Confusing 'd' and 'b' - please help . .

[MrsMelons]

DS2 is 4.6 and started school in September. He didn't know all his letters/phonics when he started but is doing really well and is reading phonetically built words fairly well (only small words at the moment), the only trouble is he is getting the letters d and b mixed up quite a lot.

He didn't get them confused at first but I think it is because they use read, write, inc so the letters relate to a picture in the 1st stage but now they are stand alone letters he struggles.

DH is worried as he is slightly dyslexic but the teachers says DS2 is absolutely not and that it is fairly normal.

Is there any way that I can help him remember which way round they are - any daft rhymes at all? or is it something that he will eventually remember.

We are pretty new to the learning to read thing as DS1 could just read (he was level 5 phonics when he started YR) and could remember all the letters and sounds instantly.

Thanks.

yeah, this is brilliant
clench your fists and put your thumbs up
look at your hands and say bed, the left hand looks like the b and the right hand looks like the d

Bed fingers

Confusing d and b and writing the number 3 the wrong way round is pretty normal. DD did all of those things at that age. She did extremely well in her KS2 SATS and is in the top sets for the subjects they set for in high school. Please don't worry. Besides, testing for dyslexia isn't usually done before the age of 7.

Lots of children mix up b and d, it's nothing to worry about at this age.

oh yes it's totally normal but the bed thing has really helped my R class remember

b first the bat and then the ball

to make a bed for baby
first you need the b
e comes in the middle
finish with a d

with an image of a bed (obviously with headboard and foot)

Bed fingers - brilliant. I will try that, he is the sort of child that would like something like that.

My DNiece is mildly dyslexic but she has never really been able to use phonics properly in spite being a good reader so it has been on my mind a bit even though DS2 has found the phonics/blending not too hard. I think DSs teacher was just saying he was not really showing signs of dyslexia and that it was normal rather than he defintely wasn't dyslexic.

He gets numbers 3 and 7 round the wrong way sometimes too but that seems to be getting better.

I think he will remember the bed thing, thank you all!

If one parent is Dyslexic there is a 50 % chance your child will be apparently.

Nelly I think that is why DH is concerned. He wasn't ever given any help at school but he got by. Reading/spelling doesn't come naturally to him at all but he manages.

As others have said, totally normal to get reversals at this age.
Typically developing children can do it up to 7.
I wouldn't rule in or out the Dyslexia yet...just keep an eye open as he goes on in school.

My DH is also dyslexic. DD is 6' shows some traits, we are just waiting to see.

Brilliant help - I'll show that to my reception 5-year old with the same problem. I really don't think the mixing up at this age is a sign of dyslexia.

My 6.5 yr old (yr2)still gets these confused, as well as p/q. He also writes his 'e, 2 & 5' backwards.

Writing letters and words backwards are common in the early stages of learning to read and write among average and dyslexic children alike. It is a sign that orthographic representations (ie, letter forms and spellings of words) have not been firmly established, not that a child has a reading disability (Adams, 1990).

thanks Mrz he is definitely at very early stages of learning how to read and write, he could only write his name when he started in September. I am hoping that is all it is.

Of course I hope he is not dyslexic as it would be easier for him but his school have an amazing dyslexia department so he will be well looked after if he is.

All of mine have had this confusion & all pulled thru in the end (except DS who is still in midst of it).

Do you also get confusion between thirty and thirteen? Fourteen and forty, etc.? I am working on that one, too.

Probably half my class write 13 as 31 lljkk it's because they don't understand the 1 means 1 lots of ten and the 3 is 3 ones yet. Once they understand place value it helps greatly.

My friend who is dyslexic learnt the difference using a bed with an image. The image stays more clearly in the brain. Good luck

My DH taught DS by singing along to the Duke of Earl while writing/tracing the shapes.

Like a duh duh duh
Like a buh buh buh
Like a puh puh puh
Like a quuh ... oh you get the idea.

I know we're not supposed to pronounce them like that but it worked!

did the 'bed' example ninah mentioned. Worked for dd but it takes a while

Dd was still sometimes writing dabby when she was 7! No problems - just didn't get it right every time. 4.6 is far too young to start worrying- lots can't write qt all qt that age!

Thanks all, will see how it goes.

Can I say as someone who has brought up six children (including foster children) and has taught for thirty years that you shouldn't be worried about these little things. Mixing up b and d (and a whole host of similar 'problems') is very normal with young children, but they almost always grow out them in a short while. It's very tempting to give labels far too early and to even be thinking that a child of this age may be dyslexic simply because they mix up b and d is quite ridiculous. Things would have to much more serious than this to be properly dyslexic.

It's rather like the potty training thing - they all get there in the end.

My little girl still mixing up b, d and also p, shes in year 2 almost 7