What is this?

[duvet]

Just wondering if anyone can offer any advise with my dd2 (8), she was delayed in reading and writing but in the last year has made excellent progress and reached the average percentile in the test results. However she seems to misunderstand a lot, she even has mentioned that her friends say that 'she doesn't understand'. This does cause some arguments and frustrations at home too. For examples:

Friend speaking to DD1(11): Do you usually wear your hair up for PE?
DD1: Yes I do.
DD2: Why is hair down now then?

Today Me: Can you tell the guitar teacher that dd1 wont be having a lesson in school next week because she's on a school trip.
DD2: What, she's leaving school?
ME: No she will just be away for 2 days on a school trip.
DD2: But you said she was leaving or something.
ME: No, I said she was going on a school trip.
DD2: I know!
And so I go on to explain what I mean, and after a few times of this kind of thing in a day it gets quite frustrating.
If we are watching something on a DVD for example and they give information she will then ask about the very thing they've just said. Kind of obvious questions. It's as if she doesn't listen properly or she cant follow what's said, but she gets upset and argumentative when we try and talk about it.

So I beginning to wonder what is going on in her head? Any thoughts anyone.

Has she had her hearing checked? It's always a good first step (although this does sound probably more complex than that).

(related to that) does there seem to be a difference in her understanding of material she reads and material she hears, or are there equal issues with both?

Hmm, she does seem to read and comprehend okay, but perhaps I need to pay closer attention to this.

Sometimes it's just seems that she's being contrary!

It could be, based on your description and with all the usual disclaimers that I am just an unqualified layperson, that she has an auditory processing disorder. Unfortunately this is one of those conditions that is particularly patchy in terms of recognition and support.

The NDCS don't support APD but they do have a good page linking to resources elsewhere on the web.

thanks TortoiseUpATreeAgain, will take a look.

Some kids with high functioning ASD take things literally. I heard of one child who was told to 'hop on the bus'. She got on the bus and hopped.

But if your child has friends and her body language is the same as other people's then it would seem less likely. My aspergers friend gets volumes of language and intonation a bit confused as well.

Whatever it is, she may be happier if you can sort it. maybe a good Speech and Language therapy assessment would shine some light on it.