could my 4 year old be dyslexic or just need more time?

[lulubelle]

My 4 year old son is having a tough time learning his letters (sound and by site). He just doesn't seem to be able to retain the information. I'm not sure if he just needs more time and repetition or he has a real problem.

 

It did take him extra time to recognize colors and patterns and even with those he hesitates a bit before he answers. He just doesn't seem to be able to recall information too quickly.

 

We have been working on the letter S for a few days and sometimes he remembers the sound it makes and sometimes he doesn't. He has a hard time coming up with a word that begins with the same sound and tends to rhyme the word instead. He just seems so clueless.

 

I read to him a ton, so I would have thought the sounds would have been easier for him - but it is not the case.

 

He started to go to preschool this school year for 2 days a week and the teacher has already told me he will not be prepared for kindergarten, yet did not tell me anything to help him. We plan to homeschool him anyway.

 

He is very good socially and understands the meaning of stories very well, better than is big brother. His gross motor skills are excellent, but his fine motor skills stink.

 

Any advise would be appreciated, thanks.

[Ria]

Are you teaching him the names of the letters, as well as their sound? That can be very confusing - for example, an F says "ffff", not F. Trying to teach a child that the written symbol "F" is called one thing and sounds like another thing can be very, very confusing.

 

We used Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons; one thing I really liked about that book was that it didn't teach kids the names of letters in the beginning, just the sounds. You might try this approach with your son. Show him an S and just say "ssssss". The names of the letters are not important when learning to read.

 

Hope this makes sense! At any rate, he sounds like a normal 4-yr old to me. I wouldn't worry one bit, and I'd certainly not let him get stressed over this. Make it a game, and take is very slowly.

 

ETA: I wouldn't ask him to name words that begin with certain sounds yet, either, until he understands the sounds each letter makes. Only then would I move on. By that time he'll understand that the sounds mean something.

 

Ria

Edited January 25, 2009 by Ria

[Melinda in VT]

I think four is too early to worry. (And, fwiw, I'm usually a fan of early intervention.)

 

I used the book Ria mentioned with my twins when they were 4-5. Periodically, we'd reach a period where for one or the other things just weren't clicking and that twin needed to back up and repeat some lessons. I don't think it's uncommon for kids to remember one day and not the next.

 

And the good thing about homeschooling is that you can continue to work at his level without worry about keeping up with anyone else. Keep reading to him. Keep his reading lessons short and cheerful but consistent.

 

He's still very young.

[LizzyBee]

Here is a website that lists symptoms of dyslexia in preschoolers: http://www.dys-add.com/symptoms.html#preschool

 

I was pretty sure my youngest was dyslexic when she was only 4, but she had a boatload of symptoms: severe speech delay w/ 3 years of speech therapy, no phonemic awareness, confusion with concept words, dyslexia within the extended family, and more. When she was 4, I took a wait and see attitude. At 5, we did preschool curriculum because she wasn't ready to learn to read. At age 6, we started phonics, but at the end of 1st grade, I realized she'd made very little progress. We began the testing process at that point, just after she'd turned 7. We started with an audiologist to test for auditory processing disorder, because auditory processing problems are the underlying cause of 70-80% of dyslexia. She couldn't pass any part of the APD testing. At that point, I made an appointment for comprehensive testing with an educational psychologist. While we waited, she had an updated speech evaluation and an occupational therapy evaluation. Now that all the testing is over, we have a plan in place and we're moving forward. (I just re-read this and had to chuckle because it doesn't FEEL like we're moving forward. We're still working on PRE-phonics skills.)

 

The above link might assure you that your ds is just young and needs more time. But if your son displays several symptoms and you suspect he might have dyslexia, I suggest you educate yourself about dyslexia while doing fun preschool activities with him until he's a little older. The website I linked above has hours of video that you can watch for free, along with tons of information about curriculum, testing, etc. There are 2 very good yahoo groups that you can find by doing a search: Heart of Reading and Homeschooling Dyslexic Kids.

Edited January 26, 2009 by LizzyBee

[akmommy]

I agree with Ria about not trying to teach both name and sound at the same time it can be confusing.

If he already knows the letters by name then I would reccamend Leap Frog's Letter Factory DVD. I resisted purchasing it when I first saw it recamended on this board but when DS couldn't remember the sounds from one day to the next I finally gave in. After watching it once a day for a week and a half he knew all 26 basic sounds (consonants and short vowels) backwards and forwards.

Also he is still very young and just may need more time. I firmly believe that developmental readiness plays as much a part in learning as teaching does and kids develop each at their own pace. It may just be that his little brain isn't ready yet.

Take it slow, play games, and have fun. If he's getting stressed take a break from it and try again in a month or so.

[katilac]

there are specific signs or red flags for preschoolers, including difficulty remembering signs/sounds, telling left from right, and certain speech issues.

 

you can see a list here:

 

http://www.dys-add.com/symptoms.html#preschool

[EKS]

If you are concerned about dyslexia, I would recommend the book Overcoming Dyslexia by Sally Shaywitz. It has lists of symptoms for even very young children.

[SonshineLearner]

Was it on this board that I heard that you shouldn't try to teach children to read until they can do things like sing skip counting songs and such. After all, reading is memorizing sounds and be able to blend a few letters and remember them as you go...so that after you say...." s..u...n" you know that the word is "sun"

My son is GREAT at skip counting, has known all of his phonograms for about a year...(which he does while jumping on the couch or floor) and is just now...at 5 1/2 starting to sound out little words. In fact, he could sound out words that he wanted to sound out before I tried to get him to read. (Like, hey mom....mom is spelled "mmm ooo mmm" so it's "Mom."

So, unless you really think that there's a problem, I'd be thinking it's his age.

I really think that the little fridge leap pad game with letters.... is actually pretty accurate with the sounds. You might try one of these and see if he can catch on to the sounds. Four is really young to worry.

Carrie:-)

[SonshineLearner]

Ohh...and for fine motor skills...do you have him doing things like legos? I really think that all of the "connecting toys" that boys play with are great. Also, if he's active, let him hop up and down while you're trying to teach him. For my son, he wouldn't know anything if he wasn't allowed to move while learning.

Carrie:-)

[runamuk]

I, personally, wouldn't worry too much. My son is 4 (will be 5 in April) and seemed to struggle with his letters. Only recently did things start to click with him and now he's picking them up so fast. Our new struggle is with numbers; he seems to be having a hard time grasping any numbers above 10 when we're working in a workbook or doing dot-to-dots. But he can count to twenty easily and recognize individual numbers up to 20 if I'm not quizzing him.

 

What I've seen in my older children is that they tend to learn in spurts. With Mac, I spent months reading to him, showing him the letters, making the sounds - nothing. Right before Christmas, he started picking out letters on the presents. Now, he's flying through the Get Ready/Set/Go for the Code books. It happened the same way with our oldest. She'd struggle for the longest time and then it was like a light going off in her head.

 

It may be his age and it just may be the way he learns. Maybe introduce the letters in a different way - our oldest used to write them in rice or make them out of playdough. Mac will walk them out on the floor or line up his cars to make the letters. You'll find what works for him if you keep in mind each child learns in a different way and what will come easy for one child may not come so easy for the next. :)