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?

[fircone]

I'm like Feenie. My milk teeth never fell out.

All I can say is that I'm over 40 and can read quite well.

[CarmenSanDiego]

Interesting theory... my daughter (5) lost her first tooth about 5 months ago. About 2 months ago, she suddenly got an interest in reading. Her teacher was worried and she'd been really struggling and barely feeling her way through a word and then the desire to read kicked in and she started hoarding books and pretty much taught herself to read in a few weeks.

I don't think the two things are related although probably, they can often coincidentally happen around the same time, but I do think some kids may have a learning 'spurt' where they suddenly pick up a skill.

[ErnestTheBavarian]

In Germany the children have to have a test before being declared mature or ready for school. they test many things and take loads into consideration, including loss off 1st tooth, which in general is a BIG THING here. less formally done in Switzerland, but similar, and loss of tooth also considered important indication of maturity and development.

[seeker]

There are certain physical things that happen to all average children at about the same time. In the years before accurate record keeping some of these things were used to judge roughly how old a child was. For example, apparently in rural Scotland the school master would ask a child to reach over the top of his head with his right arm and try and touch his left ear. If he could reach he was ready for school - if he couldn't, he wasn't. I've tried this on lots of (extremely baffled) children, and they can do it at about 5. (go on, everyone, find a child and try!)

There is no connection between touching your ear - or for that matter losing a tooth -and learning to read, There is a connection between these things and age.

[prettybird]

Doens't fit with ds: he lost his first tooth quite early, yet was 6.5 before he was ready to read.

He is now 8.5 and reading really well.

[MarmadukeScarlet]

DS is 4.5 has already lost 2 bottom teeth (new ones growning in nicely) he has SN and is way off reading.

[lal123]

Why are we discussing this???

[CountessDracula]

dd is 6, in Y1 and has lost 7 teeth
She reads very fluently
She lost her first tooth when she was 4 (and could read some!)

[SoupDragon]

The touching-your-ear thing is why small children struggle with wiping their own bottoms.

[SoupDragon]

You could probably find a link between bottom wiping ability and reading if you wanted. EG DS2 (8) is very good at reading but has some lapses in enthusiasm. Much like his bottom wiping it would seem.

[seeker]

Just remember, the plural of anecdote is not data.

[stleger]

Oddly my 'best reader' is dd1, who lost her two top teeth before she was six, and has 3 out of 4 wisdom teeth at 15!

[talbot]

My "worst reader" lost her teeth first at 4 and my "best reader" didn't lose his until 7 so no correlation here I'm afraid.

[paranoid2]

I read the article in the Daily telegraph. The journalist was quoting the findings of a leading Optometrist (keith Holland) who specialises in visual therapy. He didnt claim that there was a direct link between a child losing their baby teeth and reading development , but rather that a childs physical development is part of a hierarchy and generally a childs ability to be able to read up close and track words on a page develops around the same time as their baby teeth fall. He said that he often has children who are referred to him because of reading problems and often their baby teeth are still there and he thinks they are just not ready to read because of their immature physical development. He sometimes gets children of 7 who have the visual processing of a 5 year old and therfore their adult teeth havent come through. He wasnt claiming that any other problems that children have in relation to reading were due to this, simply that the rate of development of visual processing in children is linked to rate of development of teeth growth. I dont know if its a pile of nonsense or not but Dt1 was an early fluent reader and his teeth came out early. Dt2 on the other hand was later to develop good tracking skills, ie tendancy to miss words despite having good phonics skills and he was late to lose his baby teeth

[MerlinsBeard]

Have only read the first few posts but its utter tosh. DS1 is an amazing reader - reading from the junior library and rarely struggles with words. He got his first tooth at 4 months to the day and they are still going strong - he is just 6.

[prettybird]

Ds was one of the first of his school friends to lose all his baby teeth and have a full set of "new" teeth - but was one of the last to "get" reading.

He was great at maths from the start and was also learning all his "reading" books off by heart so we knew he was bright but was just not developmentally ready to read.

So no correlation there.

[Madsometimes]

I ran this theory by dd2 who is nearly 6. She thought it was hilarious

[Builde]

What a load of tosh. If had waited until my first tooth fell out, I would have been almost 7. My final milk teeth had to be extracted at 13 and I could definitely read by then.

[hellywobs]

My son lost his first tooth quite early and reads well. He has a friend who is 3 days older than him, is around the same level reading-wise and she still hasn't lost ANY teeth - they are 7 in November!

[islandofsodor]

I'd say it is total rubbish.

Ds is 5 and in reception. He has been blending words wince he was 3 and is now on ORT Level 5. He has not lost any teeth yet.

Dd was blending at age 4 and was about ORT level 4 at this stage in reception class. She lost her first tooth at about age 6.

[mrsed12]

I am looking for valid research on this because I have been noticing aver the last few years of teaching that children who are struggling with reading all of a sudden climb significantly after that first tooth falls. There are children who find learning easy because they are quite good at it just like you have people who are good at art. The thing is that the children who are finding it difficult just seem to flourish after that first tooth so if anyone knows of some great research on neural pathways related to that milestone, please let me know. I find that upper body strength really helps struggling writers and this is well researched.. but tooth loss and reading definitely has some sort of impact on children that don't have specific learning difficulties other than just not being ready.... very interesting to see as a teacher

[mrsed12]

please excuse my spelling as I wrote this in a rush

[Hippymama]

Doesn't fit with my ds. He's 5 and in P1 (Scotland). He is not even close to losing any of his first teeth, but is an excellent reader (reading chapter books, P3 level).