Anyone heard the one about reading ability being linked to loss of first tooth?

[sameagain]

DS2 (YR1,just 6) is struggling with reading, to the extent that the school have identified special needs and he has the appropriate plan etc, which is great.

My mum (ex teacher) told me yest that she has heard on the radio that reading is just like walking - they do it when they are physically ready and this will often be around the time they lose their first tooth.

Now, DS1 was a very good reader in reception, but he did lose his first tooth while in the reception class. DS2 still has all his milk teeth. What do you think?

Interesting...! Mine has one wobbler and is in yr1, his reading is below the usual range but he is starting to get it about now.

So maybe she's right!

Mine is a very good reader in yr 1 (not yet 6) and has no wobbly teeth yet.

Dubious tbh - dd is a good reader but only lost her first tooth in Year 2 likewise ds. Sounds a simialr philopsphy to Steiner.

Er, soundds strange to me.

DD started reading at 2 1/2 and was 5 before she lost a tooth.

She is 5.10 and has a reading age of at least 8.

mine has been reading since nursery (age 3) and lost his first tooth a month ago (aged 5.5yrs)

And ds1 is strating to read (3yrs) and has all his teeth..

I'm sure it is a wives' tale

A friend who's dc go to Steiner believe in this theory.

The children are taught to read when they lose their teeth (I think, half listening).

I didn't really believe it.

Probably won't work with ds2 (3) - he lost his first two teeth last summer when he knocked them out on the side of a pool.

There is a thing in Steiner Education about the loss of first teeth an dreading being linked, I think.

It is something expounded in Steiner school.

DD (6) has not lost any teeth yet but can read reasonably well (when she wants to).

Sorry, crossed posts.

sounds barking to me.
Teeth eruption is not (IMO) linked to any other physical/emotional maturity.

My boys are both late teeth developers: didn't cut their first tooth until 12 months, lost first tooth around 7yrs. But they were both early readers, one very early, and soon developed into very fluent and keen readers.

Seems a bit implausible - though I could see that reading might well be linked to physical development. But not true at all for either of mine as far as the teeth go - DS1 was reading well by 5 and lost his first tooth at 6, DS2 was reading well by 4 and lost his at just over 6 too.

In my experience, for the majority of children reading usually seems to clicks properly sometime between the ages of 5.5 and 7, which would tie in with most of them losing their first teeth.

I agree with apostrophe too.

Interesting theory, my ds was a slow burner with his reading. He is 7 and in year 2 and now he is flying - it just clikcked!! Incidently he lost his firt tooth two weeks ago........(last in his class)

Hmmmm. I can't see the link between your gums getting bigger and the ability to make sense of the written word. Any experts around?

Yes, I suspect it's more coincidental than causal - just because two things happen around the same time doesn't mean one causes the other.

dd1 lost her first tooth when she was 8, she has lost 3 in total and she is nine now

she has been reading above her age since she was 6

I disagree. Ds began to read at 3, he didn't loose his first tooth until he was 8. He's lost 4 teeth so far.

DS is top of his class for reading (year 1) and has all of his milk teeth. They are solid and not going anywhere for a while! He's not 6 until the end of July. IIRC, I was top of my class for reading but had to have my milk teeth pulled out as they wouldn't shift. HTH

Maybe I should have tried Riven's ds2's method, ouch!

I still have most of my milk teeth (lost the first at grammar school) but can obviously read

Bonkers, My two oldest boys are both a bit dyslexic, DS1 got his first tooth at 2 months and lost his first tooth at 4 1/2 before he even started school, but reading fluency has been a long hard slog, DS2 is even worse despite getting an adult tooth at 5, DS3 seems to be hanging on to his milk teeth but I am convinced he is going to pick up reading quickly (already teaching himself letter sounds at 4). My nephew is 7 1/2 and is yet to lose a milk tooth but is doing well with reading (better than my older DS's anyway).

I had some weird condition whereby none of my first teeth fell out, all had enormous roots and had to be extracted when I was older. And I could read when I was 2 and a half, according to my mother . So that's that theory up the spout for me!

Mind you, teeth and books have always been inextricably linked as far as I'm concerned - I had some horrible times at the dentists with all the extractions, and my Mum used to buy me at least 2 Enid Blyton's each time to make up for it! I had a wicked collection.

I wonder what the scientific hypothesis for this theory is.

Why on earth would tooth loss have anything to do with the sudden urge to read?