Could my daughter really be dyslexic?

[snackattack]

My dd is 7 and in very academic private school. She is doing really well in school - has been reading fluently with no problems since she was 4.5, she is strong in Maths and Science (so they tell me), her handwriting is OK but her spelling is apparently "not up to scratch". I do know that she doesn't get 10/10 in all her spelling tests (which they have every other day - 12 spellings) and whilst she often retains some more complicated words, she does often mis-spell some of the more high frequency words (eg "many" and "again") in her writing. However, if you ask her to look at them again, she can check and tell you that she has misspelt them and will often correct them. Her spelling age was recently assessed as being nearly 8.8 years.

I was shocked to be told at a recent parent's evening, that they feel she should be tested for dyslexia because "despite a lot of input, her spelling is only slowly improving".... Is this possible or are the school just being ridiculous? My eldest was in a state primary and struggled with spelling until she was 11 years old when it just clicked. However, I really don't want her to struggle if she really does have a problem. Anyone have any thoughts on this?
Thank you.

Bump. Anyone?

Possibly. If she is they will then help lots and that can only be a good thing!

My boyfriend was never diagnosed as dyslexic and as a result got kicked out of school for being distruptive at 15.

In contrast, our friend at my school was diagnosed within a week of starting secondary school and used to get extra time for essays, readings and exams as well as loads of extra resources.

They are unlikely to misdiagnose IME

Is it just her spelling that is a problem? What about other aspects of written work? Has the SENCO done any screening?

It is possible to be very clever and also dyslexic (think Einstein), and learning to read fast may be because she is brilliant at decoding, and saw it as a series of puzzles to be solved. How much does she read for fun?

I think you need to go into the school to talk about this in more detail.

She reads quite a bit for fun and it is just her spelling which is the problem. She has never been screened for anything Meditrina. Her writing is not "neat" but it's perfectly legible - she doesn't seem to enjoy it though, although really loves reading.

The English language is very complex to spell. Some people find it difficult to remember the word specific spellings of sounds, so you get things like 'turn' spelled 'tern', or 'write' spelled 'rite' etc. This really isn't 'dyslexia' unless you want to include poor memory as part od dyslexia (depends on how wide a definition is being used).

If your daughter can produce words that are phonetically plausible then her problem is more likely to be poor memory, lack of practice of spelling words correctly or teaching which hasn't been very systematic and ensured that each sound spelling is mastered.

If her spellings are not phonetically plausible then she has either, again, not had good, systematic phonics teaching, or she may have problems with hearing the individual sounds in words (which is held to be a characteristic of dyslexia). Finding out is a bit of a process of elimination.

I personally wouldn't think she is dyslexic, but then, my views on the subject are controversial..

She could be dyslexic, but assuming this is a private school any assessment will cost £350 + and you will be expected to pay. It may well come back negative, and at 7 she is rather young to be assessed for dyslexia (so such testing just for a small spelling issue might be unreliable). Also what will the school do differently if she is diagnosed as dyslexic? Ask you to pay more for outside tuition? Or suggest your daughter would be better at a different school?

I have a visual/perceptual dyslexic DD with visual convergence issues. She was diagnosed at 6. Very bright girls with dyslexia can often read well because they can spot the context and make an educated guess as to what word comes next. It will only become apparent that there is a problem when they move on to books with words they have not encountered in speech. The spelling thing is a worry. My DD had the same issues. Complicated words were spelled correctly because she would memorise them verbally. However, she is unable to form a picture of the word in her head. Phonetically, the words were correct because she was saying them out loud but they were 'too simple' for her to memorise.

If the school is worried (which school is it?) go to an ed psych and a behavioural optometrist.

Yes I would say it is possible. I am a dyslexic first assessed at the age of 8 years old and then every 2 years to 16 years of age. I have two degrees and an NVQ level 4 so yes it is possible to be bright and dyslexic. At the age of 8 I had a reading age of 11 and could complete the lessons worth of maths in 5 minutes. Spelling was and still is a disaster I could not and have never been able to spell phonetically I even struggle with the order of the letters even though I know they are the right ones. I have just had to learn to spell every word individually.
I am come on this board as I am considering assessment for my DD and one thing I would say is my Mum told me she didn't consider a single assessment she paid for a waste, she also wished she had me assessed sooner. I have recently been investigating assessments and a private assessment can be had for £200. I am looking at a specialist audiologist and educational psychology assessment at £400 at a national centre.

I would get her tested. In the big scheme of things if you're paying fees, £500 or so, isn't too bad.

But make sure the EP's a good one. You don't want to just get someone to say 'yes/no' to dyslexia. You want them to really find out, if there is a problem, exactly what it is - short term memory, auditory processing etc.

And then the report should go on to make concrete step-by-step recommendations as to how the problem (if it exists) should be tackled by the school.