dyslexia/shy/demotivated/other? not sure....

[morecaffeinerequired]

Hi,

I have recently become concerned about my yr8 DD.

She recently drew a plan of one of the rooms in our house and it was absolutely perfect, almost to scale, but it was a complete mirror image. And she had no idea that it was. I mentioned this to a friend and she said have we ever considered that she might be mildly dyslexic. I have zero experience of dyslexia, and no idea of where to go with this. GCSE options are looming and I want to give her the best possible chance at getting good grades at the end of it.

Her spelling is terrible, both in english and her second languages. She is very good at maths, but really struggles with wordy questions which lets her down. She reads extensively, but only fiction and finds it hard to explain something she has just read. Following instructions or a recipe can be problematic. She is finding it very hard to learn new words (in science for example). She has always hated reading aloud, but is happy to have lines to say in the school play.

None of this is likely to be apparent to her teachers, as it can all be explained away as being shy in a classroom setting.

I'm not really sure what I am asking, does this sound like she has any issues? and what should I do about it or who do I talk to about it?

[Joiningthegang]

It would be worth getting we tested - especially with gcses coming up and she may qualify for extra time.

[Shootingatpigeons]

Some form of specific learning difficulty could explain those issues (Dyslexia is the name given to some of a range of difficulties) An assessment by an Educational Psychologist will confirm the nature and severity. If you can afford the £400 approx it is easiest to get that done privately, and you will get a more thorough report, but if not you may be able to get the school SENCO to agree to refer your DD. Definitely worthwhile as then your DD can be given the right support and be equipped with coping strategies to enable her to achieve her full potential at GCSE.