I think my five year old is Dyslexic - I want to get him tested.

[Anonymous]

17:40 here. He really sounds a lot like my son. He sounds gtld possibly. If you go to the MCPS gtld page there is a checklist, and list of charateristics. You should really check it out. If you think he might be gifted with learning disabilities, it would be all the more reason to get an independent neuropsych evaluation. The testing is much more comprehensive. Also, I agree with the previous poster...dyslexia comes with many positives traits. It may not be dyslexia, however, which is why you would want a comprehensive test. Whether it is or not, it does not change the amazing kid your son is...just points you in the right direction to instruction that will work for him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Read The Dyslexic Advantage. You'll see all the wonderful things that go along with all the school struggles DC is having. That book took a 1000 lb weight right off my shoulders, as I recognized all the amazing things he could do since his brain was "different" not "worse".

+10000

The Dyxlexic Advantage is a great book.

[Anonymous]

OP, FWIW, I would recommend that you consider comprehensive testing with a speech and language pathologist either instead of or in addition to neuropsychology testing.

I was concerned at a very early age about my DS' language development. He wasn't "behind" but I could see oddities in the way his language was developing -- consistent use of made up words, words garbled by syllable, and difficulty rhyming. By age 4-6, it was apparent to me that his reading wasn't developing appropriately.

But, at age 5, he was still too young to have these problems picked up by a neuropsychologist. DS' IQ testing was pretty high, so he was able to compensate in a number of ways that sort of hid his problems. Plus, at age 5 or even 6, there really isn't an expectation that kids are "reading," so neuropsych achievement testing in the area of reading won't necessarily reveal "dyslexia" or "reading disorder".

I found the speech and language evaluations we had done around age 4 and age 6 to be invaluable. This testing showed that DS really didn't have a grasp of the phonetic skills required for reading -- recognizing sounds, associating sounds with a letter or letters, being able "segment" and "blend" sound. The speech and language testing also provided much better information about vocabulary, knowledge of semantic structures, grammar, ability to spell, etc.

I would encourage you to get your DS tested thoroughly by a good SPL. (We used Lab school, which I highly recommend.) Then if the testing shows gaps or lag in development in phonetics, I would consider getting a good tutor to focus on phonics using Phonographix, Wilson or the ASDEC program.

Our Lab school SPL was also able to alert us to (but not diagnose) other potential problems -- namely ADD, executive function problems, and auditory processing problems. None of which could be diagnosed at such a young age but were later.

Sally Shaywitz is considered a leader in the field of dyslexia. Look at her book "Overcoming Dyslexia." Her research center at Yale also has a website.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He is too young to be diagnosed with dyslexia, OP

No. He's not. It's diagnosable by a psychologist. This is a neurological problem that can be detected on tests. OP, I would get him tested as soon as possible. I waited because my son's teachers said that it was too early to say, even though I have many dyslexics in the family, and I know what it looks like. It was a mistake. Testing sooner and getting tutoring sooner would have saved both of us some headaches.


Also, don't confuse "dyslexic" with "slow" or "stupid." My DS has a tested IQ of 142. He's also dyslexic and dysgraphic. After receiving tutoring, he is reading at a lexile level at the 99%.

I work with a number of psychologists and they don't like to do the testing / diagnosis until age 6 or 7 for learning disabilities. They get a much better picture at that age then they would at 4 or 5 and retesting is costly so it isn't something most parents want to do every year.

Our psychologist tests at 5. Since kids start public school at 5 or 6, that means you can the results of that testing to school and ask for an IEP immediately, rather than waiting for an entire year of frustration to build up. I don't mind paying for the testing twice, if that is necessary.

[Anonymous]

My 7 year old was just diagnosed with dyslexia, and there were signs at 4/5 in pre k, and stronger signs at 5/6 in k, and then in the fall of first grade teachers started hinting something wasn't quite right and we did the testing. Like the other posters, it was the disparity of a really bright, curious kid who wasn't learning to read at the pace other kids were. He turns out to be on grade level (barely) for reading, but like the kid described up thread, tests in the high 90th percentile for reasoning and overall smarts, but in the single digits for spelling, math computation, and very middling for working memory and processing speed. It all adds up to a very frustrated kid who is used to being very smart but finds in class he is "dumb."

Don't wait. Earlier is better. And do, do, do read Sally Shaywitz's Overcoming Dyslexia. The other book mentioned, the Dyslexia Advantage is a nice pick me up if you are feeling down about the possibility of dyslexia, but Overcoming Dyslexia is where you are going to get your nuts and bolts info and a plan.

[Anonymous]

Just an FYI OP, if you do get a speech language eval, ask specifically for phonological testing. Not all SLP's give it as part of their standard testing.

[Anonymous]

Lots of good info here, but start with the easiest, if you haven't already, and get a good vision evaluation to make sure that is not a contributing factor.

[Anonymous]

I would definitely take your child to a Behavioral Optometrist. We use Dr. Jacobs in McLean and think he's fab.

http://www.jacobsvision.com/

He can tell you exactly what visual processing "pieces" are askew and tailor therapy for your child.

Best of luck to you.

[Anonymous]

This from Dr. Jacobs' website is particularly relevant:

"Testing that focuses on eye sight and eye health and that does not evaluate all aspects of vision is inadequate and will not identify learning-related vision issues."

[Anonymous]

Vision therapy was what my DS needed. It is worth looking at. vision issues (the vision therapy kind) are frequently though to be Dyslexia. You could go to a regular eye doctor to start - but go to a young one. Our OT person was actually the first one who told us she suspected vision issues.

[Anonymous]

OP here.

We managed to get my son in at the Stixrud group - THANK YOU for the recommendation. They were so thorough and results have come back over he has a high IQ, and tested out as well above average but he is in fact dyslexic. They also believe he has ADHD and my husband and I are in shock. He is five years old, and they are suggesting medication to make him more available to learn? I think I need to find out more before I leap into this. He can sit and play legos for hours on end. He can watch a movie without moving. He is fidgety on the mat for class and does not hear the teachings because he doesn't focus on the teacher so much. But he is five. What other signs should I be looking for to think yes, this is an attention problem?

This is the start of a long journey I know. I am going to get a second opinion on the ADHD, am getting tutoring organized and we also think we need his sight tested. His teacher has told us he squints all the time so I shall follow up on that also.

Does anyone know of any particularly good schools in NOVA - someone told me Flint Hill is exceptional for Dyslexia teaching??

[Anonymous]

We went to MindWell where they specifically told us TO GET testing early (age 6) because you can diagnose it based on an entire profile of learning and everything that gets factored into reading. We worked with Dr. Varia who specializes in dyslexia and then with one of their educational consultants. Now thinking about Oakwood school which is really good for language based disorders.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here.

We managed to get my son in at the Stixrud group - THANK YOU for the recommendation. They were so thorough and results have come back over he has a high IQ, and tested out as well above average but he is in fact dyslexic. They also believe he has ADHD and my husband and I are in shock. He is five years old, and they are suggesting medication to make him more available to learn? I think I need to find out more before I leap into this. He can sit and play legos for hours on end. He can watch a movie without moving. He is fidgety on the mat for class and does not hear the teachings because he doesn't focus on the teacher so much. But he is five. What other signs should I be looking for to think yes, this is an attention problem?

This is the start of a long journey I know. I am going to get a second opinion on the ADHD, am getting tutoring organized and we also think we need his sight tested. His teacher has told us he squints all the time so I shall follow up on that also.

Does anyone know of any particularly good schools in NOVA - someone told me Flint Hill is exceptional for Dyslexia teaching??

We didn't go with medication. But it could still be ADHD. Your legos comment struck me and then I read this on the MindWell website -mentioned above. Check it out. http://www.mindwell.us/speaking-the-mind/2013/1/23/he-can-focus-forever-on-legos.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here.

We managed to get my son in at the Stixrud group - THANK YOU for the recommendation. They were so thorough and results have come back over he has a high IQ, and tested out as well above average but he is in fact dyslexic. They also believe he has ADHD and my husband and I are in shock. He is five years old, and they are suggesting medication to make him more available to learn? I think I need to find out more before I leap into this. He can sit and play legos for hours on end. He can watch a movie without moving. He is fidgety on the mat for class and does not hear the teachings because he doesn't focus on the teacher so much. But he is five. What other signs should I be looking for to think yes, this is an attention problem?

This is the start of a long journey I know. I am going to get a second opinion on the ADHD, am getting tutoring organized and we also think we need his sight tested. His teacher has told us he squints all the time so I shall follow up on that also.

Does anyone know of any particularly good schools in NOVA - someone told me Flint Hill is exceptional for Dyslexia teaching??

We didn't go with medication. But it could still be ADHD. Your legos comment struck me and then I read this on the MindWell website -mentioned above. Check it out. http://www.mindwell.us/speaking-the-mind/2013/1/23/he-can-focus-forever-on-legos.html

I've often read/heard it said that ADHD is not the inability to focus, it's the inability to control the amount of your focus to a degree that's appropriate. Kids will be able to hyper focus when things are interesting or they are in the flow, but not be able to maintain their focus on boring, repetitive stuff to the same degree one would expect from a non-ADHD child. This may even be accentuated in kids are GT and ADHD. For my ADD-Inattentive child, I've noticed it's not that he's not paying attention to a speaker, it's that he's paying attention so deeply to something else, he doesn't notice interruption of the speaker. Sometimes I think of it as the attentional equivalent to being a deep sleeper who doesn't wake to an alarm.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here.

We managed to get my son in at the Stixrud group - THANK YOU for the recommendation. They were so thorough and results have come back over he has a high IQ, and tested out as well above average but he is in fact dyslexic. They also believe he has ADHD and my husband and I are in shock. He is five years old, and they are suggesting medication to make him more available to learn? I think I need to find out more before I leap into this. He can sit and play legos for hours on end. He can watch a movie without moving. He is fidgety on the mat for class and does not hear the teachings because he doesn't focus on the teacher so much. But he is five. What other signs should I be looking for to think yes, this is an attention problem?

This is the start of a long journey I know. I am going to get a second opinion on the ADHD, am getting tutoring organized and we also think we need his sight tested. His teacher has told us he squints all the time so I shall follow up on that also.

Does anyone know of any particularly good schools in NOVA - someone told me Flint Hill is exceptional for Dyslexia teaching??

Just addressing the adhd part, nothing you say contradicts the diagnosis. Pretty much everyone can focus on things they are motivated to to do. My child is similar to yours (high IQ, dysgraphia, adhd) and can sit for hours with puzzles, books, legos. In fact he has the most unusual and intense focus I have ever seen. Try to distract him, it is impossible. This is not typical, though, and I was not as surprised as teachers and my husband and family about the diagnosis at age six. The thing that surprised me most was that he got the combines diagnosis... he seemed less hyperactive than other kindergarteners Fast forward to age 9, though, and anyone can see that he has ADHD. He still gets excellent grades, he still is not medicated, but as life and school has gotten more challenging he has also become more impulsive and hyperactive.