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Q:
My child can sound out words, but she has to sound them out
every single time even though she's just read the word. She
has some reversals of b's and d's too. Do you think she might
have dyslexia?
Answer:
What
you describe could very well be a milder case of dyslexia
(as it comes in degrees), but if your daughter CAN sound out
words.. then she will get better at it with copious amounts
of practice. There are also different issues that appear as
dyslexia, but which require treatment of very different natures.
Sometimes problems can be visual (Ocular motor developmental
problems, or Scotopic Sensitivity), or they can be processing
problems (Issues with short-term memory, executive dysfunction,
or dyslexia). Whatever the issue may be, most kids have a
few random reversals here and there, but random problems are
usually outgrown by time the child is 7. Also, problems come
in varying degrees, so some kids may not have big enough problems
to propel parents into action until they encounter more difficult
multi-syllable words on a regular basis (4th grade and above).
To see a writing sample of a child with diagnosed dyslexia
at nearly 7, visit: http://www.learningabledkids.com/Project/projectpages/SampleWriting.html
Many people hold the opinion that you should wait to see if
a child outgrows the problem, but only 15% of children do.
The other 85% end up needing some kind of help and the sooner
help comes, the less time it will take to 'rewire' the problem
area. Thus, I always recommend early exploration for the origin
of the problem, rather than waiting. It doesn't hurt anything
to give extra help early, but lack of help can mean struggling,
lowering of self-esteem, frustration with academics, the development
of phobias over schoolwork, tantrums, etc.
While NOT MEDICAL OR PROFESSIONAL advise, simple things you
can do to see which direction you may want to go in first..
1) Get a "developmental eye exam" --find a physician at http://www.covd.org/
-- the eye exams are among the cheaper options and it is good
to have your child's eyes checked anyway... note: you do not
want JUST a vision check as many children with developmental
ocular motor problems have 20/20 vision, so you do need a
developmental specialist.
2) Vary lighting as you read -- bright light vs. dim light,
white light vs. yellow light-- or Get some colored transparencies
at your local office supply places and try laying them over
the pages as your child reads.. this can help determine if
Scotopic Sensitivity is an issue (see http://www.irlen.com/
)
3) Go through a systematic testing like found at the back
of the book Reading Reflex to find out if your daughter knows
her phonemes automatically or not. If not, you can get something
like The Language Toolkit at epsbooks.com
to work with your daughter on automatic recall of letter/sound
combinations. IF your child doesn't do well with the Reading
Reflex testing, there may be some kind of neurological processing
difficulty such as dyslexia.
Other than these less complicated steps, a complete neuropsychological
or psychoeducational evaluation would be advised if your daughter's
problems exist as she approaches 7.5 to 8 years of age. Another
thing to keep in mind is that children often have multiple
issues if they have a single issue.. so finding one problem
may not be the complete solution. You might want to consider
a complete evaluation if your insurance will cover it just
to be sure you have a good grasp on what kinds of processing
issues are going on. A great place to ask questions about
where to find a good evaluator is the Yahoo group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IEP_guide/
While much of the IEP info does not pertain to homeschoolers,
there are MANY special education advocates on this list from
most states and it is a great place to ask, "Who is a good
evaluator near ?" and to find therapy resources.
Hope the info helps !!
Best Wishes
Sandy
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