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Help with identifying a reading disorder in my kindergartner
amandaellason February 26, 2012
My son is in Kindergarten. He hasn't been "diagnosed" with a reading disorder but I can see he is struggling. His teacher says we jst need to keep working with him but I don't want to wait to long and it turn out to really be a problem. Does anyone have any advice abt how I could test him myself or jst any advice at all abt identifying if he needs some extra help. Thanks
Amanda
amandaellason@yahoo.com
**All advice or comments are welcome.
itsamerryworld March 6, 2012
You have been given some great advice and resources here. I am the mom of a now 7th grade girl who has had reading struggles since she was very young. There is no magic bullet or "fix" but you must be very diligent throughout his school years, in getting the right assessment and targeted tutoring from a reading specialist. Read all you can on the topic once he is diagnosed. Always support and encourage your son, as he may have days where he dislikes school and will feel insecure or even bullied. I don't allow pity, but reward hard work. I do talk to teachers a couple of weeks into the school year to let them know what we are doing outside of class to encourage reading. We still read to her at age 13. To feel more independent, we find she does well with audiobooks. We require that she reads along, allowing her to see and hear the words pronounced. She also needs a ruler or bookmark to stay on the line. Our school library has "PlayAways", which are audiobooks on a digital gadget. Also, take time to find books he really enjoys. If my daughter just can't get into a book, I allow her to drop it and try another. Good Luck to you both.77033
Kyliah323 March 5, 2012
Boys do take longer to "be ready" for school than girls. That said-DON'T let them make you wait. My son was struggling in K and guessed at words. His handwriting was poor. He was smart and very verbal. No one thought there was a problem. I was told he will "catch up". He will "enjoy" reading when he finds something he likes. Yada, Yada! They wouldn't test him until 2nd grade. Well, by then it was too late already. (Btw, how are your child's fine motor skills? Is he able to do lacing/sewing activities?) My son was diagnosed with a learning disability in reading similar to dyslexia (only they refuse to call it that anymore). Anyway, much of the above still applies! He still reads and writes below grade level even though he has an IEP and many acommodations in place. He doesn't enjoy reading or writing and avoids it much of the time. I kept telling them to use Orton-Gillingham and other similar methods. They said "oh we have something else". They used Words Their Way. It did not help. Good luck with this. It won't be easy. I keep wondering where Dick and Jane's ancestors are.77003
bethab March 5, 2012
Thinking your child is lazy is the first problem. I would get him or her tested by the best learning specialist in the area. There are so many things a reading issue could signal and parents diagnosing their children via books is a good start but not thorough enough. 77000
hpastor March 5, 2012
BTW, we use commonsense1's advise too for both of our girls and find nutrition REALLY helps. We also found that a good fish oil supplement made a big difference. She began reading on grade level within about 2 months of starting supplements (and continuing our at home tutoring.) She still struggles with sounding out words, but we've seen HUGE improvements.76998
hpastor March 5, 2012
My daughter is in 1st grade and is just like your son. She's bright, but beginning in K, we noticed difficulty in reading and sounding out. She has a tendency to guess at words and not read words. We have a firm no guessing rule. Difficult, but it works. Also, get the BOB books series. VERY GOOD. Costco sells them. Then, we made our own flash cards based on the Orton-Gillingham method. Helps greatly, but we have to use them regularly. Spelling and handwriting is awful, so we've been working with modeling clay to write her spelling words and writing in sugar. It's not helping spelling much, but handwriting is improving. Good luck. Our schools won't diagnose dyslexia until 2nd grade, but we refuse to wait that long to help our daughter! :)76997
commonsense1 March 5, 2012
Please read to your child on a daily basis and make sure he gets the proper amount of sleep and has daily movement. Also, severely limit sugar, dyes, msg, caffeine, sodas, fruit drinks and processed foods to ensure he arrives at school at his healthiest. Good luck!76996
lboyd0904 March 4, 2012
Sorry, but I was in such a hurry that I mistyped several words. I received my training from Susan Barton in San Jose, CA. The person who recommended her as a resource was right on track. Two of her web sites:
www.dys-add.com
www.bartonreading.com/sbarton.html
You can also google "Susan Barton" or "Bright Solutions for Dyslexia."
Keep on trucking! Possible your son will need your help and support throughout his school years...mide did.
76981
lboyd0904 March 4, 2012
I am a Dyslexia Testing Specialist. Waiting until a child "fails" means that the teacher probably just not aware tjat kindergarten children can be tested for learning differences. I have the correct assessments for k-12 and adult. If you want to contact me, me email is lboyd0904@yahoo.com.76980
Kinney11 March 4, 2012
I would hesitate to call any student "lazy". You are being a good parent in questioning your child's reading skills. Usually children are sponges for new learning. Decoding/Dyslexia/Language Based Learning Disabilities is neurologically based with a strong genetic component so if one parent has it - the child needs to be watched closely.
Since it is auditory related there are many symptoms other than just reading, that may indicate a possible decoding problem.
I suggest that you review Sue Barton's Bright Solutions site- www.dys-add.com. She lists symptoms,. She has videos that will help you. Speaking with the tutor and gaining ideas may help.
Schools very often have Response to Intervention monitors in comprehension and decoding.
At least you are on the right track and your school has a program for your child at such a young age. Your child is lucky.
Rhyming (such books as "Cat in the Hat") and rhythm games (music) may help.
Keep vigilant. Good Luck.76979
amandaellason February 26, 2012
THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO GET BACK TO ME. MY SON IS VERY SMART AND LIKE I SAID HIS TEACHER THINKS WE JUST NEED TO KEEP WORKING WITH HIM. I FIND HIM JUST GUESSING AT WORDS INSTEAD OF SOUNDING THEM OUT, WHICH KINDA MAKES ME WONDER IF HE IS JUST BEING.....LAZY I GUESS. I DID ENROLL HIM IN A READING PROGRAM AT HIS SCHOOL CALLED SIDEWALKS. I JUST WANT TO KNOW IS HE PUTTING HIS ALL INTO HIS WORK. OR IF HE ISN'T UNDERSTANDING HOW TO SOUND WORDS OUT. HE KNOWS THE SOUNDS THAT THE LETTERS MAKE HE JUST DOESN'T LIKE TO PUT THE LETTER SOUNDS TOGETHER. THAT'S WHY I WAS WONDERING IF THERE WERE ANY TIPS OR SECRETS I COULD DO MYSELF TO KINDA GET A BETTER IDEA. THANKS.
*ALL EMAILS OR COMMENTS WELCOME76854
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