DD questions

[sandandsea]

Has anyone dealt with dyslexia? Can you give me any pointers or thoughts? How did you detect mild cases? Is this something to look into or am I reading too much into it? I will dd later for privacy so PDQ.

[waverly]

I think you have to have an evaluation to make sure.

However, the writing part sounds a lot like DS. We had to do Handwriting without Tears, and also he had OT to help with some of that hand strength stuff. Because it was hard, he disliked it. Just some tools for you while you pursue an answer. We've also done some work at home with spelling with a spelling workbook. It is a lot of constant reminders for him on things like capitalization and punctuation.

[k3am]

I know you have also mentioned ADHD concerns before, but YH has not wanted to get an assessment, so this may fall into that camp too.

I am team.. there are never pointless interventions, and I would fight DH over it if he didn't want to get one. If you are concerned, talk to the school and your pedi and see what they recommend. An assessment has never hurt anyone. Worst case scenario, there's an issue, and you start addressing it. Best case scenario, you find out that there's not an underlying issue, just normal kid stuff that you need to address. And the earlier the intervention, the better.

[sandandsea]

He did writing without tears during the lockdown this spring. His teacher had given it to him prior. He’s capable, just slow and messy when left on his own (no boxes for the letters, line guides, etc.) and he writes some letters from the wrong starting point. Like with an e he starts on the bottom and loops around instead of the midline and refuses to change. We’ve even done it together and he swears his way is easier. It drives me batty.

[campermom]

Be a wise consumer when selecting an evaluator.

[sandandsea]

k3am. Yep. He has actually matured out of most of the ADHD concerns so it makes me think he’s just slower to mature on some things than the average kid. And his teachers had a big role in implementing tools that helped him. But ADHD often goes hand in hand with dyslexia (per google). And so if he is/was borderline on both it seems very typical.

His teachers have been a key part of helping him. So this year, as there is no teacher to observe things, it concerns me more that it will be missed and small interventions that can help won’t be available so maybe we should pursue more on our own. Which is why we are considering the tutor.

[186momx]

I think you have enough concerns to get an evaluation or get the process started to get an evaluation. Could you talk with his teacher from last year?

My DD (9, 4th grade) spelling is horrible and she hates to write. Last year her teacher really worked with her on spelling but told me she may never be a good speller. DD is an avid reader. We did get checked for speech and we were supposed to start speech intervention but cornona.

[hocus2]

What you're describing sounds like dysgraphia. It commonly co-occurs with dyslexia but they are not the same.

I would request an evaluation for both concerns. Dysgraphia would typically be addressed with OT though that doesn't always fully address the planning concerns with writing which might be better addressed by a different support person at your school. Speech to text software and typing later on may help improve things a lot.

Note that 3rd grade is often when these thing come to a head as the curriculum focuses a lot more on using reading/writing vs. teaching them.

[sandandsea]

Thank you hocus2! I’m a total newb at this and that’s very helpful as I’m trying to figure out what it could be. I was looking and it seems the TTRS (touch type read spell)can help too and that’s something that he may enjoy more and could benefit in multiple ways.

[orval]

I agree with sandandsea, sounds more like dysgraphia. My ds is 13 and has this - his handwriting is still terrible despite OT for years. He went to a computer in 5th grade and hasn't looked back. Dysgraphia is also a disorder of written expression - not just handwriting. My ds can spell orally and not always when he has to write. Still makes simple writing errors if he does write. Coming up with things to write about and creating more complex sentences are also tough for him.
He has used graphic organizers to help with that.

[mustardseed2007]

I would have him evaluated for both dysgraphia and dyslexia. An evaluator can do both at once. I agree with being very choosy. The most expensiver isn't the best but you don't want to cheap out either. Talk to other parents you trust, talk to educators that you know. If you have a neuhaus center near you, you may be even able to call them and ask them who does good evaluations in your area.

[erbear]

I'd recommend an eval if I was his teacher. I wouldn't necessarily think dyslexia (the mixing of letters is still at the far end of normal at 8) but the writing stuff is often a hallmark of ADHD and dysgraphia is more likely with his profile. An eval would be able to parse out what's going on.