Dyslexia/ADD symptoms

[Onthehill12345]

I hope you can help. My ds is 6.5 and in year 2 of school. Last year he was diagnosed with verbal dyspraxia. Although you can understand him, he pronounces most words incorrectly (boor for door, ged for bed)

In addition to his speech disorder, I'm wondering if he has dyslexia and/or ADD (he's not hyperactive). He is struggling to read/spell. He looks at simple words such as sat, hat, the etc and often guesses what they say ( sometimes miles off too, he'll say gold for hat). He gets confused with b, p, d, g, and qs, often writing them backwards. He knows he is behind his friends and is feeling ashamed (breaks my heart). The teacher has confirmed that he is not at the same level as his peers.

He also can't recall days of the week, know what he's doing on different days and can't recite the alphabet. He's also terrible at following instructions/forgets after 2 seconds.

With regards to ADD, he has little attention for things he doesn't find interesting, - schoolwork obviously but other things such as playing with toys and often complains he's bored (unless dialled into Minecraft). But I don't know if this behaviour would fall under dyslexia behaviors as he's not impulsive, sleeps well and has a good routine. He does have poor emotional regulation at home (throws items, hits, shouts screams) but okay at school.

The school said they are observing him. I don't know whether I should be pushing for more support or assessment or if this is normal behaviour.

Many thanks for reading.

The coping at school but having meltdowns at home signify unmet needs at school. It is known as the coke bottle effect. What support is the school providing? Does DS have an EHCP? If not, you should request an EHCNA - IPSEA has a model letter you can use. If an EHCP is in place, you need an early review. If DS has an EHCP, what did the EP assessment say, and does the EHCP contain SALT and OT support?

Thank you for your reply @SearchingForSolitude . A private SALT diagnosed him and is supporting him weekly with his speech (for a small fortune). His school have put nothing in place with the exception of him attending a phonics group with a handful of other children from his class. He's doesn't have EHCNA or had an EP assessment. His challenges with reading really have only come to the surface in year 2 when blending and reading skills are needed.

Since my son has been one I have flagged concerns with professionals and I have been told he's just 'shy' 'sensitive' or it's due to lock down and children being behind. I have felt gaslighted by professionals in the sense that it's made me feel like his struggles are all in my head.

I think I am going to follow up with his teacher and ask for a meeting.

As well as speaking to DS’s teacher request a meeting with the SENCO. Follow up verbal conversations with emails so you have a paper trail as evidence. The school should be providing support. You should also request an EHCNA.

Hey have you contacted your son's SENCO or spoken to his class teacher. They are usually pretty good at detecting this stuff, if not ask if the school could do a screening test. I came across this platform www.flippd.io that may be helpful.

They are usually pretty good at detecting this stuff

Unfortunately, this often isn’t the case.

He was attaining by year one but by October of year two he was bottom of his class across literacy. I voiced my concerns then about him being dyslexic and his teacher said he would speak with Senco. He was then put in a phonics group in the meantime.

I emailed the school today and have a meeting with his teacher tomorrow along with the deputy head. She has just completed a literacy assessment and would like to discuss the results. I just hope I'm not fobbed off. His teacher is lovely this is her first year teaching so I don't know how much knowledge she has of additional learning needs.
@SearchingForSolitude thank you for the advice of putting everything in email. Can I ask what an EHCNA is?

An EHCNA is an Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment. It is the needs assessment you first request as part of the Education, Health and Care Plan process. IPSEA and SOSSEN are charities with lots of helpful information, including model letters, on their websites.