any parents have kids with dyslexia? i need advise please help?

Question

my son is 7 he has been in preschool sence he was 3 then went to kindergarden last year and is repeating this year. he has a speech impediment and kind of slow at learning. he doesnt like to read but when he does he tries really hard gets mad and says i cant do it or i cant remember i have been wirking with him so hard and he is trying hard should i get him tested for dyslexia and how do i go about doing it do i talk to his teacher or doctor i dont want to look stupid for bringing it up if he dont have it but dont want to ignore the possibility of him getting started early if he does have it what should i do please help

Answer 1

I'm not a parent, but I am a first grade teacher. I would schedule a conference with his teacher. First grade is when the learning disabilities and such become prevalent and he is the right age. His teacher should be able to inform you of his progress. Does he turn letters and/or numbers around? Does he write words or sentences totally backwards from right to left? You did say he has reading difficulties. These are signs I may look for, however from Pre-K-1st grade students tend to turn letters and numbers around so it's not always a definite sign of dyslexia. If you request services, services must be provided. Your child's school should test him for dyslexia and he should receive speech services as well. You can also have the school committee come together to see if other services should be provided (resource, tutoring, etc.) however; this is a long process because they do not like to label a child too early. If you think he might be dyslexic, try using colored paper to print things on, there are colored transparencies and colored scotch tape you can use to hi light letters and/or words. For some reason color helps cut out some of the confusion. You can also cover parts of the word and ask him to sound it out, then the other part of the word. Then try to have him say the whole word. This leaves less for him to 'turn around.' I hope this helps, good luck.

Answer 2

You need to
1) Talk to his teacher and detail a plan about how to get him help from a Reading Specialist.
2) Make sure the school is doing everything they can to help him and you.
3) If you try everything possible, then you can ask for testing.

Just please know that:
* They usually don't diagnose dyslexia before third grade/age 10.
* Most students aren't learning beacuse they haven't had the proper teaching.

I am a Reading Specialist and a Reading Recovery teacher and I see this every day. Be sure the school is giving your child all the help he needs before you get him tested and give him a long term label. He can be helped. Also, be sure to read to him every day. Nothing will prepare him better for being a reader.

Answer 3

I am having the same problem with my 12 year old brother. He is at a 2nd grade reading level and reads things backwards all the time (I dont know how many times he has tossed out the milk because he thought it said it expired the 13th when in all actuallity it said the 31st!).
How to find help depends on the state you live in. I know in my state (Washington) the school system wont test for Dyslexia until he has been held back twice and his medical wont pay for testing because it is not a "medical problem". I have found a website on Dyslexia and help for parents. I will post it below. I hope it helps!

Answer 4

I just answered your other question too.

Since your son has a speech impediment and appears to be learning disabled, he should have an IEP set up at school. If he doesn't, you need to ask for one ASAP!!! You need to bring these concerns to the teacher immediately so your son can start getting early intervention right away.

You won't be able to get a diagnosis from the school system. Only doctors can give official diagnosis to people. You should seek out a Developmental Pediatrician to have your son's learning disabilities and speech difficulties evaluated. From there, you may be referred to a specialist; like a Child Psychologist or Behavioral Doctor.

Don't feel stupid expressing your concerns or asking questions. You are the ONLY ONE who can advocate for your child. You need to make sure your concerns are heard and taken seriously. You don't have to mention that you 'suspect' dyslexia, you can just say your son has a terrible time with reading and comprehension. I don't like to tell doctors what I'm 'suspecting' b/c I don't like planting ideas in their heads. I don't want them to look over something and miss it b/c they already have their minds 'made up' about what I think. It's better not to mention that part of it, in my opinion.

If you need to speak with parents who are familiar with advocating for their children, and who have children with disabilities and special needs, try visiting: www.specialparent.org It's an on-line support group for parents to give and receive emotional support to each other while dealing with their chidren's special needs. There's tons of information there too.

I hope you are able to get help for your son. I wish you the best of luck.

Answer 5

If you have medical insurance, take your son to a child psychologist. A child has toys, puzzles, and tests and he observes your child while completing these tests. He is able to detect if there are right brain/left brain signal mix-ups, and the psychologist can tell you whether your child has trouble with certain functions of the thinking, reading, or auditory process. DO NOT WAIT AND RELY ON THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM TO TELL YOU THIS!! They most likely will not tell you soon enough, and they do not offer one on one interaction. They have so many students to deal with, and this increases the possibility of you getting a WRONG diagnosis. They are not behavioral experts, they are teachers. If I were you I would take the proactive appraoch and take your son to a specialist to get the answers that you need! Good luck!

Answer 6

From one Mom to another, any question you might bring to the attention of his teacher will not make you look stupid, it will make you look like a Mom that loves her kid and wants to help him do the very best that he can.

There are special reading and math programs for kids with dyslexia, I am dyslexic and so is my daughter. I finished college, though it was really hard work. I am so glad that my Mom asked the "stupid" questions of my teachers and got me the help I needed! So go for it and do what ever it takes to help your little guy.

Answer 7

Yes, get him tested right away, also with dyslexia theres something called "Scotopitc Senstivity syndroem, look for a book called "Reading by the colors:, by Helen Irland. Teachers will tell you this dsont exist, but I prooved them worng, when i read the book, from page 1 it hit hte nail on the head with my son, everything in that book discribed my son to a "t". he now has specil filters from the IRLAND institute in Long Beach Calafornia (the filters HAS to be from there, any others can & WILL cause seizures!), anyways, on top of dyslexia he has scotopitc sensitivty syndrome, & it plays so much havic on my son its not funny.

My son also has to have every bit of his school work printed on purple paper becuase he cant handle the black print on white paper.

However you can get it done, have him tested, also dont let the damn teachers tell you color filters dont work, it does WORK, my sons grades went from a D to a A because of those filters, so I prooved the teachers to not knowing everything, just becuase they went ot college, dosnt mean they know how to teach a child. That paper dont man crap to me, they dont live iwth our children 24/7 365 days a year, the parents do!

I hope this helps you out. My heart & prayers goes out to you, becuase we went through that & its hard, to not know how to help them. You see them suffering, & your at aloss as to how to help your child.

Answer 8

In my own personal experience, I've worked at a community agency where we were able to recognize young females who needed anger management and got them the appropriate counselling. You, as many men here, misappropriatly attribute gender bias to feminists. It's the men and traditional women who have a hard time believing that girls can be angry, bullies and violent. It takes people with experience in the real world (feminists) who can look at these girls and see who they really are and not the stereotypes that society has assigned them. We are the ones who can help these girls get the help they need.

Answer 9

Do you know that people with Dyslexia have above average intelligence? There is nothing wrong with seeing things in a different perspective. Just make sure you help him with his reading. IT may also creep up with inverting numbers. Nicely draw his attention to it being inverted and ask him ot fix it. eventually he will learn to double check himself for invertion mistakes.

Answer 10

you would not be stupid getting him checked out for the dyslexia it will also affect his reading skills.talk with his counselor and she can lead you places in your town that specialize in this area. they can work up a plan and get him straighten out my oldest sonwas dyleskic it was caught about the same time and yes he was very frustrated i know what you are going thru its definitly better at this age to get him evaluated before he gets older and more frustrated. hang in there you are doing the right thing.