Dyslexia

[Boots]

Ah - you both responded while I was responding!

Don't you just love this....

She wasn't worried when he was in P2 but in P3 this should have sorted itself out, and hasn't

Maybe if she didn't leave it to sort itself out, it wouldn't be a problem now????...

Reversals are learned and become more and more difficult to replace the longer they are stored. It annoys the heck out of me when early level teachers permit this to just go on...

Ditch the pen/pencil for a bit PD, and use as many different writing mediums as you can... chalk, sand, paint, fog on a window, whatever you find as often as you can.
d is for donut.... starts with the donut (circle)
b is for bat and ball... draw the bat first, then the ball.
p starts with the post...
q starts with the queens crown.

If you tackle these one at a time and draw these big at the first intro and get a bit arty with them... turn them into donuts, the bat, the post and a proper posh crown, the visual imprint will help create a new memory code, and they will be able to self correct. You want them self correcting before the letter is formed though, so talk them through it.

When ever you notice a reversal, say something like "Oh that's how you used to do them, remember that a d starts with the donut. Jingles are good too. You want to attach as much to this memory as possible, so talk or sing and make it memorable.

Always verbalise as you write and encourage the kid to do this too, because we always think before we act (despite being told we don't) so it is the thoughts you want to replace to see positive action.

Point them out in different fonts on signs etc - always attaching the memory link - "Oh look the donut starts a d"

10 minute sessions max. As often as you like. Bathtimes were particularly good for my daughter, as she quite enjoyed playing with words in the bath and writing on the shower screen.

Gotta fly, but will check in again tomorrow. All the best.

[goldy1]

You can't just buy the correct glasses of the shelf they have to be a spacific mix of colours for each individual. Both my younger sisters were diagnosed when they were still at school now both in thier 30's. I unfortunatly missed being diagnosed because I'm 6 years older and then it was just said I was lazy. They each have children that are also Dyslexic and they now have the glasses one has pink and the other green these have helped tramendasly.
Each individual is difrent and the treatment has to be specific to them. ther are many forms of dyslexia word and number (Toyah has this.) In each form many diffrent levels.

If the teachers are woried get them to have your child tested. If you try you will have to pay for the test.
I hope you get some where with this soon as it took me years to get my son assesd. Just keep on top of it and don't let the school rest.

[baldowrie]

Maybe if she didn't leave it to sort itself out, it wouldn't be a problem now????...

here, here!

If the teachers are woried get them to have your child tested.

Yep, call in the school doctor. It is your right to do so. Don't wait for the school or you will wait for ever! The school doctor will get things rolling and if the diagnoses is dyslexia get things sorted (and also your safety net for when the system enviably lets you down time and time again).

[red]

the school will be reluctant to spend money where they dont have to ... we were told my son could be 'treated as a child with dyslexia' they did nto need to go through the testing procedure.... ahem.. yes well.. we home ed now anyway so I'm biased..

it might well be worth A pushing for something to be done now! and B consider getting a private assessment. if you do this, make sure the private dude has some quals and the results will be recognised by the school system.
Don't expect a magic cure of cours - but its wrth getting a diagnosis, cos this will lead to allowances etc during exams

[Pilsbury]

in what way?

There is some suspicion in my son's school that he may be dyslexic. He is 7. He is mixing up his b,d,p,q, letters which apparently is a marker, along with writing some letters backwards. She wasn't worried when he was in P2 but in P3 this should have sorted itself out, and hasn't

Just a thought and you dont mention it in the thread but is he left handed? It might be obviouse but i reversed the same letters in school cos if you try to follow a right handed teacher with your left hand it is easy to reverse them, dont want to belittle the subject but thought i would mention it.

[bwaymark]

If the child is otherwise doing okay, I'll leave it, keep in mind what the teacher says, and don't rush into anything. If the child is dyslexic more things will make themselves apparent. Generally, a learning disabled child will show some real remarkable intelligence some areas then seem either lazy or unable to complete other things (its the intelligence in other areas that often lead people to conclude the child is just being lazy). Other signs include seemly contradictory things like being a really good at drawing but crap at spelling, or remembering things for ever but not being able to remember things easily.

I really think you have to be careful with the labels, because often people just show 'blips' and if parents over-react they get a label that is hard to shed and can be an excuse to get out of things.

I found the constant testing and diagnoses was a really miserable part of being learning disabled, as was being in the 'special' classes. Often people without server learning disabilities can find ways of coping that doesn't involve special classes and being 'different'.

[Stonehead]

Just a thought and you dont mention it in the thread but is he left handed? It might be obviouse but i reversed the same letters in school cos if you try to follow a right handed teacher with your left hand it is easy to reverse them, dont want to belittle the subject but thought i would mention it.

I was about to mention the same thing. Both our boys write and draw with either hand (and eat, use tools etc), but reverse the letters when drawing and writing left handed. The oldest also mixes up certain letters and numbers

The Big Lad's teacher had started on about dyslexia, but when I asked if she'd noticed that he reversed the letters or used the "wrong" ones depending on which hand he used, she went very silent. She'd never noticed that he writes with either hand!

I was the same when I was a child but had it rapped out of me - the old ruler smacked across the knuckles of my left hand approach.

I don't know enough about the subject to comment any further, but PD, if you have any problems Baldowrie has a lot of experience in how to deal with difficult Scottish schools and still retains a sense of humour... most of the time!

[PurpleDragon]

Thanks everyone for this wealth of information and advice. :)

The first thing I must jump in and say is that his teacher is the best. She is really great, and I have no doubts that she will do everything she can to make sure he gets every assistance he needs. If he needs any of course! LOL He is lucky that he is in a small class in a village school that has 70 families, all with several children, so everyone knows everyone else. If he was in his old school, they probably would be having trouble putting a face to a name.

Baldowrie, we are fully prepared to do any pushing we need to do. I am not afraid to get firm with the medical profession (having had 'discussions' with them regarding immunisations and home birth, for example) and I will fight to the death for my kids to be looked after properly when I am unable to off the looking after myself.

Boots, these are really good exercises and I shall start them with him tomorrow. I have to say - she didn't really leave things to sort themselves out. She has been working on this, and mentioned it to me before, but never in the context of it being a 'problem'. I just thought it was something kids did. I didn't know it was potentially a 'marker' for anything. She is really on the ball with the kids, and a gifted teacher IMO. She stands up and fights for the kids as well, and can get quite shirty with those in command if she thinks 'her kids' are getting short shrift.

Goldy1 - after last nights conversation, she and I have agreed to work together to try and identify if this is a problem, or if he just didn't 'get it' when he was being taught. Hopefully, this is the case, and he has the incorrect imprint like Boots mentioned. If this is still happening after Xmas, then she "will take it further" which implied to me that she will get the tests done.

Red, I certainly won't let my child be 'treated like a child with dyslexia'! I think that is a disgraceful thing to say to you! The cheek to think they can self diagnose like that. I don't blame you for home-edding now.

No, Pilsbury, he isn't left handed. He does do a couple of things left handed, but not easily. Not as easily as right handed, but the things he tries to do left handed he finds almost impossible right handed. I can't eat right handed, and use my knife and fork back to front. I can't tie laces properly. I think he has inherited some of this from me. It is certainly a valid point, thank you :)

bwaymark, this is what we are doing now - waiting till after Xmas and helping him try to 'get it' in between times. He really is amazing at science and he approaches problems and puzzles from a different tangent than expected. Also, he is consdiered lazy in some areas as well. Actually, he is lazy in some areas LOL and some things we both know he could do better in if he applied himself. Some things just arent important to him. I am really not happy about him being 'labelled' but I want him to receive the best education he can and so I will have him tested if that is what it takes. When he was in nursery, a health visitor asked if I had him tested for ADHD. She felt he was showing markers but his nursery teachers felt she was talking out of her arse. I agreed and gave him more to do to burn up his excessive energy - harder to do now he has two sisters to take into account

Stonehead, the ruler has a lot to asnwer for! They used to tie the left hand behind the back as well. The devil's handwriting! Bonkers.

[Milims]

I'm by no means and expert, but my Dad is dyslexic, so was his aunt and so is a very good friend of mine. All three of these people have or in the case of Great Aunty Janet - had, the most amazing capacity for learning and understanding - just in a different way from the "boxed in" thinking that our schools have. They also all, and so have numerous others I have met who are dyslexic, have the most amazingly beautiful eyes!!!
Dyslexia isn't to me a disability, its simply a different way of interpreting the symbols -and who's to say they are right anyway! We have so much more to give than symbols - they are only a convenient and readily understood way of communicating - but then we understand the english alphabet and numerical system - but how many of us can read chinese??!!
Our children are so much more than a bunch of grades that schools strive for in order to gain recognition. Vive la differance!!
That said, we all want the best for our childern and that usually means fitting in with the "accepted norm" (spit! curse!)
I'm too close to 40 for comfort and I still mix up b and d, p and q (arse and elbow!) and have to put the knives and forks in the "eating hands" when I set the table - but its not life threatening! I feel strongly that what is needed is not a lable saying "DYSLEXIC" but support and understanding of what is simply a different way of interpreting the world.
Helen and Chris
PS Aunty Janet - great old bird!! Once, at the age of 80 asked my Dad to drive her to the town hall as they were doing the Over 60s lunches He asked her if she got a good luch there - her reply - "get a good lunch, boy??!! I serve them to the old people!!

[zombiecazz]

Advice. If he is dyslexic get the ball rolling on extra help ASAP. I think the worst thing with my DS's problems were/are that his self esteme was bashed as his spelling and hand writing is very poor.
I hate labels, but labels get you help and labels can also help kids understand that they are not stupid or lazy, but different and unique.

[baldowrie]

PD my sons teacher in his last school was brilliant, doing most of what was needed herself, it was the head teacher who put the blockers on extra help etc He was also assaulted by a teacher there because of his habit of taking things literally and repeating things, thought he was being cheeky and grabbed him....but that's a whole other story.

There is limited funds available for extra assistance, should it be need, and despite the best efforts from his teacher you as the parent will inevitably wind up pushing hard for the education department to do their duty!

Also you could ask about the 'Speed Up' writing course. It will cost the school around £20 and if they will do it will help a lot.

Another thing that may help if he has bad sitting posture is a writing slope.... http://www.boogaloo.co.uk
Can't get the whole link to work so search for writing

This was recommended by the OT for my son and the school had refused to entertain it. So I bought one that he takes every morning, and low and behold it works so well the school want him to leave it behind...no chance unless you pay me!

There are many writing aids if he has problems holding the pencil, but get him assessed before venturing into any aids

Stonehead

if you have any problems Baldowrie has a lot of experience in how to deal with difficult Scottish schools and still retains a sense of humour... most of the time!

don't go there!

[Andy Hamilton]

Me and DAve are both diagnosed as dislexic at university. Strange really we both were very high achievers up to the age of 13 then it all went down hill. Was not until uni that we found out. There were some obvious signs like not being able to do our shoe laces up until we were 6 or 7 and I used to always spell my name anderw.

Since being diagnosed my uni grades went from quite high to lower there was ceratinly a self esteem issue with it.

[PurpleDragon]

Milims, since I had this brought to my attention, I am astonished at the amount of folk who are, or who know someone, who is dyslexic. I absolutely agree - I don't want him labelled or boxed but unfortunately the school system has such a high throughput of children that they can't really teach the kids as individuals completely. Also, a lot of the testing that that do has to be standardised, and unless they have a 'label' allowances won't be made for him in the future for things he finds impossible because of a 'condition' rather than just not being able to achieve. Which is what you said, but i was trying to agree LOL

Incidentally, Mum stays in sheltered accommodation and often goes to visit the the 'old ladies' in the lounge

Cazz - The more I think about it, the less I think there is a massive problem. This might just be me being blinkered. I was an hour on the phone to a friend of mine whose son is ages with mine, and we have known them since the boys were in utero. Her story is much the same as mine and I just wonder if he's just a wee bit late.

Baldowrie - that is disgraceful that the teacher assaulted your boy. I hope you took it further! I think the final onus is on the parent anyway, because I have just three children to deal with whereas the school has a couple of hundred (or whatever). He is my son, and I wave this under their noses when they try and adjust my parenting, so I kinda have to have it back in this instance to. The buck stops with me. What is the Speed Up writing course? I would love more information if you have it. How does the writing slope help? I had a look at it, but can't see how it would help. Sorry.

Andy - that is interesting. The boy has only just started tying his own laces, (age 7) and still often has problems getting them to stay tied. (He hasn't tied them properly is what I mean). Now me - I still can't tie them properly either and have a slightly different way of tying them.

[baldowrie]

A writing slope correct position, prevents slumping. It allows the child to sit up straight and 'see' what they are writing. Usually a child with writing problem will slump forward covering their work, they can't do this with the slope.

The speed up writing will teach techniques on writing.

Labels are necessary to get the resource you need, many head teachers will say we don't like lables..read between the line, we don't like problems being highlighted and using our fund. It also looks bad on the league tables!

I have actually been asked 3 times now by the head to dismiss my sons medical intervention so she can sweep everything under the carpet and forget about him....the results are I make phone call and she gets told to address his situation!

My son will not be able to attend secondary education, and I am going have another fight on my hands to prevent him being pushed through...he wouldn't cope with secondary education, he would be bullied far too much! So I have started the ball rolling 2 years before he is due to go as we may just catch thing in time as the process is very slow

[PurpleDragon]

He does do that - cover his work. Interesting.

I have searched for Speed Up online and I can get a book on it. I shall be along to the library to get this ordered - thanks :)

I think your Headteacher needs a kick up the backside! What a cheek! What will you do - homeschool when 2nd-ary comes along? Are there other options?