Teaching a child to read. My daughter can't seem to either hear or see the difference between "d" and "b".

Question

Any advice? Is this normal?

Thank you to all who have responded.

She has no problem pronouncing d and b. She doesn't mix them up when speaking.

She has no problem recognising p. Her name begins with P!

Answer 1

It is absolutely normal for children to have trouble with these letters. These letters are particularly difficult, and add "p" and "q" to the list. One trick is to use the word 'bed' as a key. write the word, draw pictures of people lying on the bed with their head on the b and feet on d. Have her make her body into a b and than into a d.
Often teaching only one of those letters, and ignoring the other until the b is solidly in her brain, can help. Many people teach different looking letters together,so you teach b, m, s, t, first as they look different from each other and sound different from each other. Later introduce similar letters, like b and d, or m and n. Only teach the n when the m is solidly mastered.
She will get it, just skip it and go back when you think she is ready.

Answer 2

Thought I would chime in here. I teach at a school for dyslexic kids and there is way more to it than just reversing letters and being unable to distinguish between "b" and "d".

I don't know how old your girl is, but this could be perfectly normal or could be the sign of more issues to come. There are many other signs that would point you in the direction of dyslexia: does she have difficulty with rhyming words?, does she often substitute words when reading (house for home, or pony for horse), does she have a difficult time remembering details in a story she has heard?.

They are many resources on the web to help you determine if you should look into testing. One of the best is Schwab Learning or www.schwablearning.org.

I wouldn't panic, but I would definitely look into other signs of a learning disability. Don't wait too long to have her tested if needed, it is more difficult to help dyslexic kids as they get older. The older they get the more they dig in their heels and frankly develop bad habits.

Good luck to you! Don't forget that your daughter has some amazing talents that will shine even if she struggles with reading.

Answer 3

Can she speak them correctly or does she interchange them. If she can't see them -- that is very normal for new, young readers (I wouldn't worry about dyslexia at this point) -- but you can help her to hear them by pronouncing them clearly and showing her how your mouth moves -- When you make the sounds, don't add the "uh" vowel to the end of the consonant -- say it with the :
/b/ only not (buh) -- put your lips together and show her how her mouth is shaped with the lips together and her voice (no voice would make a /p/ sound). Then -- show her where her tongue is the for /d/ sound. It touches just behind the front teeth and again is voiced (this movement with no voice makes a /t/ sound).

Emphasize the difference that way -- it should help her hear it. How old is she? Many K and 1st graders mix up the b and d for a long time in their reading and writing. But, you should help her be able to hear the difference so that she knows that they both exist -- then she can use different sounding out and guessing techniques as she is reading and teach herself to self-correct.

Answer 4

You didn't say how old your daughter is, but this is normal.
It does not sound like dyslexia at all!
If it was dyslexia she would be mixing up the sounds or thinking d was b or vice versa.

It actually just sounds like a speech problem. I would talk to your child's school counselor and see if they have a speech therapist. If not I'm sure they know of a place where you could find one. If you are worried about it, send your daughter to a speech therapist once or twice a week, and I bet she will do better pronouncing d's and b's.

Answer 5

It's extremely common in Kindy and Year 1 students. I can't believe all these people are jumping on the dyslexia bandwagon without finding out how old your child is first. That's the problem with modern education - everyone is too quick to label students.

To teach the difference: tell her to think of the word bed. The reason you use this word is because it looks like a bed, with the b as the headboard and the d as the footboard. If it were deb, you couldn't sleep on it.

Answer 6

Not being able to see the difference between the letters sounds like dyslexia.
I'm dyslexic and had exactly the same problem with "d" and "b", so it's worth getting her tested for it, to help recognise any further difficulties she may experience in the future
Not sure what it means for her not being able to hear the difference though.

Best of luck with the reading.

Answer 7

I work with 5 yr olds, many of them can't recognize the difference! It's completely normal. She must practice writing them over and over... Try to find videos that she can watch that teach the alphabet through song. I have noticed that when our students are writing, they hum the catchy tunes to remind themselves of order, and sound. It's very helpful. Also we give each letter its own identity. This may sound weird but the kids make up stories and it helps... A is Annie. She grows Apples for a living. She lives in Alabama. The students, draw her house, etc. Sounds crazy but it works! Dont' get frustrated, she will get it very soon.

Answer 8

If your goal is to teach your son or daughter becomes fluent in reading both capital and lowercase letters. Then you will be needing the program, Children Learning Reading from here https://tr.im/DrvNN .
Children Learning Reading shows your son or daughter phonemes so they've really a solid base in the skills which will let them to go on to become a prolific reader. With Children Learning Reading will also targets building on the skills trained to allow your youngster to take their reading skills to another level.
With Children Learning Reading is easy to teach your youngster just how to read.

Answer 9

To early for a diagnosis because she is just starting to learn how to learn. d and b is confusing when you're just starting out. Try study lessons using only one of the letters for a week. The following week use the other. Ask her if she can now see the difference. If not go back and do it again. More then likely the following weeks lesson, she'll be able to see the difference.

Answer 10

I'm no expert in teaching or dyslexia but I remember when we were taught to read, our teacher used to tell us a story with the sound of the alphabet letter incorporated into it. Each letter had it's own story. Some of them have stuck with me ever since - 37 years approx. Is it worth a try, do you think?