Behavioural optometrist? Anyone used for child with reading issues?it's £££ so asking before

[Lemonmelonsun]

Dd sometimes misses words out, has had number letter mixes up, I'm wondering about getting her this test and possibly therapy afterward. We think she may show dyslexia tendancies

However, after inital test which is near 200 we could be spending hundreds more so I was wondering peoples views on it thanks.

Bump

We saw one for DS
She decided he was not dyslexic, so it was useful to eliminate that.
You don't have to have all the therapies if you don't want to. In our case it wasn't appropriate.

Went to one in Hampstead for DD years ago at the recommendation of the school. We didn’t go back after the initial consultation. Just didn’t seem worth the hassle (we’re not in London) and expense when there were some adjustments that could be made that helped without all the appointments and DD was doing well anyway. May have felt differently if she’d been struggling though.

DD say orthoptist for visual processing at our local hospital. Definitely worth looking at, we could get a referral from senco (I filled in form and got them to send it). Waiting time only about 6 weeks and obviously free. Might be worth looking into.

Yes, we have. The diagnosis (visual processing disorder) was very helpful. Exercises and coloured lenses moved DS from a ten year old child who wouldn’t/ couldn’t read more than a few pages to one who could tackle Harry Potter, in the space of about 6 weeks. He’s now about to start 3 reading-heavy A Levels.
We used someone who could also look at auditory processing disorder, which DS also has.
Worth every penny for us. We go back every 18 months- 2years to check on progress and changes.

@QueenofLouisiana
That's extraordinary!
Zebbe does that referral have to be a school Senco?

I think GP could have done referral but senco for us was easier. She had just had a dyslexia diagnosis and it was recommended but definitely worth a try. (Not sure all nhs areas but worth looking, all the info was on the hospital website).

Zebbe our Senco isn't trained like that and is just a Co ordinator, also the school doesn't believe in dyslexia.

Sorry if I wasn’t clear. Dyslexia assessment done privately and then filled in the form for the senco to forward. But gp might do the same for you. Definitely worth looking into even if you have to pay as daughter now happily chooses to read with an overlay where she was very reluctant. And seen a huge improvement with her English work.

Before you shell out £££ it’s worth buying a a set of coloured overlays your DD can try, if she’s not been tested in that way already. They are v cheap.

I am dyslexic and use overlays. I read with children at school (KS1) and i can always tell when the colours are making the difference, and personally I cannot read black text on white pages - luckily the school is v receptive and acts when I flag up an issue (I have a reputation as their dyslexia sniffer dog lol)

You’ve not said how old your DD is, but If the school really doesn’t believe in dyslexia I’d move schools frankly. Shocking stance for them and so prejudicial to the children. Dyslexic type difficulties are easy to mitigate when young but so hard to overcome once they’ve gone too far into their education and struggled to keep up.

Primary teacher and parent of dyslexic child here. Often recommend behavioural optometry- can have excellent outcomes. There's a computer program called Engaging Eyes that's low cost and has (sometimes) stunning results on reading speed. Def recommend coloured overlays too. But if you can save up for a proper private dyslexia assessment. It will turn out to be worth its weight in gold as your dc gets older.

@Doorhandleghost

They lump them all together, literacy issues and bristle at the word, dyslexia.

I've looked extensively at moving schools and she's actually happy at the moment and I'm bridging the learning gap by paying for tutors.
It's cheaper than private school, tailored to her needs... Specific.. Ie I'm not relying on or expecting them to teach her.

@MaidEdithofAragon

Wow that's incredibly encouraging! It's reading speed that she struggles with most now, i got her reading over lock down and she does well but she wouldn't pick up a book for pleasure...

She also misses out small words, skips and has slight tracking thing.

I suppose I could gp for the initial assessment.

Honestly try the overlays. When I first got them and coloured glasses my reading speed increased by almost 200%.

I did find interventions on reading techniques helped too.

How old is she? That is relevant when recommending interventions - younger kids are more adaptable when it comes to overlays etc.

Another thought - if she also misreads numbers, how is her maths? I also have dyscalculia and I misread numbers a lot.

My son saw a behavioural optometrist- unfortunately I didn’t think he built up a good enough rapport with my son or me really to be very effective. I was fascinated by the science behind it but couldn’t justify the expense in the end. He couldn’t manage my son being a bit bouncy at 4 years and just didn’t seem a people person. We found a private tutor who had experience of dyslexia and she has made a world of difference to his confidence and progress. He had tracking and processing issues. Need to get him properly assessed but he’s doing so well now we’re really pleased.

I just want to point out that visual difficulties are not dyslexia although quite a few people with dyslexia also have visual difficulties (hope that makes sense). Dyslexia is linked to the ability to hear and manipulate the sounds in words. They are separate conditions that sometimes co-occur

Stool pigeon thank you!!

I know this is an old post but is 5 yrs old too young for intervention or diagnosis with these issues? We have what I suspect is a family history and I'm concerned but don't know where to turn