concept of addition and can count out loud to 50-60 - sometimes even to 100 with a little prompting. It's just looking at the numbers (or number words) and recognizing them that is the problem. (He is supposed to know number words 1-12 and be able to recognize numbers 1-100 by year end) I am very new to all this and would appreciate any games, ideas, workbooks, etc you could recommend to help us. We are doing flash cards but he gets so bored with those. I am also going to have him make the numbers in play doh and in sand but any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated! He is a very kinesthetic and active learner - the more movement the better! THANK YOU!! :001_smile:

Does Barton use any mnemonic tricks or things to help kids remember the rules? I remember reading Overcoming Dyslexia and she mentioned that the Jolly Phonics curriculum uses fun little things to help kids remember - like, "When two vowels go walking, the first does the talking" I think my son would do really well with those types of hints.

Brenda, THANK YOU so much for the wealth of information and for sharing your inspiring story! I'm SO glad I found this board! What a lifesaver!! :) It's been exhausting trying to doing this all alone!! I'll call Hilsie and make sure to tell her you sent me - Thanks again! And thank to everyone else who posted as well! :) I've gotten more info (and direction) from you ladies than I have in all the months I've been researching this!

THANK YOU so much for the resources and the info! I will check out those books - the dancing bears look wonderful!

I have thought about it and probably will home school next year. He says he hates school but he really likes the interaction with the other kids and his teacher is wonderful. He has made a lot of progress and I am hoping once we really focus on how he learns best, he'll like it even more. (He's only had one tutoring session so far with the tutor and only a few weeks of me tutoring him during reading). I am also a single mom and am trying to figure out how I could home school him and still have time to make enough money to pay for what he needs! I'm hoping I'll figure it our before the next school year :)

Lizzy, Thank you so much! Yes, I want it to be fun for him and to go at his own pace. That's one of the reasons why I pushed so hard for all of his tutoring to be done during school hours- I didn't want his whole life to be about tutoring and studying at the age of 5! He would burn out way too fast! And I don't want him to hate school - I already struggle everyday to get him up and going. He's not crazy about it as it is so I try and make our tutoring sessions very fun and active. Thank you again for your guidance!

LizzyBee, Thank you so much!! These resources are wonderful! I will certainly be asking the psychologist whether further testing is needed or if she recommends any other kind of therapy. My ds does not read at all. Nothing. And I have worked with him a lot. He is surrounded by books and has been in preschool and now kindergarten and still can't blend or put letters together at all. Do you think, given where he is, that LiPS (Lindamood Bell Phonemic Sequencing) would be the best thing for me to start him on now? THANKS!!!

Elizabeth, This was an ed pysch. His speech problems are really only with certain letters - k, d, t, etc. The tutor said since it wasn't across the board, she felt he didn't need speech therapy. He had a pretty extensive hearing test when he was 1 because he hadn't started talking a lot yet but just a few months later he had an amazing vocabulary and I never had him tested again. They did not mention any other tests so I will broach that with them. I have already found an eye doctor in our area who can test him and does VT so I will set that test up asap. It's a shame there aren't more resources or funding for parents going through this - the time and expense is overwhelming at times! But if it makes a difference, I'll find a way somehow!! Thank you again for all your advice!!! You're wonderful! :)

Elizabeth, Thank you for the information! I've never researched VT. I'll check out that book on Amazon too! Much appreciated :) EKS, My son doesn't have an official designation. They said they could not give him one till he went through a whole year of school. But he was tested for the likelihood of dyslexia and it was extremely high. Ive spoken with a psychologist who has a Phd in learning disabilities of young children, his tester and his tutor and they all believe that given his extreme difficulties with learning his letters, numbers, speech problems, etc, it's highly likely that he has a severe case. Though we haven't labeled him as such, I'm acting as if he does to ensure he gets the help he needs. He has fallen way behind in school and that is why we are intervening now rather than waiting. As I said, it's all a learning experience for me!!

Hi! I just found this board and it's wonderful! My ds is 5 and severely dyslexic and I believe ADD. I have him going to a tutor 2 days a week and then I am pulling him out of his school during reading time to supplement the tutoring. He is to the point where he knows all his letters and the sounds they make in isolation but can not blend, break down words or form them at all. I am trying to keep his tutoring with me very active, tactile and multi-sensory so he pays attention and hopefully retains the info. I was wondering about something like this: http://www.primaryconcepts.com/phonawareness/SS-Objs-Complete.asp Has anyone ever used this and do you think this is a good fit for where he is in his learning? (I would probably make my own version rather than pay for it) I'm just trying to find things that are concrete that may stick in his brain - he has trouble with his memory too. But once it gets into his long term memory, he can retain an amazing amount. The tutor said she would be working with him on blending and taking apart word sounds. Any thoughts or advice would be GREATLY appreciated! Just starting this journey and there's SO much to learn!!! Thank you!! :) April