dislexia or late development

[teobaldo]

My son has turned 7 in October, he loves school but from early on his teachers told us that he struggled.

Last year his form teacher mentioned he might be slightly dyslexic.

She suggested not to do anything l about it, as he could also be a late developer plus he is bilingual, so that is another factor to take into consideration.

She also felt that given that he is a bit lazy it will not help him knowing that he can get help.

He goes to a private school, which is lovely and they have built his confidence and he is getting some extra help (half an hour a week).

I really do not care about him being super academic, but I really want him to be happy and not to be overwhelmed at school.

He does have some sign of this, such as for example belly aches / toilet accidents only when he goes to school or he gets frustrated when we try to do him to do some extra work.

He is doing ok in math but does not perform well in tests as he is a bit slow.

HIs reading is good in my opinion he is reading famous five at the moment. He does sometimes mix up words and he is still not totally fluent but he is getting there. His handwriting is very neat but the spelling is atrocious. I am not sure if this is to do to the fact that he is bilingual but he spells phonetically.

I took him to see someone yesterday to gauge whether he needs some more help, simply because I do not want him to get to year 3 and struggle with studying and so on.

The lady he saw yesterday told me that his reading age is 7.9 months and his writing is 7.3 months. Given that he just turned 7 I am totally ok with it, but she mentioned that in private school the level is usually two years above.

On top of this he is also in a very bright class where there are also lots of very academic boys a part from the girls. Because of the entry system of the school he is also one of the youngest in his class.

So my question is shall I give him some extra help now or shall we wait and see ? He already has such an intense week, so it really worries me to get him to extra work for 45 minutes after school.

What can I do to help him myself ? Good sites that could direct me in the right direction ? He seems to be amenable to do extra work with the lady (which makes me think he knows he needs it ) while he does usually resist do more with us. Also how do I know if she is the right person ? She will only do English not maths.

On the one hand if he's reading Famous Five at 7, I wouldn't be too concerned! However, if he's falling behind and his confidence is affected then extra help may be required.
I do think since he's at a private school that this extra help should come from school tbh. Half an hour a week is not enough. He needs 3 half hour sessions per week of 1 to 1 to make any real difference. Surely the school SENCO could look into getting him assessed for any specific learning difficulties? I don't know how these things work in private schools though.

I think you should get him formally assessed for dyslexia. Proper screening can identify whether it is a bilingualism/EAL issue or dyslexia. Then you will know much better what kind of help he may require.

thanks - I booked a meeting with his headteacher now, as they are not advising to get him assessed at this age, but where shall I start to formally assess him ? With the GP ? Or if privately where shall I go, there are so many places and i read on one of these threads that not all are good and very expensive

Please don't think that if he is found to be dyslexic that he can't be academic. Support needs to be learning how to work with the dyslexia. I say this as a dyslexic with two degrees.

If he were to be assessed, you would have some idea of his underlying ability, and therefore whether he is in fact under-performing, in spite of his reading and spelling ages being good for his age. However, I would be loathe to do this at this stage. It doesn't matter how everybody else in the class is doing, and it seems unlikely that they are all two years ahead, even if the intake is very selective. I would focus on building his self-esteem and helping him to be happy at school, and re-assess the situation in six months.

I do not, for a minute think that he will not be academic if dyslexic. I actually have few architects, engineers and surgeons friends who are dyslexic, but I want to make sure he does not feel stupid as he takes longer to do things. I am also against assessing him too early, I do not care if others are much above him. I just do not want him to feel overwhelmed...

I think the good thing about assessing and getting answers - from own experience with DD - is that having an explanation as to why she is having difficulties has actually helped take the stress away for her. Knowing that teachers understand she is not being lazy, careless etc has helped. It also put a stop to her previous teacher keeping her in to finish work because she was made to understand it was not DDs fault that she could not write as much as others and her (teacher's) expectations needed adjusting. DD still worries a depressing amount that others will make fun of her writing, think she is stupid etc. but we can at least discuss her genuine difficulties honestly and give her answers. She knows it is not 'her fault' she doesn't reach the same level as her peers and, whilst this in itself is upsetting for her, having a reason and knowing there are people supporting her and helping her improve (e.g. Senco) has really boosted her self esteem hugely from last year.

Opinions will always be split as to whether assessing and 'labelling' are good or bad. From my own point of view as a parent, it has been a benefit in every way; educationally and emotionally. As a teacher I am also always in favour of a formal assessment as it gives a full diagnositic plus individualised strategies. I'd say you know him best, and will know whether finding out (if) he has a learning difficulty will make him feel better or worse about himself at this stage.

Thanks adoptomama, how old was your dd when you assessed her? And did you get a referral from school or the GP? In what year is she now? The head teacher at my son school told me that most of the time children who struggle at the beginning and are used to put a bit of extra effort in, are usually more responsible later on and actually can do very well in secondary school, when the focus is not so much on reading and writing ... Keep their confidence up seems the best thing to

PM'd you OP to answer the questions.

DS1 is 10 and dyslexic (diagnosed)
His reading age is over 12 (maths is similar) his spelling age is 8 - 9. On some phonological tests he was at 8 yo level. He also has some fine motor control issues so writes slowly. It is the gap between these results that is one of the main factors rather than the results themselves - the so called spiky profile.

I would have a look at this book
www.amazon.co.uk/Dyslexia-dyslexia-dyspraxia-learning-difficulties/dp/0091923387

And consider getting your DS assessed.

DS2 is also dyslexic (assessed at 6 because he was already in yr2).

will buy the book now thanks. What did you all tell your child when you went for the assessments ?

The older one was old enough to be told factually that he was being assessed to see if he had dyslexia. The younger one I just said that the lady was going to get him to do some different things so we could find out what things his brain found easy to do and what things it might need a bit of help with.