Does my kid have dyslexia? Does it matter?

[Anonymous]

At the end of 1st grade, my child was diagnosed with dyslexia and adhd as part of a full neuro psych evaluation. She scored in the single digit percentiles on tests of phonemic awareness. We immediately started once a week tutoring. At the beginning of 2nd grade she still was not reading. About a month into 2nd grade we started stimulant medications. A week later, she was reading chapter books. Now, in the beginning of 3rd grade, she tests above grade level for reading (combination decoding and comprehension).

So does my child actually have dyslexia, or is it just ADHD, or just natural late reader? And does it matter -- now that she's reading so well, if it was actually dyslexia, are there still things we need to be concerned about?

[Anonymous]

Well, I have a touch of dyslexia and for example, while I have no problem reading in terms of reversing letters, I have reversed the gas pedal with the brake pedal. I have confused whether time goes up to 100 before it changes and whether money goes up to 60 before it changes.

I know to look out for things like this, and to slow down and really pay attention, double and triple check. So I think it's important for your daughter to know how her brain works. She needs to know its natural inclination if that means it will lure her in a wrong direction.

[Anonymous]

She probably does b/c ADHD doesn't affect phonemic awareness. Dyslexia and/or ADHD may cause difficulties for her down the road when if comes to organizing information, e.g., in writing an essay for example. It's more than difficulty reading.

So it only matters in a sense when it causes problems, which may not be apparent at this point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well, I have a touch of dyslexia and for example, while I have no problem reading in terms of reversing letters, I have reversed the gas pedal with the brake pedal. I have confused whether time goes up to 100 before it changes and whether money goes up to 60 before it changes.

I know to look out for things like this, and to slow down and really pay attention, double and triple check. So I think it's important for your daughter to know how her brain works. She needs to know its natural inclination if that means it will lure her in a wrong direction.

Thanks, but dyslexia has nothing to do with reversing letters. It's about hearing sounds and sound chunks and translating those sounds into letter symbols.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:She probably does b/c ADHD doesn't affect phonemic awareness. Dyslexia and/or ADHD may cause difficulties for her down the road when if comes to organizing information, e.g., in writing an essay for example. It's more than difficulty reading.

So it only matters in a sense when it causes problems, which may not be apparent at this point.

Thanks. Can you tell me more about how dyslexia affects organization? It's already clear that weak executive functioning, I assume related to the adhd, will make writing challenging.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well, I have a touch of dyslexia and for example, while I have no problem reading in terms of reversing letters, I have reversed the gas pedal with the brake pedal. I have confused whether time goes up to 100 before it changes and whether money goes up to 60 before it changes.

I know to look out for things like this, and to slow down and really pay attention, double and triple check. So I think it's important for your daughter to know how her brain works. She needs to know its natural inclination if that means it will lure her in a wrong direction.

Your examples are not signs of dyslexia, we all do that from time to time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At the end of 1st grade, my child was diagnosed with dyslexia and adhd as part of a full neuro psych evaluation. She scored in the single digit percentiles on tests of phonemic awareness. We immediately started once a week tutoring. At the beginning of 2nd grade she still was not reading. About a month into 2nd grade we started stimulant medications. A week later, she was reading chapter books. Now, in the beginning of 3rd grade, she tests above grade level for reading (combination decoding and comprehension).

So does my child actually have dyslexia, or is it just ADHD, or just natural late reader? And does it matter -- now that she's reading so well, if it was actually dyslexia, are there still things we need to be concerned about?

I would have her tested agin with medication and see if things still show up. How fast does she read and does she make many mistakes when reading out loud?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, I have a touch of dyslexia and for example, while I have no problem reading in terms of reversing letters, I have reversed the gas pedal with the brake pedal. I have confused whether time goes up to 100 before it changes and whether money goes up to 60 before it changes.

I know to look out for things like this, and to slow down and really pay attention, double and triple check. So I think it's important for your daughter to know how her brain works. She needs to know its natural inclination if that means it will lure her in a wrong direction.

Your examples are not signs of dyslexia, we all do that from time to time.

I do it more often than the average person. That's what makes it an issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, I have a touch of dyslexia and for example, while I have no problem reading in terms of reversing letters, I have reversed the gas pedal with the brake pedal. I have confused whether time goes up to 100 before it changes and whether money goes up to 60 before it changes.

I know to look out for things like this, and to slow down and really pay attention, double and triple check. So I think it's important for your daughter to know how her brain works. She needs to know its natural inclination if that means it will lure her in a wrong direction.

Your examples are not signs of dyslexia, we all do that from time to time.

I do it more often than the average person. That's what makes it an issue.

It might be an issue, but it's not dyslexia.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, I have a touch of dyslexia and for example, while I have no problem reading in terms of reversing letters, I have reversed the gas pedal with the brake pedal. I have confused whether time goes up to 100 before it changes and whether money goes up to 60 before it changes.

I know to look out for things like this, and to slow down and really pay attention, double and triple check. So I think it's important for your daughter to know how her brain works. She needs to know its natural inclination if that means it will lure her in a wrong direction.

Your examples are not signs of dyslexia, we all do that from time to time.

I do it more often than the average person. That's what makes it an issue.

Again, your examples are not signs of dyslexia, have you ever been formally tested?

[Anonymous]

Have her read to you out loud. My dyslexic kid can read silently but when he reads out loud he pronounces all the word incorrectly and can't spell anything. It's weird because he comprehends everything just says the word incorrectly. It makes writing an issue.

What kind of tutoring?

I would do Orton Gillingham.

[Anonymous]

How does she test on reading speed? How is her spelling and handwriting? Those are two things that can continue to affect dyslexics even later on and require accommodations even if decoding is on level. If it requires more time for her to read the same material, then she would need extra time on exams (which she might need anyhow for the ADHD). If she continues to have issues with spelling and handwriting, you can push for grades based on content or use of a laptop for written work.

[Anonymous]

18:44 again .. forgot something.

I've read but can't confirm that you need to have a history of requiring accommodations to maintain that you need those accommodations when it comes to some higher level testing and in college. Great if she doesn't need accommodations by the time she gets there, but maybe something to keep int he back of your mind.

[Anonymous]

The word 'dyslexia' comes from the Greek and means 'difficulty with words'.
It is a life long, usually genetic, inherited condition and affects around 10% of the population.
Dyslexia occurs in people of all races, backgrounds and abilities, and varies from person to person: no two people will have the same set of strengths and weaknesses.
Dyslexia occurs independently of intelligence.
Dyslexia is really about information processing: dyslexic people may have difficulty processing and remembering information they see and hear. This can affect learning and the acquisition of literacy skills.
Dyslexia is one of a family of Specific Learning Difficulties. It often co-occurs with related conditions, such as dyspraxia, dyscalculia and attention deficit disorder.
On the plus side, dyslexic people often have strong visual, creative and problem solving skills and are prominent among entrepreneurs, inventors, architects, engineers and in the arts and entertainment world. Many famous and successful people are dyslexic.

http://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/dyslexic/dyslexia-and-specific-difficulties-overview
Op read up on it. Here are some sites.
http://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk
http://dyslexia.yale.edu/whatisdyslexia.html
http://www.dys-add.com/dyslexia.html
Remember it is different in each person.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, I have a touch of dyslexia and for example, while I have no problem reading in terms of reversing letters, I have reversed the gas pedal with the brake pedal. I have confused whether time goes up to 100 before it changes and whether money goes up to 60 before it changes.

I know to look out for things like this, and to slow down and really pay attention, double and triple check. So I think it's important for your daughter to know how her brain works. She needs to know its natural inclination if that means it will lure her in a wrong direction.

Your examples are not signs of dyslexia, we all do that from time to time.

I do it more often than the average person. That's what makes it an issue.

It might be an issue, but it's not dyslexia.

And not relevant to the OP's question.

They are retiring this site but this is a good overview of where deficits may lie in the future:
http://www.ldonline.org/article/Language-Based_Learning_Disability%3A_What_to_Know

ADHD and dyslexia can both effect executive functioning:
https://www.understood.org/en/learning-attention-issues/child-learning-disabilities/executive-functioning-issues/understanding-executive-functioning-issues