RootAnn Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 After skimming this, I thought I'd ask for some help here. My oldest had some (reading, hating to write, reversal, lack of visual memory) issues and we had her tested for vision therapy. They labeled her mildly dyslexic with a few other little tidbits thrown in, but we determined we didn't need to do vision therapy at that time. Her reading took off within a month of the testing (just-turned-7) and all the issues we noticed have either resolved themselves over time or are well on their way to being resolved. Enter dd#2. Totally different child. Loves to write, draw, color. Very artistic. Reversed numbers & letters for a long time -- to the point that she would sometimes write backward in cursive without realizing it. (She taught herself to print by copying. I taught her cursive first, hoping the reversing would be less that way.) She is 7 1/2. -She sometimes still reverses a letter when she prints (P) or confuses b/d when reading. -She still has issues with place value sometimes in her math work. -She's struggling with reading. (She is not quite in the Frog & Toad-type reading yet. It is "too much" (words on a page) for her.) -Sometimes, when she is sounding out a word, she will start with a sound that is not at the beginning of the word (it is at the end or not even in the word or it is the b/d thing). When I cover up letters or ask her to focus, she'll get it. - She can get oral math facts right and almost immediately miss them on a written test. (A friend pointed out that one of my examples of this was 8+5=11 when she knows 8+3=11. Could she be confusing 3 & 5 on the written page?) So, here's my question. Should we get her tested? If so, what should we ask her to be tested on/for? And, lastly, what type of professional should we seek out? (Any other advice on this is helpful.) Keep in mind we live in a very small town with a very unhelpful school district. DH & I are somewhat untrustful of the school district officials, but both of us want to help our kids succeed without unneeded heartache. DD is not frustrated or unhappy with any of this. She does her work without an unusual amount of complaint. She would like to be able to read for herself some of the longer & more complicated books older dd is reading. I am wondering if dyslexia runs in my family (as my dad probably has it but it was never diagnosed if he does). However, I was a "late-bloomer." I did very poorly (20th percentile) in entrance testing to my "new" school going into 4th grade. I scored in the 98th percentile in spring testing of 4th grade year. I "blossomed" that year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RamonaQ Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 How old? Trying to read your signature...is this your 7 yo dd? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 Except for the last two points, she sounds just like my DD. One issue you didn't mention that my DD has is number reversal--both wrt place and reversing individual digits. I have asked her enrichment program teacher if she's noticed any of these problems or if I should be concerned about them, and she doesn't see anything amiss. I have seen improvement on DD's part, so haven't stressed over it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RootAnn Posted February 12, 2011 Author Share Posted February 12, 2011 RamonaQ - She'll be 8 this summer. Ravin - I guess I didn't explain very well. The "place value" problem she has in math is sometimes she puts "37" when she means "73." She most often does this with "teens" (12/21, 51/15). This happens a couple times a week. I would say she reverses a digit (writing a 7 or 3 backwards about once every couple of weeks). This is MUCH BETTER from last year (1st grade work) when she would reverse things constantly. She almost always notices when she writes a number reversed and fixes it herself. She does not always notice when she prints a letter backward. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 (edited) So the same problem my DD has with numbers, but your DD does it less often... Mine is a few months younger than yours, also in 2nd grade. And my Dd will miss a math problem in the same set by putting an answer that she used for a different one...as in, on one part of the page or board she'll answer 11 for both 8+3 and, perhaps, 8+5. She makes more mistakes like this when she's in a rush. Edited February 12, 2011 by Ravin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RamonaQ Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 -She's struggling with reading. (She is not quite in the Frog & Toad-type reading yet. It is "too much" (words on a page) for her.) -Sometimes, when she is sounding out a word, she will start with a sound that is not at the beginning of the word (it is at the end or not even in the word or it is the b/d thing). When I cover up letters or ask her to focus, she'll get it. These are what I am responding to that would raise some flags. There are some assessments in the beginning "Reading Reflex" that may be helpful to understand if she struggles in various sub-skills. As far as testing, we went the neuropsych route. It was incredibly, incredibly expensive, but informative. I still wonder if we would have gotten information in a less expensive pathway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizzyBee Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 You might want to spend some time on this website: http://www.dys-add.com We had 2 of our kids tested by an Educational Psychologist at the state university psychoeducational clinic. I was very happy with the EdPsych, but if you read and get a handle on your dd's issues, testing is not essential. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 Well one thing is for sure. If you want to look for problems, you'll find 'em. Clearly they're there, and you suspect dyslexia. Yes, it does seem to run in families. *I* would probably get her eyes evaluated by a good developmental optometrist, simply because it won't hurt anything and might help. BTW, ours wouldn't diagnose dyslexia, and that fits what some others here have said as well. They did however send us for an OT eval based on the bilaterality issues. So like I said, the more you dig, the more you can find. It's all there. Some people need more work than others to get to the point of being functional. For us, the evaluations we've done have been a good thing, turning up stuff we didn't realize and explaining problems we had that just mystified us. The OT will do weird things like have them walk backwards on a treadmill while skip counting or saying the alphabet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RootAnn Posted February 12, 2011 Author Share Posted February 12, 2011 (edited) And my Dd will miss a math problem in the same set by putting an answer that she used for a different one...as in, on one part of the page or board she'll answer 11 for both 8+3 and, perhaps, 8+5. She makes more mistakes like this when she's in a rush. :iagree: She definitely does this. You might want to spend some time on this website: http://www.dys-add.com I checked this out for quite awhile tonight. The Reading/Spelling section fits some. She's extremely phonetic in her spelling. It is about as bad as her reading. Her writing is beautiful & she loves to do it. She's average at math, IMO. Her memory is pretty good except when it comes to remembering which hand tells the hour vs. the minutes on a clock. She has a great attention span. She doesn't seem to have a sequencing problem. I guess my problem is that the "symptoms" she has are sometimes noted as being classic dyslexia issues. Other places (like the "overcoming dyslexia" book) say they don't show dyslexia but are normal as part of the development of the reading/writing process. She doesn't appear to have vision (therapy/memory) issues. I've seen those (with older dd). ... And the developmental opt. we went to for older dd DID diagnose for dyslexia. I wouldn't go back to THAT DO for a million $$. If we had another kid who needed evaluated for this, we'd try the other DO in the same big city. So that is what I wondered -- do we have her tested? ... And, if so, what do we do with that information? How would I change things if she was diagnosed? Is it worth it (not in terms of $$ but in terms of trouble for her) to get tested? RamonaQ - How did you find the neuropysch who tested your child? Was it a neuropsych who specialized in children? In dyslexia? Edited February 12, 2011 by RootAnn Adding info about developmental optometrist Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RamonaQ Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 :iagree: RamonaQ - How did you find the neuropysch who tested your child? Was it a neuropsych who specialized in children? In dyslexia? Neuropysch. team is well-known, published a book and are in the area. They have a special interest in dyslexia. They were highly rec. in my homeschool community. I would rec. asking in your local homeschool community to find someone people have had good experiences. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 Oh, see I didn't know know you were considering the neuropsych eval. For us I thought it made more sense to do with the things we already knew were there (vision, OT, etc.) and then pursue the neuropsych if more issues remained. But that was just my logic. Since our dev. opt. eval was $250 and the neuropsych would be 10X that, it was a pretty compelling argument. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAKlinda Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 Use dot patterns for letter and number reversals, decoding techniques for reading fluency and regrouping, math ladder and related facts to teach math. Linda. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RootAnn Posted February 13, 2011 Author Share Posted February 13, 2011 Oh, see I didn't know know you were considering the neuropsych eval. For us I thought it made more sense to do with the things we already knew were there (vision, OT, etc.) and then pursue the neuropsych if more issues remained. But that was just my logic. Since our dev. opt. eval was $250 and the neuropsych would be 10X that, it was a pretty compelling argument. OhElizabeth - I don't know WHAT to consider. I read to bring these types of questions to the great helpers on the special needs board. I had never even heard of a "neuropsych" before it was mentioned here. (I've heard of a neurologist & a psychologist, but never a mesh between those two terms/professionals.) Our DO eval was (pre-insurance) in the $800 range, if I remember. Right now, I know what I see -- not any of the VT issues older DD showed, none of the issues with motor skills older DD had, but a different set of much less clear symptoms that point ... where? Use dot patterns for letter and number reversals, decoding techniques for reading fluency and regrouping, math ladder and related facts to teach math. Linda. Linda - I'll check out the website you linked as I've never heard of dot patterns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 Our developmental optometrist will do a regular eye exam (you know, the once a year $70 kind) and SCREEN for things. If they see more, you can go ahead and have them do the full eval for VT problems. If not, then it's just that shorter, less expensive exam. I'd ask for something like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 I checked this out for quite awhile tonight. The Reading/Spelling section fits some. She's extremely phonetic in her spelling. It is about as bad as her reading. Her writing is beautiful & she loves to do it. She's average at math, IMO. Her memory is pretty good except when it comes to remembering which hand tells the hour vs. the minutes on a clock. She has a great attention span. She doesn't seem to have a sequencing problem. My DD won't spell. If she wants something spelled, she asks me. I can sometimes coax her into attempting phonetic spelling, but usually not. I've been holding off on formal spelling instruction until we finish her phonics program (which she's almost done with). Her handwriting is okay and she is enthusiastic about writing, typing, and texting--but hasn't got the encoding skills yet. Aside from the reversals and memorizing math facts, she does quite well in math--the concepts don't seem to be a problem for her. Off to take a look at that website... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zaichiki Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 Root Ann, Your dd sounds like mine. She inherited dyseidetic dyslexia from her father and his father. That type of dyslexia is genetic. She has really blossomed with All About Spelling. I strongly recommend it. If you want to do the testing, a neuropsych eval is the way to go, but it is hugely expensive. If you want to, you can just go ahead and treat for dyslexia. Either find specialists who will tutor/remediate for dyslexia or choose some curricula designed to be used with dyslexia (like Orton-Gilligham based stuff). Work with it for a year and see what happens. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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