Dyslexia or Just Kind of Confused? kind of long, sorry

I'm going to throw this out there and see what you guys think bc I've been considering getting a professional evaluation but the teacher thinks I'm jumping the gun.

DS is in K. He has known his letters and their sounds for 2 years or so. He isn't a great "writer" but up until the last couple months he never made many mistakes with things being backwards etc. His reading is just on level. He can sound out words like batman or monster but he'd get stumped by something less phonetic like theirs or even wife (he'd probably say wiff-eh) bc he has trouble veering from a letter's most common sound. He excels at math and puzzle type work. His grades are great- even with writing/reading tests he scores very high bc once we go over the words a few times he memorizes them well even if he's not really getting reading down pat like I'd hoped.

A couple months ago he started mixing up b and d. Then it got worse and he mixed up other ones too like q and g or put the little hanging loop on the wrong side of y. But I also noticed that the way he was forming the characters was wrong. I actually think it sort of always has been, but I thought that was normal and it would pass as he realized the best ways to form letters and numbers. He doesn't start on the left side of the letter/number and use the right amount of steps to complete the letter. For example, if he was writing the number 4, we would make like a little L and then the line on the right. He would make the line and THEN the little L. I noticed that he is doing a lot starting on the right. Or too many odd steps to form a letter, like to make a little e he will make a c and then turn it into an e or do s in two parts instead of fluidly.

Last night he was writing numbers wrong. 41 instead of 14 etc. He never made these mistakes before so it's perplexing me. I feel like it could be all related to just not getting a grip on how everything starts on the left, but then I keep wondering if it's dyslexia. Does dyslexia come on like this, or would signs have been present already? I didn't think it could be where a kid all of a sudden starts doing things backwards. He was writing everything correctly for the last two years, and then suddenly?

Any thoughts are appreciated. Not sure what I should do. Maybe go over each letter and number individually?

Re: Dyslexia or Just Kind of Confused? kind of long, sorry

Totally normal.
Go over the correct way to write.
Reading words like "their" is memorization of sight words.
Both my kids had trouble with "b" vs "d" & writing numbers (like 13) backwards. Practice got rid of it.
My older one is fluently reading... So I'm pretty sure not dyslexic.

Re: Dyslexia or Just Kind of Confused? kind of long, sorry

DD does the same thing.
She has gotten better since pre K but even now, in K, she will write a number or letter backward on occassion and mix up b and d sometimes.
The teacher assured me it's normal and to just say- what's wrong with that letter? So she can correct it herself

Re: Dyslexia or Just Kind of Confused? kind of long, sorry

Take a look at this article that I found on Babycenter when I was concerned. It explains why they do it- because children at this age don't have spacial consistency.



Is it normal that my kindergartner reverses letters when he writes?



Yes. Reversing letters is entirely normal for kindergartners and is nothing to worry about, says David Funk, an educational consultant and author of Love and Logic Solutions for Kids With Special Needs.

"Children at this age don't have spatial consistency," Funk explains. In other words, they don't understand that if you change a letter's direction, it can become an entirely different letter (or not a letter at all). And who can blame them? After all, a cup is still a cup if you turn it upside down, and a book is still a book if you flip it. In your child's eyes, a d should still be a d, whether it faces forward, backward, up, or down.

It can be hard to avoid worrying about this, especially when your 5-year-old neighbor comes over for a playdate and writes out the entire alphabet with ease. But remember that when it comes to writing skills among kids this age, "normal" has a wide range.

Of course, if you're concerned that your child is behind, it never hurts to talk to his teacher. "But at this age, we're more concerned with oral language deficits than reading or writing," says Funk.

In fact, your child may continue to reverse letters for a while. (By the time he enters the third grade, however, he should be writing his letters correctly, Funk says.)

It's fine to help your child practice as long as you don't make him feel as if he's competing with other kids or push him beyond his level. In other words, don't get caught up in the trap of thinking that excellent writing skills now "will result in your child being a Harvard graduate," says Funk.

And when you do practice with your child, make it fun. Practicing letters can be a game for the two of you to play together on a rainy afternoon or when a playdate gets canceled.

But if you turn it into a drill or chore, your child may wind up feeling pressured. Not only could this make him run for the hills when he sees you coming with your thick pencils and sheaf of paper, but it could take the fun out of learning how to write. And learning to write really can be a blast — especially if your child knows that he can go at his own pace.

Message edited 3/1/2016 9:31:57 AM.

Re: Dyslexia or Just Kind of Confused? kind of long, sorry

My son has dyslexia. If you think something is off, get him tested. The earlier the intervention the better. For my son, he has always been incredibly verbal. One way to look to see if something is off at home is to ask him to sound out nonsense sounds and made up words. For my son, he has a Mensa level IQ. His comprehension is years above where he is in school, but when they asked him to read nonsense words, or sound words out he can't do that. For him, he memorizes every word. We went through Latin roots, suffix and prefix blends. He is in an Orton Gillingham program which has made an enormous difference for him. We are in NJ, but if your son ends up having dyslexia, I would suggest moving to a district that has an Orton Gillingham program because long term it is the most successful program to help people with dyslexia. The issue is, it is insanely expensive and kids need intensive therapy in the program of twenty hours a week, which is done in school. Privately, it runs about 250 per hour for twenty hours a week.

There is also dyscalcula, which is similar to dyslexia, but for numbers. There is also dysgraphia too. I would get him tested. If I knew then what I know now, I would trust my gut. Feel free to. PM.