6 years can old can't read and has no photographic memory - brainstorm help?

[hyperspacebug]

My 6 years old can barely read and seems to have really poor memory that is required for dealing with school academic stuff.

His writing and other fine motor skills are ok and he doesn't seem to be 'thick' generally.

But I cannot understand why he doesn't seem to remember what the word and (for example) looks like. When he reads and he will read it as if he's never seen this word before and goes as how he remembers from phoenetics in school: 'Aaaa eNNNN Duh ....it's and'. Next minute he'd repeat exactly the same. He does it with all words. I don't think there is a word that he recognises instantly by sight. Maybe his name?

He passed phoenetics test in Y1, strangely enough.

He's ok with writing - 'this is my favourite fruit' he wrote like 'tis is my faforit froot' and his writing style is no worse than his peers. Very normal, it seems.

He couldn't talk until he was 3. Even now his pronunciation is still slightly off. Slow to adapt to corrections, often repeats same mistake over and over again beofre things change.

What can this be? We read to him most bedtimes and even encourage him to sound out the words, but it's too exhausting for him. I've GP booked to refer him to have mild hearing loss ruled out, but ..what about slow memory? The rest of his family has photographic memory. I don't want him to struggle at school all his childhood and compare himself negatively to his brother.

Wow Feenie. Snarky, much?

If the OPs child can accurately decode words then it’s highly unlikely they have visual or hearing problems.

“Er who says there aren’t any KS1 teachers on the thread?” There are? where?

I remember saying to ds2's teacher a few weeks into year one (he would have been 6 as his birthday is September) that "he just doesn't get reading at all". He couldn't read a word.

He's now 20, at a good university with A star/A for gcse Eng Lit and Lang, and A for A level English under his belt.

Some kids are just late readers.

Good grief is this Primary Ed or the doghouse?

Sorry OP, you might get a few more helpful responses if some posters didn't seem to want to chase others if the thread.

I'll leave you to it.

Not snarky - just wish teachers would read the statutory curriculum and associated documents and give advice that's in line with best practice and under to date research.

I have noticed that teachers who fail to do so get very upset when called upon this though. In answer to your question, it's primary education, yes.

Whilst I'm sure the range is normal, is there any indication that a relative weakness in a particular area of intelligence is what leads to the normality of being on the slow side to gain fluency?

For example we know in swimming, a relative weakness in the proprioception sense means it tends to take longer to learn.

If there was, then could it be that far from spending more time simply on the reading, you could get gains from working on that area. So e.g. if working memory slows down acquisition, you'd spend time on improving that?

up to date, obviously.

I know a very successful man, retired now but principal of a secondary school, and his granddaughter, who excelled academically and is studying medicine, who both read like this. He never reads for pleasure because he finds it frustratingly slow. Phonics wasn't a thing when either of them were learning to read but they both spell out the letters to themselves. It might just be the way some people are.

Has he had speech and language therapy at all in the past?

Ok I'll bite

As a teacher, I'd hope teachers with many years experience could give others the benefit of hints and tips which they have found work over the years, rather than spouting "statutory curriculum and associated documents and give advice that's in line with best practice" which lets face it, anyone can read if they're interested.

I hope you're more flexible in your thinking than you come across.

Sorry OP, not a helpful thread derailment.

As I said, I'll leave. But it's a shame.

“I hope you're more flexible in your thinking than you come across” I’d hope that you’re more au fait with the statutory requirements of the National Curriculum than your posts suggest.

It sounds like he's never quite cracked blending. I would practice oral blending simple words using flashcards. So you read c..a..t.. and he says cat. Keep repeating this with lots of words, until he can blend very quickly. Then add in where he sounds out the word and blends it until he can do it fluently. Then try putting together short sentences or captions of cvc words, e.g. cat on a rug. (Google will probably bring up some you can print, hopefully with an accompanying picture). This should develop his fluency quicker, and sooner or later he will realise he doesn't have to sound out every single word!

The OP has said he can decode the words. The perceived problem is that he decodes every word rather than read them automatically.

hyperspacebug It is unusual for a Y2 child to still be sounding out like that, but not unheard of. There have been 1 or 2 children like that in each of my Y2 classes and they have all been reading much more fluently by the time I handed them on to Y3!

Have you spoken to the teacher about your concerns? I would hope that they already have interventions in place for your DS. I would recommend purchasing Dancing Bears to work on at home, it is quick and easy to do but will make a difference if you can do 10 minutes every day.

Back now catching up on comments, I appreciate all your comments and reassuring anecdotes.

Have two updates myself since then:

1. Our nanny of her own accord has suggested, maybe he should get a hearing test? She had occasions of having to repeat herself several times when he was directly addressing her.

While even mild hearing loss can delay linguistic development when unchecked, I am profoundly deaf myself, so deaf that hearing aids don't help much and I still learnt to read at 3. I do have excellent memory to make up for it.

Even if he does mild hearing loss, it isn't alone problem I think given how bad his working memory seems to be. But it would be good to rule it out completely.

2. Got a letter from school saying they'd like to provide him additional support in maths and can he come earlier every Wed to attend early morning learning.

Depressing, but also reassuring that I'm not only one thinking he's slow progressing. Last year teacher was pretty relaxed and said he was doing ok, was mid-stream (big surprise), not at bottom of his class. I'm also suspicious he's passed phoenetics test (score 35/40), because his decoding skills are certainly far from perfect.

As a teacher, I'd hope teachers with many years experience could give others the benefit of hints and tips which they have found work over the years, rather than spouting "statutory curriculum and associated documents

Really? I'd much rather do both.

Well the hearing test and meeting with the teacher sound like a good way forward. Try not to view it as too depressing though, people can overcome all sorts of difficulties. It is good that the school are being proactive in supporting your child.

There's nothing wrong at all, it's how he's been taught. Haven't school explained he phonics system you you, it's usually done when your child begins reception. Maybe request a meeting with his teacher to get your head around it all?

Some do catch on to reading quicker than others, remember.

How long are his reading books? Is he reading more than one sentence per page?

As year 2 blends into year 3, the emphasis moves to comprehension, and blending every words makes comprehension very challenging.

After he blends a sentence, can you go back and read the words together? Particularly using your finger to point under every word? With my kids, any sentence with a particularly tricky word I asked them to read a second time to make sure they got what the sentence was saying. In your case, if every word is blended, reading together may be better to help him hear what the sentence is actually saying.

I used to read a book back to my child after he read it to me. The reading was tough, so he missed the story. When I read it back to him, with my fingers under the words, it helped a lot with fluency as well.

He's clearly a great blender and now needs to work on fluency so that he can understand what's he's reading as well.

Could he have dysgraphia?

My d s similar age late talker salt issues reads similarly to what you describe and his salt said he has issues with his working memory.

Though some opticians can do the test, visual stress is a brain not sight problem, Norest.

www.irlenuk.com/irlen-symptoms-overview.htm

OK ...if he can decode accurately then he’s unlikely to have visual stress difficulties.