Dyslexia but good at reading?

[BergamotandLime]

Looking for a bit of help - DD is 9, bright, funny, v witty, an excellent reader BUT really struggles with getting any work at all down on paper. Her handwriting is awful (she is left handed), she has no desire to write anything and homework is always a trigger - she flies off the handle, procrastinates, finds any excuse to avoid any written work whatsoever.

She is also v scatty and disorganised as well as fairly clumsy and doesn't like doing anything that requires balance or coordination, though can ride a bike but is vv cautious with it.

There is a strong dyslexia gene in the family - could this be dyslexia or does the reading rule it out?

TIA!

I wouldn't say it rules it out. I have dyslexia and enjoy reading. At that age my handwriting was also awful and my coordination wasn't great.

Have a look into dysgraphia as that relates more to handwriting and being able to transfer thoughts onto paper. Maybe also dyspraxia that can affect organisational skills.

It’s certainly possible to be a good or competent reader and to have specific difficulties linked to spelling and handwriting. The other things you mention, such as the disorganisation and clumsiness would support that too.

Does she do better with a laptop?

Have a look into the other dye's, dyspraxia/DCD for instance would flag up with me on this.

Dyspraxia and dysgraphia are often co-morbid with dyslexia.

Being good/enjoying reading doesn't rule out dyslexia IME - but accurate reading -similar looking words being confused-wrongly mispronouncing words and severe spelling problems may still be present - at least they were for me and it did lead to dyslexia diagnosis and a another co-morbidity condition.

You're describing dyspraxia to a T. Dyslexia, dyspraxia, ASD, ADHD are all linked so when one is in a family often others can be too. We have dyslexia, dyspraxia and ASD in our family.

I would be included to look into executive function deficit conditions, such as dyspraxia. This affects the ability to organise and co-ordinate not only body movements, but also organising thoughts/speech and actions into sequence. So written work may be poorly executed in handwriting and content (logical sequencing and comprehension).

There was a thread yesterday asking the exact same thing.

My DS has dyslexia but he's a great reader. His writing is off the scale atrocious though.

My 9 year old dd sounds very similar to yours. We've just had an Ed psych assessment for her and even though her reading age is nearly 13 her spelling is terrible. The EP has advised that she has issues with phonics recognition and a processing delay.

The other thing that sounds similar though is that she has terrible balance and co-ordination but that's caused by her having Ehlers Danlos which causes hypermobility in her joints (plus digestive issues). This leads to terrible handwriting, she can't ride a bike and her balance is terrible. It also leads to pain in her joints especially her hands which are especially hypermobile when writing so she was very resistant to homework. We recently got an Occupational Therapy assessment done and she's now able to use a laptop for longer written work which means that she's much happier and also her work is much more legible!

I mention this only in case it's something that might be causing a problem for your daughter too as the symptoms sound very similar.

www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/4646784-is-it-possible-for-a-dyslexic-child-to-also-be-an-early-reader?page=2&reply=120459600

Thread on this yesterday OP. Might be useful.

according to YouTube videos that keep popping up on my feed, a lot of females don’t get diagnosed as ADHD as easily as males, but some of what you have said sounds like what was on the videos.

also your daughter sounds like me, I am an avid reader but my spelling and handwriting as atrocious and I hated homework unless it was something that sound really good.

one of my worst memories is that I never studied my spellings and all the words one week started with aero (aeroplane etc)….I got them all wrong with very random spellings (a lot of airo if I remember) much to the delight of the boy marking my paper.

I was an excellent reader as a child, read above my age group. I am also dyslexic and struggled to get my work down on paper. So, yes the 2 aren’t mutually exclusive. I have also recently discovered that I have ADHD. Some of her disorganization maybe down to that as I understand there is frequently a crossover.

Yes, exactly the same problem as my eldest dd.

DS12 is dyslexic, he has a reading age of 18+ and spelling scores on 60th centile. His dyslexia mainly presents as a processing issue and problems with maths (not clear if he's dyscalculic though). He's also dyspraxic and has exec function and working memory problems.
Just to warn you, we had to fight and fight for support at primary (which wasn't forthcoming) because they only seemed to acknowledge traditional 'can't read, can't spell' dyslexia. His self esteem took a real knock in Yr5 and 6 without help.
The support at secondary has been outstanding though, a total contrast.

Yes I have a very bright dyslexic daughter. Her comprehension and reading age were years ahead of her actual age, but she couldn't write for toffee.

She has diagnosed dyslexia and dyspraxia.
Now she is older (13) I am also certain she has ADHD. She has very similar traits to my brother (DX ADHD). We're taking a tiny step down that path later this month. A 3 year path at present according to the GP.

Good luck OP. I posted on here when my DD was about 8 and it gave me the push to get her privately assessed (primary couldn't afford it).

Another vote for dyspraxia and / or dysgraphia. My hand writing, executive functioning and co-ordination are terrible. My reading at school (and now) is excellent. Schools were very confused by this combination -l don’t think they had much knowledge of dysgraphia or dyspraxia in the 80’s or 90’s

Your OP describes my son very well.

A dyslexia assessment was really useful for him. He has comorbid neurodivergence (ADHD and ASD) and it was useful to pull out what was happening.

He reads by pattern forming and shapes rather than phonetically. He struggles to write and to spell as it's much harder to pull an "A" out of his mind and get it down onto paper.

More often nowadays they're finding where there is one ND diagnosis another is often holding it's hand. EG latest estimate says 60% of children with ADHD may also have dyslexia.

Stealth Dyslexia

My DS has dysgraphia.

I remember reading up on dyslexia and it didn't quite sound like him, but I came across dysgraphia and it was him to a T.

He he is left handed and his handwriting is awful, even when he tries really hard. He is in year 8 now and is allowed to use a lap top in class. He is much happier now.

I think he may also have dyspraxia as he is quite uncoordinated, struggled with shoelaces and telling the time. We haven't had him diagnosed.

DD’s reading age was always way ahead of her chronological age but she was eventually diagnosed as being severely dyslexic with processing delay and had a scribe and 25% extra time in exams

I am mildly dyslexic but always had a reading age miles ahead - No one picked up on it until my English oral exam when they realised I was basically making my work sentences up by my mind picking words from lots of different sentences.

Thank you all. Lots to think about and look at. I think dysgraphia/dyspraxia are the most likely. Definitely no ASD and certainly doesn't have the hyperactivity of ADHD.

Dd1 was very similar to this and diagnosed with Dyslexia at 9. She was slowish to start reading but by the time she had the screen screening her reading age was 14. The Ed Psych said it wasn't uncommon with Dyslexic girls to struggle far more with writing and spelling than reading.

Could be dyscalculia. I have this (and mild dyslexia).

My symptoms (is that the word ) are;

*can’t tell time
*can’t time manage/procrastinate
*can’t recite the alphabet/months of the year in order
*struggle with maths
*struggle with systems

I struggled to read initially then was taught phonically then went up two reading years.

some helpful other posters. Contact some organisations like the dyslexia ass.

*add in also I can’t spell, and struggle with using the correct words eg, there/their/they’re