JessicaPoffmomof3 Posted April 22, 2021 Share Posted April 22, 2021 My son is currently going on 8 soon. He still does not know his alphabet. He can not recognize the letters, he can't sing the song well, he doesn't know the proper order, nor can he write them at all. This is something we have worked with him on since he was 5. We backed off for a bit then slowly retried and each time ends up in with both of us in tears. So again we would ease off for a bit, thinking he was not ready. But now he is getting close to 8 and still it is a daily battle. For instance we purchased the Orton Gillingham book for ABC sequencing. We go over the a,b,c and what letter is missing between the a and the c. Then we move on to the d,e,f. We worked through that but the letter f he can not for the life of me get that letter. Though we just talked about it for the millionth time. Then if I show him the letter d from a card or the letter e he can't get it. Though it is the same height, font, color, etc.... We have tried everything too. All the pinterest ideas, we have watching all the learning alphabet shows like Leap Frog, etc... He is just can not remember what we just went over seconds ago. I even have him repeat exactly what I am saying numerous times. I have him trace the letter with his finger while saying that letter. Basically you name it I have tried it. I have even purchased all the expensive curriculums and that is not helping him. I don't know what else to do at this point. Currently I am trying to find him some help but unfortunately my area is limited on tutors that specialize in any learning disabilities on top of how unbelievably expensive it is. This is my only option I feel is getting him some help. Any other suggestions? What could it possibly be that is wrong with him? Why is this a battle? Why is it we can just go over a letter so many times and then turn the page and he forgot the letter just like that. Am I failing my child? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirstenhill Posted April 23, 2021 Share Posted April 23, 2021 2 hours ago, JessicaPoffmomof3 said: My son is currently going on 8 soon. He still does not know his alphabet. He can not recognize the letters, he can't sing the song well, he doesn't know the proper order, nor can he write them at all. This is something we have worked with him on since he was 5. ...... Any other suggestions? What could it possibly be that is wrong with him? Why is this a battle? Why is it we can just go over a letter so many times and then turn the page and he forgot the letter just like that. Am I failing my child? It could definitely be dyslexia. See the "what are the signs of dyslexia" in the middle of this page: https://dyslexiaida.org/dyslexia-basics-2/ There could also be other factors going on related to dysgraphia, working memory, etc. There could be developmental vision things going on. I think to really know what is going on, you'll need to get evaluations done. Even hiring a tutor could be an expensive waste of time if you aren't getting to the bottom of the root causes. This page has a location based list of providers, which can be a good place to start looking. It might also be possible to get a fully online evaluation in these pandemic times! Assuming you are in the USA, you can get an evaluation done through your school district (I'm sure others can chime in about that -- I haven't gone that route), though sometimes people find that to be a mixed bag when it comes to dyslexia. As far as what to do right now? I personally wouldn't worry right now about the alphabet song, sequencing the alphabet, etc. A kid can learn to read and not be able to sing the song or put the alphabet in order (I think my dyslexic kid still can't despite making tons of reading progress, because we've never specifically worked on either -- just not a priority right now). I think whatever you do for letter recognition, making sure you make it as multi-sensory as possible. So, you aren't just having him look at the letter, you are having him trace a flash card, trace the shape of the letter in the air, a tactile surface, all while saying the name and sound. I'm sure others will have some other good ideas more specifically of things to try/work on. The very early letter recognition when starting from almost ground zero is not as much my strength - My dyslexic child did pretty well with most of the first sounds of single letter phonograms (basic alphabet), and it all fell apart when adding in multi letter phonograms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted April 23, 2021 Share Posted April 23, 2021 5 hours ago, JessicaPoffmomof3 said: He can not recognize the letters, he can't sing the song well, he doesn't know the proper order, nor can he write them at all. Have you had any other indications of language problems? Has he had speech therapy or a hearing eval or any developmental differences? 5 hours ago, JessicaPoffmomof3 said: Any other suggestions? What could it possibly be that is wrong with him? Why is this a battle? These are questions that are best answered with evals honestly. How open are you to them? There are various ways you can make them happen with an 8 yo. I'd like to hear more about his developmental history before being too opinionated, but developmental delays can be one cause of sequencing issues. It may be more than an SLD. 5 hours ago, JessicaPoffmomof3 said: Basically you name it I have tried it. Sounds like it. 5 hours ago, JessicaPoffmomof3 said: Am I failing my child? The only way you fail is if you give up or don't look for the answers. You haven't given up and you're asking for answers. The question is who is going to give them to you and how you fin that person. It's not going to be a tutor. If you share more about his developmental history to this point, we might be able to point you in the right direction. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kanin Posted April 23, 2021 Share Posted April 23, 2021 Is he able to read any words? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
City Mouse Posted April 23, 2021 Share Posted April 23, 2021 At this point an educational evaluation is needed. If cost is a concern, your local public school district is required to do the testing when a parent makes the request (in writing). Many people on the board have had better outcome with private testing, but the public school is an option. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewelma Posted April 23, 2021 Share Posted April 23, 2021 18 hours ago, kirstenhill said: I personally wouldn't worry right now about the alphabet song, sequencing the alphabet, etc. A kid can learn to read and not be able to sing the song or put the alphabet in order (I think my dyslexic kid still can't despite making tons of reading progress, because we've never specifically worked on either -- just not a priority right now). I did not read until I was 12, and I still at age 51 could not tell you what letter was between 2 letters. If I have to look something up in the dictionary, I have to sing the whole song until I get to the letter. Luckily for me, dictionaries are on line now! I would definitely NOT work on the 'order' of the alphabet, nor would I work on the letter NAMES. You need to focus on sounds. If you teach a child both the letter name for H and the letter sound hhhhh, it is two things to remember. Just do the sounds. Refer to the letter with the most common sound. Agreeing with the others, time for an evaluation. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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