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Dyslexia! Concerns that my DD may have it!

8 replies

MusicLover · 08/02/2012 10:57

Hi, well it?s been a few yrs since I been on MN but from past knowledge I know there will be someone with some advice for me or point me in the right direction anyway.
My DD is nearly 9 & Ive had my concerns since she started school as she struggled from day one. She found the phonics really hard & no matter how many times I tried to teach her ways to learn it, it never sank in. By the time, she was getting into yr 2 I decided to go online to see if I could help her that way. I went on a great site called ?Easyread? which helped her so much but I couldn?t afford to keep it up but for 3 or 4 months it helped her at least get to grips with phonics.
Anyway, the older she has got the more concerned I?ve become. I have mentioned my concerns to her previous teachers who informed me that she will catch up?blah blah! When DD started in Yr4 last Sep I spoke to her teacher about it on parents eve to which she told me?. ?a lot of parents want to label their children, the trouble these days is that they do too much for their kids therefore making the kids lazy & not wanting to do anything for themselves?! I was livid & firmly told her that I have never done everything for either of my children as I have always encouraged them to be independent from an early age!
Since then I have moved DD to another school, but only because ?cut backs? caused the school bus to be discontinued!
DD mentioned to me last week that the words in her book were jumping around on the page which finally made me realise that she may have dyslexia. So I went to the Library to read up on it & try & help her myself as much as possible.
My DH is dyslexic (not diagnosed) & his DD & DS from previous relationship have both been diagnosed with Dyslexia.
My DD is a very happy go lucky girl with a wicked sense of humour, she is very placid with a gentle nature & my worry is that she is now getting embarrassed that she is in the low groups of literacy & numeracy, she won?t read out aloud. She doesn?t read so bad really, its getting it down on paper that she struggles. She will spell ?Girl? as ?Gril? etc...
DD also is very forgetful, Klutzy, still dresses back to front, has poor concentration & memory. She really struggles to take in information & has to be constantly reminded about things. She forgets to bring home her lunch bag & jumper nearly everyday. She forgets to hand in letters that I write for teachers etc too.
Anyway I?ve booked her in for an eye test at an opticians that also tests for dyslexia, although she is not having the dyslexia test that day, her test wil be an hour long & with the lady that does the dyslexia test.
All I want is a little help for my DD so she doesn?t struggle with her work & become embarrassed that she isn?t at the same level as her piers. I don?t want her to get to high school & try to hide it like my DH did.
Do you think Im over reacting or do the teachers just have a way of making you feel that you are?

OP posts:
Yorky · 08/02/2012 11:45

You sound like a fantastically caring and supportive mum to me. If I were you I would be very tempted to take the results of your daughters eye and dyslexia tests in insert them firmly up the left nostril of the teaching 'professional' who accused you of wanting to label your daughter so she didn't have to work at anything!!! :o

My DH is also severely dyslexic, diagnosed at uni which he hgot to through clearing, mainly I suspect becaudse MIL is a bit of a stubborn.... (but its where we met so she's probably regretting it now Grin). He is now working towards his seconds masters so there need be no limits on what your DD can acheive. She needs help with finding 'coping strategies' whuch suit her particular form of dyslexia. It is hard to dx as it comes in different forms for different people - when she has her eye test it is worth asking if they have coloured lenses they can test for her - DH has a pink sheet of acetate (remember OHPs?) which he places over the page he is reading as it helps the words to sit still - different people find different colours/shades more effective

Need to do the nursery run now but will be back if I think of anything else useful, or may let mrYorky on!

WowOoo · 08/02/2012 11:51

Can't believe your teacher would say things like that. Your dd has been struggling.
There's nothing wrong with helping your child. It's what every decent parent does. I think you need to be a bit more of a pushy parent actually.

Have no experience of dyslexia, but lots of others do and am sure they'll be along to help soon.

MusicLover · 08/02/2012 12:38

Thanks for your replies yorky & wowOoo
Yorky...yes Ive heard of the coloured synthetics, a girl who I went to college with first told me about them. I'd never heard of them before but she explained that she had a blue or a yellow one (cant remember now) but she said it helped her read & keep the words still.
I just feel that I've been fobbed off slightly as DD's new teacher told me there is no funding to get the tests done & would have to pay myself. I really havn't got that kind of money though at the moment. But like you say, the optician can help alot & I will def ask about the coloured lenses, thanks for that as I may have forgot to mention it.
I know deep down that Im not over reacting & I've always trusted my instincts but when teachers fob you off it does make you question yourself.
I feel so sorry for DD

OP posts:
MusicLover · 08/02/2012 12:41

sorry I pressed the post message button b4 finishing the sentence!
I feel so sorry for DD as she really is a bright child who loves art & drawing & has a fab imagination. But she already thinks she is thick & I'm afraid no matter how much people are more aware of dyslexia these days there will always be the stigma with it Hmm

OP posts:
MigGril · 08/02/2012 14:07

My advice would be when you have the results go to the school and push for everything you can through the school. You need your school on board and asements from the LEA as they often woun't recongnise privet test results.

Push for all the help you can and help her achive the best she can. Thanks to my parents I was given the help I needed at school and when on to get a Degree in Physics. (oh and look I still get words wrong take my user name I got Gril mistaken for Girl) I'm dyslexia (how they ever expect those of us who are to be able to spell it right though).

There is the dyslexia assoiation as well who you can go to for help as well.

It's a pain that nothing has change in so long my parents had to fighter for everything I got and it seems from my friends with children in smillar poistions that they still have to.

MusicLover · 08/02/2012 21:49

Thanks MigGril I shall definately push my concerns with the school. I knew I'd get a good response on MN, you never fail Smile
Just a question for you MigGril.....do you see yourself as having a disability? Only asking as there is another thread in the 'special education needs' topic from someone who has dyslexia asking others if they think its a disability....mixed reactions from everyone really.

OP posts:
MusicLover · 09/02/2012 14:04

www.easyreadsystem.com/index/62.html?gclid=CPjun8CFka4CFQYKfAodIinhyQ/this is the site I went on to help my DD a few yrs ago.

OP posts:
ppeatfruit · 09/02/2012 14:49

I can't believe that schools still don't help dyslexia properly (my DD at 6 yrs - now 28 - was bullied by her teacher 'cos she "was not writing as much as the other bright girls") Shock we had to take her away from that particular school it was terrible.

Her next school did test her and though she wasn't bad enough to be statemented she was helped constructively from then on including doing her GCSEs in a specifically for dyslexics way and she loves the spell checker! She is a very confident girl and i thank god we didn't leave her with that godawful teacher.

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