Can you have dyslexia but be able to read well?

[WheresItTo]

DD is in year 7 and her teacher thinks that she may have dyslexia based on her spelling and writing abilities. She can usually spell high-frequency words but has a hard time learning to spell new words and even though she can learn a few words (would usually get 4 out of 6 correct) for a spelling test she will forget them the next week when she gets more to learn and she never puts them into practice when doing other written work. She does still put a couple of letters and numbers the wrong way round, and her writing is big unless she really concentrates.

The thing that I am confused about is that she can read really well. She exceeded her reading targets at the end of year 2 (but she does miss out small words such as the, and, it etc). Could she be dyslexic but be able to read well? Everything I have read regarding dyslexia since discussing with her teacher a few weeks ago seems to say that reading is a big issue and is hard for children with dyslexia. I am confused!

For example, if I showed her the word 'because' she could read it no problem, but if I asked her to spell it she would put something like 'bocse', and then read it back as 'because' and not notice it was wrong in her own writing. But then if I showed her 'bocse' in some other way such as on a screen or printed out she would read it as a nonsense word and know it wasn't 'because'. Does that make any sense?

The Senco is going to work with her and they have already tried the coloured overlays with varying success.

I must say that school are great and DD is the happiest she has been since reception. Academic work doesn't come easily to her and she is much more of a creative child, loves making, designing and drawing and wants to be an architect when she grows up (as well as being a popstar on the weekends!! ) Any advice would be great.

Wow, so many messages! Thank you all for sharing your stories and advice. So many of your children sound just like my DD. The poor organisation skills and time keeping, not being able to order the days or months of the year etc. (she'll take ages not getting ready for school and we'll be rushing out the door every day!) I now feel armed and ready for my next meeting with her HT and I have some points ready to discuss about where we go from here.

Sorry, only just got back to the thread, yes dd gets a lot of help at school but more through luck, dd's school has a dyslexia unit (it's a private school), and when we enrolled her we didn't realise we were going to need it but glad it's there, even with all the extra help though she finds some things very difficult.

It's funny reading others responses because I see dd in them, she is useless with phonics and her reading only improved when she had enough words she'd learnt to recognise behind her, even now she can't break down a new word, even though her reading is now good I realise she does stick to familiar authors, she still gets things like Tuesday and Thursday muddled and some numbers like 24/42 and 48/84.

The funniest one was a few months ago when we were going past a deaf centre and she asked horrified why people worked there, it took me a while to realise she thought it said death centre!!

It's quite therapeutic reading others responses and realising your child is not alone, most other dyslexics I know (and I know a few because of the school) are all really poor at reading.

op I have dyslexia and was the best reader in my class. I finished all the reading book and had to go to the library to get mine in school.

I'm also a kenetic learner where I learn better if I'm doing it, rather than just reading it.

Your dd should be offered a scribe when doing exams as in intense situations words would swim all over the page and I couldn't focus at all.

I teach sports and I love my job as sitting at a desk wasn't for me. Dyslexia isn't the end of education it just takes another path.

Also I mix my spoken words up..eg "your kitchen in the coat". When writing I often write the second letter before I write the first. It's like my brain works too fast to put in in order.

School have just flagged up DD as ? dyslexia. She is yr 5. It's a private school, so we are going to get our own assessment, like a previous poster I don't think private schools are so happy with special needs,certainly little provision at ours.

We have been in touch with an Ed Psych. for a full screening, have been told will be about £400. Just awaiting for another meeting with school to ask some questions that the Ed Psych. felt would help.

DD is a brilliant reader with almost photographic memory, but scatty, disorganised fidgety and easily distracted.

Very interesting thread. I am going to ask some in depth questions at DD4's parent teacher meetings that are coming up soon. DD4 is a bit scatty (needs reminders to take a shower, get out of the shower, brush her teeth - X 10 daily), has never managed to learn her tables and is struggling terribly with algebra, gets very hot under the collar about tests, really wants to excel, reads very well...

However, looking back, she was a Harry Potter girl for many years, then a 'Dear America' series and 'Royal Diary' series reader and is now engrossed in serious history books all dealing with the Tudor period. She is familiar with all the people and events and so keeps on adding layers of information and extra details about the set of characters to a narrative she is already familiar with.

Meanwhile, she has a lot of difficulty learning and reproducing facts for history tests in school where they are studying the American Revolution and the beginnings of the USA -- constitution, Bill of Rights, amendments, early presidents, westward expansion, development of political parties. She knows a lot about this period, having immersed herself in documentaries and dramatisations on the topic for years on top of all her political history and historical fiction reading. But getting organised enough to study and doing formal memorisation seems beyond her. She has been able to do lengthy projects in English all dealing with pretty much the same subject for the last two years - girls' education in Afghanistan and Pakistan, Malala Yusafzai, so is familiar with the basic material and as with her focus on the Tudors, she seems to be sticking to a familiar area.

Hmmmmm

Are all bright kids who struggle with spelling dyslexic?

The term was first invented (ca 1890) to distinguish bright children with writing difficulties from those who had literacy problems because they were of average ability or less all round. - It has always been accepted that intellectually weak children will never become hot spellers. But bright kids who could not spell and were likely to fail the 11+ because of it were a huge headache for teachers: How do u prove that a child who cannot spell is bright?
Many employers are still stupid enough to disregard candidates with weak spelling. There was much debate about this a few years ago and some stupid woman said that she would not date someone who cannot spell.

The diagnosis began to be actively sought out by parents when it began to give children with it additional help. Many teachers are not happy about it, because pushier parents manage to fight for it and get it, while equally deserving children of less pushy parents lose out.

My personal experience with my DS (now 10) is that the Ed Psyc report is money well spent. It doesn't just spit out a yes/no 'diagnosis' of dyslexia, but covers a whole range of issues, both literacy: writing, comprehension, spelling etc, as well as the more neurological, working memory, sequencing etc., and sets out where on the scale a person is for each of these issues, and where there might be no issue at all.

This meant for us that we got a really full picture of where he sat on the spectrum, but more importantly, meant that any support activities, whether at school or home could really hone in on where the biggest weakness is.

Our particular report also included a section at the end on what could be done in terms of specialist support, support at home and support more generally at school. We've copied these particular pages a number of times and passed onto classroom teachers, who've found them useful as they've then easily been able to make the suggested tweaks (as an example printing whiteboard instructions so DS can read from a sheet in front of him rather than follow sentences on the board).

The thing I've found most interesting about dyslexia (I knew nothing!), is how dyslexia covers a range of learning issues, and is truly a spectrum. There are no two dyslexics the same, although many will share similarities.

The thing I've found deeply shocking is the lack of understanding of dyslexia amongst the education profession. I have been very lucky and dealt with a number of fantastic teachers who have embraced my DS and the tweaks they have made. But it seems more generally that there is little training on how to recognise a dyslexic child, an aversion to diagnosis (expense related?), and a one-size-fits-all approach to support following diagnosis.

I'd highly recommend the Helen Arkell Dyslexia Centre, both the centre itself and it's online resources, as well as the British Dylexia Association.

You can struggle with spelling, and be bright, for reasons other than dyslexia. I have a friend who really can't spell, but he has none of the other markers for dyslexia and is very un-dyslexic in a lot of ways (read very early, reads fast and fluently, no issues with patterns or sequencing, etc.). He had glue ear when he was little, though, so may not have got the right aural exposure at the right time.

I think people get an 'eye' for what dyslexia looks like. I know people who are pretty good at spotting before an assessment. I don't often work with dyslexics often enough to do this, but on a couple of occasions I've surprised students by commenting that they're making typically dyslexic mistakes, when it turned out they'd been diagnosed but hadn't disclosed it. So I think there is more coherence to it as a condition than is easy to get across by describing individual traits.

Btw, sorry, I don't say this in a mean way, on such a nice thread, but 'remember Albert Einstein was dyslexic'.

No!

He might have been. We don't know. But people cite him as an example of everything from dyslexia, to ADHD, to autism, when there's no proof he had them. I know it's meant to be inspirational but it's actually a bad idea, because it feeds into the concern some people have that we're making it all up, and that you can just fish a diagnosis out of thin air.

Luuby - I live near the Helen Arkell Centre and it is very well thought of locally, I may well approach them about DD.

Just on the making it all up theory of dyslexia, that's where the Ed Psych report is wondrous as it lays it all out so clearly. As I understand it dyslexia is a wide spectrum, but indicated by a spike (so a large dip in some element of ability). My son is top of his class for reading, yet he couldn't spell/ nobody could read his writing. That was dismissed by successive (and very good!) teachers as 'summer born boy' and 'he'll catch up' or at worst, 'lazy and needs to try harder'.

Yr3 at Primary his fantastic teacher told us she was sure he was dyslexic. We ended up paying for Ed Psych report as the LA was taking so long, but it's been priceless as it explains why there are such disparities in his ability and means teachers can't dismiss his needs or belittle him. It's also helped us understand why he finds spelling so hard and why we need to be patient and help him more with some elements of his homework/ learning.

Like many others he could very easily have been missed as he was still in top groups and more than hitting his SATs targets. His confidence has soared since we got the diagnosis as he knows why he struggles with some things and why he has to try harder than his friends. The big thing is he knows it's not because he's stupid which has made him far happier in the classroom.

In other words, Ed Psych statement if you can afford it is worth every penny!

We were so lucky that dd's school paid for a In ed psych assessment.

I too gret tired of the "oh it doesn't matter just look at Einstein etc" yeah yeah - it DOES matter. Its not insurmountable and if your child is bright they will find stategies to cope but it does cause children huge issues.

Don't be fobbed off by one or two SEN lessons at school. Do get an Ed Psych report for your child - it makes it "official" and something that teachers will then take note of rather than labelling your child.

My DD (20) is dyslexic and my DS (15) is dyspraxic and only once they had been officially diagnosed was something done at school. In confidence and academically they soared after this. The extra time in exams means that they don't panic and get a "mind blank". My daughter reads and writes more slowly than average but the extra time levels the playing field for her.

A dyslexic child also has to work so much harder to get to where they should be - tables, spelling and OMG organisation - some understanding/tactics from the school for this and military like operations (at home) helped to keep them on track! Everything for school was organised the night before but even then my DD used to forget something or other and was always late - as she's grown up she's learned to keep lists/write things down, etc and even now forgets stuff.

What was helpful from her report were suggestions to help in lessons - such as not asking her to copy massive amounts from the board and making sure that the teacher wrote down for her details of prep required (rather than just rushing through that at the end of the lesson). She's now at University and they have been very supportive.

OP you are describing my son to a tee. He struggled to get the hang of reading and was slow to become a free reader but once he mastered it he was not behind his peers at all, and in a couple of assessments be was even ahead of his chronological age. But he just could not spell for toffee, and would frequently forget words that he'd 'learnt' to pass a test, and occasionally get letters back to front or in the wrong order up until he was about 12 or so. He would also struggle to write more than a few lines at a time and his handwriting was often illegible and painfully slow.

He is fifteen now and his spelling and his ability to organise words has improved hugely. I think one of the very few good things about him being a teenager who spends so long typing and reading stuff on social networking sites is that he sees words over and over again, and they finally seem to be lodging themselves into his memory!

He will never be considered a strong speller by any stretch of the imagination, but he has managed to attain a level of 'legible and literate' at least!

lemi how did you decide which tutor to get? The British Dyslexia Association has such a long list of tutors who are 'known to the BDA' local branch, but they are careful not to be seen as recommending anyone. How did you choose? I have no recommendations and I think I'm going to be looking for someone for DS.

I went by a recommendation if the head teacher.

that's great lemi. DS' headteacher has no recommendations and is very much leaving us to it.

We have a dyslexia centre near us, tutor affiliated to this. Dd's tutor has degree in ed psych , masters specialising in dyslexia and worked as a senco. Her dd is dyslexic. Definitely choose someone who specialises in dyslexia rather than a standard tutor.

It is expensive £35 an hour so will provably stop 1-2-1 when wecanand have small group sessions

WheresItTo yes you can. My son started reading from 2 and a half and by 5 he was fleuent with some childrens books and he is dyslexic. Me too I am dyslexic and I started reading very early.

Of course. DS is extremely dyslexic but always read at above his actual age because he is very bright and was well taught. Didn't really help when it came to diagnosis!

I was fab at reading growing up (Shakespeare, Middle English, lots of classics etc) and I was only diagnosed as dyslexic at uni.

So what were the symptoms of your dyslexia?

Mashabell for me the professors noticed disorganisation in my essay writing, not being able to be ordered in my thoughts and have a coherent line/string of thought through essays/dissertation. I ended up being tested and then having extra time in my finals because of it.

Hello, My daughter is dyslexic and has quite pronounced processing, sequencing and memory issues, and all the angst and associated issues these bring. One of the problems I had was that her school was dealing with her problems by piling on more and more homework/revision/extra SEN lessons - definitely quantity over quality, which was doubly ridiculous as the brain of a child with dyslexia is already working overtime when trying to concentrate and focus. We were at the end of our tether and as a family felt completely overwhelmed and... judged! This is not specifically for dyslexics, but one of the best things I ever did was put into practice the recommendations in Noel Janis Norton's book, "Calmer, Easier, Happier Homework". I highly recommend it for giving both you and your child some structure and control over all the demands being made on you/them. After initial protest it has made my overworked and overwrought little girl much happier and she has been coming on in leaps and bounds this year.

I would also say that, as with any child, it is so important for them to have kind, supportive and engaged teachers who can see them as unique and interesting individuals rather than wriggly time consuming distractions - her teacher this year is wonderful, but last year was horrendous and made my daughter very low and extremely unhappy: she was at various times told by her teacher that she "was sick of her", and that she'd never get into a decent secondary school because she knew nothing, and was shouted at and humiliated on a daily basis. The justifications made by the Head were not acceptable. I was also told by a previous teacher that it was extremely difficult (in a class of 17) because she was "taking (the teacher's) time away from all the gifted children". Sorry, this has unintentionally turned into a sob story. My point is, don't put up with a poor response (pastoral or academic) from the school; do some research yourself and tell them what they need to do to help you and your child.

Oh, and don't feel guilty! You haven't caused your child's dyslexia and you are dealing with it; remember that some of the most creative and innovative minds in history have been dyslexic.