Is it possible to have dyslexia but have advanced reading skills?

[IsadoraDunking]

I am a bit confused. This week we were told ds1 (11) has dyslexia and dysgraphia. He has very poor spelling, handwriting, concentration, and it would explain an awful lot. But his reading has always been excellent, he reads an awful lot, for pleasure, voluntarily, a wide range of stuff - from younger stuff like Geronimo Stilton / Horrid Henry to most recently Charlie Higson's new book The Enemy which I think is a challenging enough read for an 11 y-o. Someone has said to us "Oh the diagnosis can't be right if he can read that well". Neither of us knows anything about dyslexia (we have been researching it for the past 2 days though!) and I am wondering if anyone else has experience of this?

The diagnosis was made privately by an educational psychologist, through an assessment we arranged ourselves - I am not sure how it is normally done but we are in Ireland anyway so systems are probably different, I think in the UK the assessments are done through school? Anyway that's largely irrelevant, just wondering if anyone has any view on this?

Many thanks.

I've reread this this morning, and thanks for everyone's input.

It seems that it's not inconsistent that he has a good reading ability. As to how we develop a programme for him, I suppose neither we nor the school can start on this properly until we have the written report detailing what his specific difficulties are.

This morning I feel a wave of relief and almost excitement, thinking that we have turned a corner in finding this out and that we can now start to help ds and the path will seem clearer for him. I hope this has effects which are greater than just making learning spelling etc easier. Still a bit confused, but positive. I have no doubt I'll be back for more! And if anyone else comes to this thread I would greatly value further opinions.

Just to let you know, my Ds with dyslexia is sitting 11+ for grammar school in 2 weeks and has been given extra time because of dyslexia. (Even if she doesn't pass she has put loads of effort into the test work and I am really proud of her). Poor spelling, some difficulties with concentration and the other traits need not scupper educational success so don't get discouraged but request as much help as you can get. A friend whose daughter has dyslexia is paying for some private tuition from a dyslexia tutor but I have not done this. You could go for a portable spell checker and I think there might be some spelling computer software/games. Wordshark is one but I haven't tried it so can't say if any good. Best of luck and remember dyslexia can often go with great creativity and originality so there might be a plus side to those dodgy spellings!!

Has anyone suggested an OT assessment Isadora?
They can help with some of the things you mentioned - fine motor skills,organisation etc - more specialised in this than a psychologist . If some of the other perhaps minor difficulties can ne resolved it can have a very positive effect on his more serious difficulties IYSWIM ( an OT would explain it better than that)

Yep- it happens. I am one.
Took me a while to learn to read but once I had found teh right system i raced through books till I was at 8 reading freely and widly.
Like you son I had poor handwriting, spelling, concentration etc. I still have those problems but I cope with them better now. I wasn't DXed till I was 11 , after a battery of hearing and sight tests had ruled out other reasons for my lopsided literacy abilities.

If your lad learnt to read with no hassle he was lucky, the system they used for him as first choice worked for him.

To be honest no-one has suggested anything specific yet bubble - the psychologist is making recommendations in her report. I will put OT on my query list though. The only things she suggested when we met her last week were having ds sit at the front of the class (anti-distraction) and letting him start typing essays. I mean, he will still have to write, but where the writing difficulties are inhibiting the production of work, iyswim, he ought to be able to bypass the mechanics of it. Does that make sense? So a large piece of creative writing, or a project, can be produced on the computer. A lovely friend has said she will make a font of his handwriting in case he feels self conscious handing up something that looks different. What a lovely idea, isn't it?

To be honest I taught him to read myself, before he went to school, and I can't say I used any system other than each letter makes a particular sound, I never trained as a teacher or anything and didn't even realise that the teaching reading methods had changed until he was actually at school (not very well-informed, me!)

UniS can I ask what happened when you were eight? Did you start finding things more of a challenge then?

I was lcky in some ways. In Y1 I was pulled out of the normal class and placed in a reading recovery class , was in that very small class for morning in Y1 &2 , learnt to read. But somehow never quite got it with writing .
Y3 I was back in main stream class but seeming to fail, didn't know the alphabet, no one could read my writing , was way behind on teh reading scheme( thanks to Reading recovery I started it 2 years late) . BUT at home was reading off scheme and gaining proficiency, and singing in a choir and doing normal out of school stuff like brownies.
Start of Y4 we had a standard reading test, which I passed way above my actual age, so I no longer HAD to plough through the reading scheme.

Gotta go, small boy wants to watch Postman pat...

I am a bit worried about my 9yo dd, maybe someone here can give some advice.

I've always wondered if she might be dyslexic as she was slow to learn to read and always had dreadful handwriting and spelling. She is now a good, keen reader and she is quite good at literacy in terms of content - imaginative writing is good, but her spelling is appalling and she still writes many letters back to front.

She has always had dreadful organisation and memory skills, the sort of child who consistently fails to hand in lunch tickets or remember messages, she's by far the worst in her class for this sort of thing.

It's coming to a head again now cos in her current class she's in top set for literacy, just about clinging on in there, but bottom of the bottom set in spelling and she's getting distressed. She spends ages practising her spellings and will still get 2/10 in a test despite diligent practice. She's also, ahem, officially "G&T in creativity" whatever that means, it might not mean much at all, and gets high marks in 3-d design and art.

I am wondering, do you think it's worth getting an assessment for a child like this. I am concerned that her self esteem is quite low because of this (her 8yo sister is very academically good and working above her in all subjects which doesn't help). She was in tears about the spelling this morning and anxious about today because of the Friday spelling test.

I would say yes to getting your daughter assessed.

Would also be contacting the British Dyslexia Association. The Dyscovery centre may also be helpful.

Thanks for the replies. would you go through the school? I am wary cos when I raised the idea when dd was 6 the teacher laughed and said no she coulnd't be dyslexic, she was reading (true, though not fantastically well at that point) and that she was just "average". And I felt like the typical pushy academically-minded parent who can't accept their child is average. But I don't think it's just that.

No to going through the school, contact the BDA yourselves.

Many schools generally are pretty much useless when it comes to dyslexia and would not recognise a clear case if presented with it.

I have asked for an official appointment with the head, though I am wary, I suspect they'll think I'm a weird nutty parent. But I was looking on the BDA for local testing centres but it does suggest you try going through the school first and we do have a generally good relationship with the school and know the staff quite well, it's a small school and we have 3 children there so I feel I should try.

It feels difficult because to the school she isn't a failing or struggling child, she's above average. But she ticks at least 2/3 of the boxes on the BDA and other checklists.

My sister has 'severe' dislexia and is also dyspraxic but her greatest passion is reading - anything and everything that she can get her hands on - it is her forte! Spelling and numbers on the other hand!