Can I get my 5&1/2 year old tested for Dyslexia?

[Jerbil]

Just wondering how old they can diagnose from. and if i can get it done privately. Any advice appreciated.
Thanks

Dyslexia is a huge minefield....

What makes you think your DC has dyslexia?

Has your DC been well taught this year?

Have you had her eyes properly tested by a behaviour optometrist?

Have you had her hearing properly tested?

Dyslexia is not a very useful label. It describes the symptoms of having difficulties with reading and writing - but it does not tell you what is causing those difficulties.

Most dyslexia is caused by either bad teaching, or vision problems, or auditory problems, or neuro-development problems.

Getting a dx of dyslexia may or may not help you. It will cost you about £400 - money which maybe could be better spent helping your DC?

www.dyslexiaadvice.co.uk/

My son was diagnosed with dyslexia when he was six. It cost about £450 and that was five years ago. A school can do a free screening for you, which may indicate if she is at risk of dyslexia, although only a private assessment with an educational psychologist will give you an answer.

What makes you think your DC has dyslexia?

I'm at a loss, and so is the psychologist at the mo. He has a history that matches ASD, but the observation and the ADOS test didn't match that. She said he's complex. He took 3 tiomes to learn his phonics and gets mixed up even now, good days and bad. DS is very reluctant to do any work with me. and he struggles. he's now learning the words his peers were learning in November. He's in reception.

Has your DC been well taught this year?

Yes, I would say he has. They identified he's a visual learner. I'm not saying they're perfect but then neither am I!

Have you had her eyes properly tested by a behaviour optometrist?
No, last time I investigated this I wasn't allowed to take him to the optician cos of his unreliablity when identifying the letters. I've never heard of what you're suggesting so I'll do some research on it. Thanks

Have you had her hearing properly tested?
Yes, that's what we thought was the problem at first. He's had his adenoids out and grommets in and last hearing test was fine.

Getting a dx of dyslexia may or may not help you. It will cost you about £400 - money which maybe could be better spent helping your DC?

You're probably right but I suppose I need some help to decide what I can do for him. I'll look at the link you provided. thanks

Jerbil

Not everyone can use phonics, which is only part of the learning to read process A Behavioural and Neurobiological Investigation of Basic Reading Processes exposes the myths about learning to read, and explains that Sight Vocabulary is a seperate part of the learning to read process, and for some the only way in which thye may learn to read (me and my kids included). We all have Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) which is one of the reasons why children are or become Visual learners or Visual_Spatial Learners.
APD is a listening disability, or not being able to process all that you hear, all sounds which includes speech.
Those who can also tend to be visual learns are those who have attention issues, such as ADHD.
Visual_Spatial Learners are right brain dominant, Left Handed, and think naturally in pictures, and not words.

Hi dolfrog

Funny, you should mention it. DS is left-handed and I would say he does think in pictures. In fact, when copying off the board he sees it as drawing. i.e. a 2 letter sound such as ai is shown on the board as joined up, he writes it like this and then doesn't know the ai sound consists of a and i.
I read about APD a while ago, and he definitely has attention/listening issues. The psych has mentioned ADHD but they won't diagnose it till 7 here apparently. He's quite fidgety, and his attention span stops him from being able to play, watch new things on TV etc.

Can I be nosey and ask which organisation diagnosed APD for you/your kids? Many thanks

Jerbil

Jerbil

A strange line of events
Our eldest son was given a summary diagnosis in 1998 by our local peadiatrician, which started the whole ball rolling as up until then we had never heard of CAPD as it was known then.
I was diagnosed at the first UK APD clinic based at Sheffield University (2003), as part of an NHS funded research program. With and because i was the first adult assessed at Sheffield the results of my tests were sent to an Audiologist in the USA, so i have two diagnosis of APD lol
Next our eldest was officially diagnosed at Sheffield, and our younger two were confirmed as probably having APD as we were running out of time, a family day trip from London to Sheffield (2004).
Subsquently our two younger sons (DS 2 (2006) and Ds3 (2010)) have been since diagnosed at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH), For his college DS2 has also had an adult assessment and diagnosis at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery (NHNN) (2009-10), Queen Square, London next door to GOSH and my partner at NHNN (2008- 9).

But hopefully there will be more APD clinics around the UK in the very near future using the new Medical Research Council 's Battery of APD diagnostic tests, and a greater professional awareness of what APD is, and the nature of the accommodations required.

Hi dolfrog

thanks for the info. gives me further research paths :)

Has he had a speech and language assessment? If not - or even if so - please consider this also.

Yes, he had a SALT assessment from a self-referral I did. He then received 10 sessions to correct his pronunciation of k's and t's. He is due to have a further assessment of his language (understanding) later this week, but the teacher has just found another issue where he is having a problem pronouncing a sound (can pronounce it at all other times except when we're trying to get him to pronounce the sound by itself).

Thanks

Jerbil

only to add to what working9while5 has said, it is recommended in the UK can law in some USA states, that APD should be a multi - discipline Assessment. The Assessment teams should consist of an audiologist to diagnose that APD, a Speech and Langauge Pathologist to assess the speech and language implications of the APD issues identified in the APD diagnosis, and a psychologist to assess the issues with regard to living with APD issues identified in the diagnosis.

Our Youngest had one of these multi-discipline assessments last year at GOSH before he started secondary school, which has made a great difference in the the understanding at his new school of his APD issues, and he has made some for us appear as remarkable improvements in his academic achievements. This combined report has also helped the local SALT who has been in contact with GOSH to help with a greater understanding of some of the APD related issues.