To be worrying about dyslexia at this stage?

[SuiGeneris]

DS is still young, so probably IABU, but I would welcome opinions because I would hate to find out a few years down the line that I had spotted warning signs and ignored them.

So, DS is 3 and knows all lowercase and uppercase letters, although not fluently. His nursery teacher told me last week that he is beginning to spell CVC words phonetically with wooden letters (obv does not yet have the coordination to write). I surprised because although I know he knows the letters, I thought it would be too early for anything more (I learnt to read at 6.5).
I have noticed a few times over the last 2/3 months that he mixes up letters (and sometimes numbers) that look the same/similar in different orientations. Some examples: n/u, d/b/p/q, e/G.

Now, the question is, is it normal at this stage (even though he is beginning to spell) or should we look into having him checked out by a professional?

He is otherwise quite bright (e.g. can count to 20, knows number symbols and can relate them to quantities, can find the missing digit in sequences such as 4-5-?-7, etc) but not the very top of the class.

'Word blindness' is a very small part of dyslexia

You should really research it thoroughly and see if he is exhibiting any of the other signs, such as inability to remember instructions, delayed speach etc whihc often go hand in hand.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyslexia

A common misconception about dyslexia is that dyslexic readers write words backwards or move letters around when reading ? this only occurs in a very small population of dyslexic readers.[42] Individuals with dyslexia are better identified by reading accuracy, fluency, and writing skills that do not seem to match their level of intelligence from prior observations

Totally normal. My reception age dd still gets b and d mixed up, as do loads of the children in her class.

Yes, mixing up letters is the normal at that age. 3 years old is too young for an assessment, in that they couldnt do an assessment, as most children will be making 'dyslexic' mistakes.

My dds dyslexia was picked up in year 1, and that is considered very early

From what you have written about symbol recognition already I don't think you here worry.

"Not the very top of the class" he is THREE! Jesus, who is grading three year olds???

It's normal at that age, that's why diagnosis can't be made until much later. If he's already sounding out CVC words and knows all his sounds he's doing amazingly well...this is something a lot if kids don't learn until reception.

Most 3year olds are not even learning letters. I am very surprised that you can have grades for little more than babies!

Are you really worried about him not being the top of the class at 3 ?

I think that you can pick up SEN without grading- I would change nurseries if they were doing all that formal stuff.

altkin I'm really suprised...on what basis have you been refered? And to whom? We had SALT referral at nursery age,

This is reading a lot like a stealth boast/humble brag!

Learning to read is a long long road and your little one is very early on that road. Doing extremely well too.

Hope your little one is getting the chance to play as well as learning letters. It's a marathon not a sprint etc.

Sounds like he is doing really very well. In the school where I work it is quite common for children to come in at 4 still not knowing half of what you say your son already knows. Mixing up similar letters and reversing them when writing is very common even in children up to age 6.
He is showing no warning signs for SEN, quite the opposite in fact.
SEN at this probably more to do with behavioural issues or delayed speech etc.
Very few (if any) professionals would diagnose dyslexia until a child is 5 or 6 at the earliest.

specialmagiclady

I have been a nursery nurse for nearly 20 years and I have never met a 3 year old who knows all their letter and can spell!!!!

And you are worried they are dyslexic!!!

Really???

He's 3.

I did wonder how long before the stealth boasting charge... DS is doing all the stuff you would want a 3-year-old to do: plays with trains, jigsaws, kitchen, dolls, play dough, likes making music and jumping around etc. However, we have had a lot if bad weather over the last six months so we also needed quiet activities, hence counting and the letter jigsaws that helped him learn the alphabet.

The top of the class comment was only meant to put him in context: at his perfectly normal nursery other rising 3s are adding up and he is not, so others are more advanced. I am not interested in whether he is doing what others are, I just want to make sure I am not ignoring potential issues.

The nursery, btw, is very child-led and not formal (that is why we picked it), so am happy that they are following DS's lead rather than pushing him...

Is this a wind up then?

Must admit, I had to suppress feelings of annoyance at OP, in order to post anything helpful

He's 3.

He will be doing some things better than others and they will be doing some things better than him.

How do you know he's not quite at the top of the class? Do you sit in and observe? Isn't it all structured play at that age?

Mixing those letters up is perfectly normal at this age. He'll probably confuse p/q and, in particular, b/d for another year or two yet.

Freddie: the teacher told me at the parent/teacher meeting when I asked how he was doing and whether his speech seemed to be in line with expectations for his age (it was very delayed last year, so much so that we had NHS SALT and ENT follow him closely for a year or so).

But if it's a child centred NURSERY why are they telling you he's at the top of the class

Smartiepants, Tolliver: many thanks, that is very helpful. The thing is, his speech was quite delayed too (see previous post, a few mins ago), hence the higher level of awareness of possible issues on my part. Speech is now within the normal range, I think, but he still makes mistakes that are listed in the dyslexia warning signs for preschoolers, such as inverting syllables in words ("nifished" instead of "finished")...

Mmm, but they're probably in the (hypothetical) list of signs of preschoolers whose speech was until recently very delayed, so I think you're going to drive yourself potty if you focus too much on that. I do get your concern, though -- there are a lot of dyslexia genes floating around in my family, so I get twitchy myself where my own DCs are concerned.

God I'm sorry but you are being so unreasonable it's untrue. He's THREE FFS.

I have dyslexic children. I knew that there was something not quite right with the eldest when he was 2 because he could not sort shapes. He was not diagnosed until he was 8. He could never blend sounds when he was younger and didn't really read until he was 7.

I don't think 3 is too young to be concerned but it is certainly too young to have him tested as he won't have the cognitive abilities to complete a test. Nevertheless, what you describe is typical for a child of your son's age.

Are you aware of other family members with dyslexia?

(Ps does your username derive from the Use Classes Order?)