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What age for getting letters and numbers the right way round?

6 replies

StillNoFuckingEyeDeer · 30/04/2020 22:37

DD2 is nearly 7 and still gets her letters and numbers the wrong way round fairly regularly.
Almost every time she writes the number 5 it is back to front. She often reverses 3 too, sometimes 7. Other numbers are mostly correct, although she often gets digit order wrong and has to correct herself eg she'll say 45 and write 54 (but with the 5 back to front as well).
Letters aren't quite so bad, but she does get some of them back to front. Mainly b, d, p.
How normal is this at this age?
Thanks.

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LittleCandle · 30/04/2020 22:43

I would be asking for her to be assessed now (or as soon as possible). It isn't uncommon at this age, but she should be getting past that stage by now. The earlier you can get dyslexia diagnosed, the more help your DD will get through her education. You may need to become 'that parent' to get an assessment done, though.

I moved DD2 from one primary school to another, as the head teacher at the first didn't really believe in dyslexia/dyspraxia/dyscalculia and wouldn't do anything to help. The second school was brilliant and DD2 had a degree and a Masters to her name. She has severe dyslexia.

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Snaga · 30/04/2020 22:48

Is she left handed? My eldest is left handed and even now (age 13) can lapse to twisting her numbers/letters around. She did it often until around age 9 when she really made a point of trying to overcome it.

My youngest is 7 and I can't remember the last time she twisted her numbers/letters but is right handed which is why I ask.

Otherwise look at how she's approaching her work in general. Does twisting her numbers/letters make comprehension more difficult or is she otherwise performing well? I think bigger picture is more important with stuff like this. It gives a better sense of any potential issues that might need supporting.

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StillNoFuckingEyeDeer · 01/05/2020 06:25

Thanks. She's otherwise doing fine. She reads well, but doesn't like writing much. She's pretty good at maths (although verbal answers are more accurate than written ones).
She's a bit clumsy (messy eater, not surprised when she falls off her chair etc), a constant fidget and can be a bit scatty, but seems bright enough to me, so I'm not really worried about her. Just wondering about the reversed numbers and letters.

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RaggieDolls · 01/05/2020 06:55

My DS (6, yr1) was still doing this at the start of lockdown. He is on gold band for his reading so a long way ahead of where he needs to be. He's very good with a bat and ball etc. I think it extremely unlikely it is dyslexia or dyspraxia in his case.

I was determined to crack it when school closed so I had him write out the numbers 1-50 everyday. At the start he was copying them out and needed a lot of help. Now he can write out 1-100 with minimal mistakes. It's taken 6 weeks to get there though!

Would your DD try that? I draw a grid for him and bought a pack of brightly coloured pens to make it more interesting. He gets a marble in his reward jar for trying each day.

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Pud2 · 01/05/2020 08:07

It may just be habitual so worth using this time to get her to keep practising as the previous poster has done. No need to go rushing off for an assessment if there are no other concerns with reading or spelling.

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LucyLocketsPocket · 01/05/2020 12:34

My 7 year old still does this. And I know he's not the only one.

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