People, if you read the post she says that he can write his name and that he recognizes SOME letters just not ALL. That is the issue the teacher has.

If the only issue is that he recognizes MOST letters but not ALL letters and occasionally gets one wrong, this is insane. Of course that is completely normal.

Preschool teacher/administrator here. FYI on the ASQ developmental screening, on the 60 month old questionnaire (so for children ages 57-66 months), the only item that asks about naming letter asks that your child can name at least 4 letters in his name, pointed to out of order. The only item about naming numbers gives a child credit for identifying two of numerals 1, 2 and 3 (out of order).

Your child sounds fine to me.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is ths world coming to? This thread makes me so sad for your children.

This is totally within the range of normal. You have a long road ahead of you and this isn't even a blip.

Based on what evidence? Your opinion?

If the OP makes an appointment with a developmental pediatrician, her kid will be nearly 5 b/c they take a while to schedule. There many studies that show that Kindergarten aged children struggling with phonemic or symbolic recognition will have reading/math problems down the line:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26525072
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17979867

Why are you on the SN forum if you have zero understanding of SN?

Did you even read the articles you linked to?

1. From the first study: Our findings underline the importance of oral language skills for the development of both word-level literacy and reading comprehension
2. The second discusses the neuropsychological underpinnings of developmental dyscalculia. It says nothing about numbers sense in a freakin 4 year old!

Why are you linking to research studies that do nothing to support your assertion? OP's child isn't in kindergarten and even if it's determined in kindergarten that interventions are warranted, he would still be fine waiting until 1st grade for them. I'm usually one of the first to tout EI - my youngest was first evaluated by them at 15 months. Two of my kids have participated in multiple NIH research studies - some of the longitudinal. It's just not reasonable to run for an assessment based on a preschool 'teacher' stating a 4 year old doesn't know all his letters.

OP, have you seen Maryland's guide to Kindergarten readiness? http://mdk12.msde.maryland.gov/instruction/mmsrexemplars/pdf/exemplarskindergarten_fall.pdf
The vast majority of expectations are related to oral abilities and behavioral skills. Very little deals with kids knowing letters and even then, it's only in the context of knowing the sounds/letters in their name.

Save your money until such time as your it's developmentally appropriate for you child to know these things and he does not.

Anonymous wrote:He's four. Not recognizing letters and numbers is not something I would get an evaluation for. I would also reconsider my choice of preschool if this is such a focus.

Agree. He is too young to worry about and way to young to send to Stixrud.

I think this is still in the range of normal - on the late side, but just keep an eye on things and keep working with him. Try different methods for teaching - use kinesthetic methods, songs, Leapfrog videos. Mix it up.

Get his eyes checked by an ophthalmologist who has experience with young children. Some degree of having difficulty seeing close up (hyperopia) is normal in young children. As children age by 5 or 6 they grow out if it. My son had difficulty learning letters and writing in kindergarten. He had difficulty paying attention in class, it was awful sitting down and trying to get him do homework. We started the process of getting him evaluated for ADHD. His teacher filled out a rating scale and his scores were very elevated in in attention. Turns out he had difficulty seeing close up. The optometrist told us some optometrist lean toward not prescribing glasses for kindergarteners with milder far sightedness (since some far sightedness is expected at that age) but he realizes how academic kindergarten is and prescribed them. When my son got glasses his reading and writing quickly improved. We asked his first grade teacher about signs of ADHD and she said she wasn't concerned.

Not sure about the dev ped but I would get his eye sight checked - my dd was having issues tracing at 3.5 and preschool teacher recommended an eye exam and it was all fine but seemed like a reasonable first step
I might also contemplate red shirting him if he's a summer bday - maybe do the K at the Montessori and evaluate about K vs 1st next year this time

Meant to say: this is 20:57... I am so not Judgey McJudgepants, 21:22.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He's four. Not recognizing letters and numbers is not something I would get an evaluation for. I would also reconsider my choice of preschool if this is such a focus.

+1

Former Kindergarten teacher. Several children couldn't identify ONE letter on the fall PALS (VA), and this was a pretty high SES area.

Your child is fine.

I totally agree. I would seriously reconsider that preschool. There is nothing in your post that raises any red flags. Totally normal for his age.

+100000

Doesn't sound like the teacher/school is familiar with early childhood education. I'd look for a new school before getting a dr consult.

This is 21:22... it wasn't a blip at all. It was a huge flashing red flag. My child was diagnosed with autism at 3.5. Turns out, it runs in my family. But no one ever mentioned it. They just were labeled as "bad" or "troublemakers" or "weirdos."

I'm happy that my kid doesn't have to think of himself that way. He's making progress: reading, writing and wants to be a scientist. So take your "sad" feelings elsewhere.

Parents who are looking to advise each other, based on their experiences, are sharing with each other. OP doesn't have to take my advice... but no one needs your judgement.

Anonymous wrote:What is ths world coming to? This thread makes me so sad for your children.

This is totally within the range of normal. You have a long road ahead of you and this isn't even a blip.

Based on what evidence? Your opinion?

If the OP makes an appointment with a developmental pediatrician, her kid will be nearly 5 b/c they take a while to schedule. There many studies that show that Kindergarten aged children struggling with phonemic or symbolic recognition will have reading/math problems down the line:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26525072
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17979867

Why are you on the SN forum if you have zero understanding of SN?

What is ths world coming to? This thread makes me so sad for your children.

This is totally within the range of normal. You have a long road ahead of you and this isn't even a blip.

Our neuropsych eval was covered 100% at Kennedy Krieger. But we did see a developmental pediatrician first who recommending testing to do.

As a parent who has BTDT, I would make an appointment with a developmental pediatrician. The appointment will likely be scheduled for sometime in the late spring/summer at this point. So, see how things shake out til then.

I wouldn't wait to see how it goes in K. Kindergarten is no picnic these days. The kids have homework 4 nights/week in MCPS in K (at least near me). They are reading, maybe not fluently, but reading in the first quarter of the year!!! If your child does not catch up by start of K, you may risk being behind.

I didn't risk it with my kid. He needed the supports and has been on an IEP since he turned 4 and was placed in PEP which helped tremendously.

An evaluation by a developmental pediatrician is usually covered all or in part by insurance. There are often waitlists for these appointments, so go ahead and schedule an appointment at KKI and Children's. If there are still issues with your child recognizing numbers/letters, take the first appointment available and cancel the other. If the issue resolves, cancel both appointments.

An educational evaluation called a neuropsychological evaluation or psycho-educational evaluation is usually not covered by insurance b/c it is not considered a "medical" need but an "educational" one. Depending on your insurance they may be covered in part.

Technically, under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Free Appropriate Public Education Act (FAPE) , the public school can evaluate your child at no cost and provide services. Contact your local public elementary school principal and request an evaluation in writing outlining your child's current issue--letter and number recognition at age 4.

A child who is found to need accommodations and/or services in school like speech or occupational therapy will be granted what's called a 504 or an IEP (Individualized Educational Plan). The Wrights Law website can give you more info on this process: http://www.wrightslaw.com

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He's four. Not recognizing letters and numbers is not something I would get an evaluation for. I would also reconsider my choice of preschool if this is such a focus.

+1

Former Kindergarten teacher. Several children couldn't identify ONE letter on the fall PALS (VA), and this was a pretty high SES area.

Your child is fine.

Agree with above. 4 is far too early to be concerned. My kids went to a play based preschool. They definitely didn't know more than a few at 4. There were obviously some kids who knew them all (and could even read or solve math problems) but that was far from the norm. Nobody expressed concern. They did great in K. If you have the same concerns once K starts, you can discuss whether or not to worry with the K teacher who will have more realistic expectations.