Dyslexia

[luvlydECMOrations]

My Ds2 (7) is really struggling at school. He really finds reading and writing hard and will avoid it completely if he can. He gets really stressed and then angry over homework or any school performance of any kind. Noone has mentioned dyslexia and I have no experience of it but he seems really unhappy and I am wondering who, if anyone, I should ask if he could possibly be dyslexic. Any suggestions?

Sorry to hear that luvly...I'm not an expert on Dyslexia but i have concerns about my own son so you have my heartfelt sympathy, it is horrible to see them struggling, isn't it.

I think (in my non expert opinion!) that your first step is to talk to the teacher and express your concern about how unhappy he is/his lack of progress/avoidance of reading and writing.

They may want to involve the SENCO. At his age, if they agree there is cause, he CAN be assessed for dyslexia. I'd sound them out and see what they say; if they're not supportive I think Dyslexia Action is the charity who can provide names of people who will test privately (though it costs, of course..)

I think one of the first things to try & look at is exactly where his difficulties lie. A 'classic' dyslexia trait is not associating the letter shapes with their sounds / names - hence the difficulty when reading or spelling. Other traits include reversal of letters (b and d for example) - but their can be other issues such as organisational issues, short term memory problems etc.
However I think the very first step is to talk to his teacher & see what they think - possibly involve SENCO, they should have experience in knowing what to look for. Dyslexia Action has loads of info online too, & there are lots of other info sources.

Definately speak to the teacher. My sister has dyslexia and was tested and diagnosed through her primary school. She then got tested again in secondary school and at college (but that's so they can prove that she is owed extra time on exams).
Her spelling is terrible but you can kinda make out what's she's trying to say IYKWIM. She's always had very good spoken vocabulary from a young age and good memory, which she was told is her compensating for the dyslexia.

Try posting on 'Special Needs' section , you'll probably get more help. Good luck

have just posted today about my DS2 similar issues to yours, reverses b and d all the time.

his teacher has suggested he be assessed, he will do homework and read with us if he knows he can do it, but won't even try if he doesn't think he can

he was worried before going back into year 2 asking his dad questions like "what if I get it wrong"

so I'm not sure if his is a confidence thing or a difficulty, doesn't help that this is the year they do their SATS

Hi there, my son has been struggling with literacy at school and we had a meeting with his form teacher to discuss and we did request he was tested for dyslexia,(we felt it may be inherited ). The school did test but we have been told they are not in a position to diagnose him as dyslexic although they say there is a strong possibilty he is dyslexic. The onus is on us the parents to get an independant test which could cost £700 i am in shock at the moment, dont know what to do next.