Is this normal?

[stephanie]

Ds9 reads relatively well, but he always skips words or lines as he's reading. I have one of those reading strips that he can place on the line he's reading, but he really doesn't like to use it. He also adds in his own words,or he changes words. I encouraged him to use his finger as he reads, but he starts then stops as he's reading. Usually I sit there, holding the book, moving my finger along just so he doesn't skip lines. I just want to make sure this isn't a sign of an underlying LD. Thanks!

[Lori D.]

I've always done all of what you described. One thing I note is that all the out loud reading I've done since having children has helped me minimize it. Also, if I slow down and work on reading with emotion and expresssion I tend to stay on track and not change the wording. And I've done "popcorn style" reading ("you read a page, I read a page") with my boys all the way up into high school to help them not do that -- and it's helped make me more aware as I'm reading, too. When they were very young I moved a finger under each word, and then we graduated to holding a blank index card under each line as we read.

 

Guess I never thought about it being a LD before... Hmmm... Don't know if this based in reality or not (LOL!), but maybe I'll think of it as a sign of being an enthusiastic and thinking reader -- trying to jump ahead to see what happens, and to be thinking enough while reading to be able to substitute words. :tongue_smilie: Or maybe it's the first step to learning how to speed read...?:D Warmly, Lori D.

[Jen500]

Maybe it's a reading aloud thing? One of my dss8 does what you describe (well, the changing a word part). If I change a word while reading aloud, though, and he's following along, he'll point out my mistake.

[abbeyej]

I would take him for a "developmental vision exam" with a Developmental Optometrist. It sounds like his eyes are not "tracking" properly.

 

One way you can look for this is to get a small, bright object (like a tennis ball) and sit a few feet in front of him. Hold the object in your hand. Tell him to face you directly, and keep his eyes on the ball (or measuring cup or wad of paper or whatever) but not to move his head. Now you hold the ball up, and move it across his field of vision -- go up, down, back and forth, at angles... Go slowly at first, and then speed up. Watch his eyes. They should move completely smoothly to follow the object. His head shouldn't move at all. His eyes should never "jump" to follow the object.

 

It's not foolproof, but it may give you an idea whether he is capable of tracking properly. That, combined with the reading trouble would be pretty convincing to *me* that he's got a developmental vision problem. (And that's totally separate from his ability to see -- one can have 20/20 vision and still have trouble tracking or keeping both eyes working together.)

[Lakeside]

Ds9 reads relatively well, but he always skips words or lines as he's reading. I have one of those reading strips that he can place on the line he's reading, but he really doesn't like to use it. He also adds in his own words,or he changes words. I encouraged him to use his finger as he reads, but he starts then stops as he's reading. Usually I sit there, holding the book, moving my finger along just so he doesn't skip lines. I just want to make sure this isn't a sign of an underlying LD. Thanks!

 

I am not an expert by any means, but in my TESOL training we learned that it is common (especially as reading skills improve) to skip words and to change words as one is reading. Your brain starts to fill things in.

[Linda...inOwasso]

I'm wondering if it's a maturity issue. My dd5 does this a LOT, but my dd8 doesn't do it so much anymore. I don't see a big problem with it so long as your ds is able to comprehend what he is reading.

[angela&4boys]

No advice really, but my ds8 does the same thing. I will gently correct him, but not always. I'm just so thankful he's reading. :)

[Jane]

If you have your son's eyes tested and they turn out normal, I recommend reading through "Reading Reflex;" it addresses these issues. I had to correct these tendencies in my dyslexic daughter, but her issues were more extreme and apparent by the age of 8 years.

 

HTH.

[dhudson]

I have 7 yr old twins who are as opposite as possible. My little boy who is detailed and perfectionistic reads everything very carefully and never misses a word, my little girl who is outgoing, constantly moving and not detailed skips words and letters all the time. I know that most of her problem is a lack of paying attention because that's how she is the rest of time too. Delightful and charming but flighty. Smart as a whip but is likely to miss half the math problems because she didn't pay attention to the directions.

 

My husband has commented that perhaps she has processing issues because of her reading but then to impress a crowd she can do it perfectly. I guess I am just saying to look at the whole picture - ;)

[In The Great White North]

While LD are a possibility, they're not the only possible cause.

 

As fluency increases, most people read significantly faster than they can pronounce words. His eyes (and mind) get ahead of his pronunciation. The more interested he is in what he is reading, the more likely he is to "get ahead" of his pronunciation. Reading aloud used to drive me nuts because it was so slow.

 

I actually used to do this with writing also.

[stephanie]

Great ideas from all of you, Thanks! I think each of you had a valid point. He is extremely bright, but always wanting to be done with school. He's got much better things to be doing, according to him! Maybe it is a personality thing. I'm going to check in on his vision, but I guess I assumed his tracking was good because he excels in sports like baseball and football. He seems to be really gifted in the area of athleticism, coordination and reflexes, but maybe that doesn't relate. Thanks again!

[jenadina]

I thought my son was doing this as well, but it turned out that he was just reading some words in his head while taking a breath before continuing on. Is it possible that your son is doing the same?