Dislexia??

[angelmorris]

Is there a way to get an official diagnosis for dyslexia? My 8yo son is really struggling with reading/writing. When he was younger I suspected dyslexia but after reading realized he was too young for even suspicions. Since then he has quit writing words backwards so much and quit flipping letters and #'s as often. I felt better about it until I received an email from AAS with a link to dyslexia symptoms. I'm C & P the list of symptoms... he has them all the ones I made red.

 

He can barely decode still despite working endlessly with me and with his teacher and a tutor when he was still in PS. He cannot spell and he could read a word (such as get or the) 10 times in the same reader and have to sound it out every time.

 

He has a huge list of the symptoms... does that neccesarily mean he has dislexia? If he does where do I go from here? I'm feeling overwhelmed atm... I'm not even really sure what I'm looking for here :(

 

Reading problems

 

 

 

• Oral reading is choppy, not fluent and smooth.
  
• Reads words in the wrong order.
  
• Skips small words such as a, the, to, of, were, and from.
  
• Recognizes a word on one page but not on the next page.
  
• Inserts extra letters in a word when reading. For example, may read tail as trail. The misread word often has the same beginning and ending letter.
  
• Deletes letters in a word when reading. For example, may read sag instead of sang. Again, the misread word often has the same beginning and ending letter.
  
• Switches the order of letters in a word. For example, may read mug as gum.
  
• Substitutes words with similar meanings when reading stories. For example, may read said instead of shouted.
  
• Substitutes similar-looking words, such as house for horse.
  
• Ignores punctuation when reading.
  
• Makes up part of the story based on the illustrations or context clues.
  
• Loses place on the page, skips lines, or rereads lines.
  
• Reads at a level substantially below that of peers.
  
• Poor reading comprehension.
  
• Difficulty reading single words on a flashcard.
  
• Is fatigued after reading for a short time.
  

 

Spelling problems

 

 

 

• Inserts extra letters in a word when spelling. For example, may write tail as trail. The misspelled word often has the same beginning and ending letter.
  
• Deletes letters in a word when spelling. For example, may write caft instead of craft. Again, the misspelled word often has the same beginning and ending letter.
  
• Switches the order of letters in a word. For example, may write speical instead of special.
  
• Has difficulty copying words from another paper or the board. Copies letter by letter, referring to the original copy for almost every letter.
  
• Messy papers, including many crossed-out or erased words.
  
• Misspells many common words like said, there, and does.
  
• May be able to spell the words on a spelling test after much studying, but then misspells the same words outside of spelling class.
  

 

Speech problems

 

 

 

• Learns to talk later than expected. Most children say their first words around 12 months of age and phrases by 18-24 months.
  
• Speaks in “baby talk†longer than his or her peers, sometimes until he or she is five or six years old.
  
• Mispronounces words like spaghetti (pisgetti), animal (aminal), or specific (pacific).
  
• Has difficulty repeating multisyllable words.
  
• Difficulty retrieving words. Has the sensation that words are at the tip of the tongue, but inaccessible. Uses vague words like “stuff†instead of more descriptive words.
  

 

Sequencing problems

 

Dyslexics often have difficulty with sequencing (remembering a sequence). This leads to symptoms such as:

 

 

• Difficulty remembering the entire alphabet.
  
• Difficulty following instructions that have more than one step.
  
• Difficulty remembering phone numbers.
  
• Difficulty following spoken instructions.
  

 

Handwriting problems

 

Many dyslexics also have dysgraphia, which is a developmental disability that makes it difficult to master handwriting. Dysgraphia can be related in part to sequencing difficulties and in part to fine-motor control.

 

 

• Slow, laborious writing.
  
• Irregularly shaped letters.
  
• Improper pencil grip.
  
• Dominant hand isn’t established until later than peers. May switch from right to left hand while writing or coloring until after age 7 or 8.
  
• May write letters in the wrong direction. For example, instead of writing an o in a clockwise direction, child may write it in a counter-clockwise direction. Instead of starting the letter l at the top, child may start the letter from the bottom.
  
• Confuses letters with a similar shape, especially the pairs b-d, m-w, and n-u.
  
• Improper use of uppercase and lowercase letters.
  
• Poor spacing between letters, words, and sentences.
  
• Handwriting looks “childlike†even into the teen years.
  

 

[secular_mom]

You make an appt with your provider to get a referral to a psychiatrist- they do the testing for dyslexia.

For now, get him an eye exam- eye glasses have vastly improved my son's reading, he has/had most of the symptoms of dyslexia too.

You can get a 'reading strip' from a teacher supply store- they are colored sheets of plastic that the child places over the reading material- somehow this seems to help them with the letter reversal and such so that they can read the words. That, or try having him wear sunglasses while reading.

[angelmorris]

Thank You, I just had his eyes tested and the eye dr said they looked good. I'll try the reading strip and ask our Dr about testing.

[Tonya P]

When I had my child tested for dyslexia by a psychologist, she said that whether or not the results come back as dyslexia, her recommendation would be the same: use an Orton-Gillingham based program.

 

Since your son shows so many signs of dyslexia, I would get him started with an O-G program. I personally use All About Spelling, which is an Orton-Gillingham based program. There are others, too, but all of them that I found were very expensive (thousands of dollars) and/or required training workshops.

[cillakat]

<<when he was younger I suspected dyslexia but after reading realized he was too young for even suspicions.>>

 

5 or 6 isn't too young.....the signs/symptoms are so specific when looked all of them are viewed in context.

 

I was told when my dd was 6 and 7 that her symptoms were developmentally normal (NOT) and that we'd have to wait till she was eight to assess.

 

what a crock. What a wasted opportunity. She reads fairly well now but we missed a window that we can't ever get back.

 

K