Ive noticed in the past couple of months that my 6 year old son has been reading double digit numbers backwards..it doesnt happen all the time but it is becoming a lil more frequent. Also yesterday while doing his homework he was writing the word orange..he didnt write it backwards but wrote the letters as follows ro..and thats where i stopped him and corrected him on his spelling,,is that also a sign of dyslexia? Also dyslexia doesnt require medication does it? He is on enough meds for his adhd asthma and allergies.. I dont want him druged up on more meds. And lastly does dyslexia require " special education" in school? I know how cruel kids can be and i wouldnt want that on mine or anyone elses child they get teased because they need extra help with school work and are a little different. I sent a note to school this morning expressing my concerns. I hope i will hear back from her in note or phone call form this afternoon when my son gets home. I tried to call her this morning with no answer.
Thanks
concerned mom
Neither of my girls is dyslexic, but they both went through that stage. My younger daughter is 6, and spent most of last year (1st grade) reading double-digit numbers backward. For instance, if you told her to write 13, she'd write 31. Likewise, she insisted on writing "first" as "frist" among other words. She did finally understand both concepts, it just took a while for it to click.
I don't know that I would jump to dyslexia at this point. Writing is still a skill that is developing and so I wouldn't get too worked up if he put the r before the o in orange. It's common to mix up and say 15 is 51 or vice versa. Kiddos are learning to discriminate.
Another poster in another question stated a great comparison. It's hard to learn to discriminate how one little change can make something totally different. She stated that a couch is always a couch. If you tip it over, move it to another room, put it upside down, it's still a couch. So it's hard to discriminate that 51 and 15 are 2 different numbers.
Also, if your child should ever need Special education services don't feed into the negative stigma. Sped is a GOOD thing intended to close the gap and help kiddos succeed. Good luck w/your little one :-)
He could be dyslexic. Dyslexia comes in many forms. I am dyslexic in math and direction, I have left - right disorientation. If I am upset about something and I am getting directions verbally I will often make a left turn when I am told to go right. I will also hit the correct key while typing but with the wong hand, in other words the 'k' for the 'd' or the 'e' for the 'i', I have to look at the keyboard when I type. However I read just fine. Dyslexia has nothing to do with intelligence.
Leonardo Di Vinci was dyslexic. Henry Winkler is dyslexic and has a Master's Degree from Yale University. Tom Cruise is so dyslexic he can not read at all. In order for him to learn his lines someone has to read and record his scripts and he has to listen to them until he knows his lines. Other well known people with dyslexia are Whoppi Goldberg and Jay Leno.
I have 2 kids with dyslexia. I feel it is never too early to talk to his teacher about it. It might be to early for testing but if the teachers are aware they will be willing to offer more help and know when it is time for testing and to set up an IEP (individual education plan). Learning disabilities are so common now that kids usually don't get picked on for it. They usually don't have special ed rooms in schools, but they do tend to put the kids who are academically matched all in one room. So if you have 3 third grade classrooms the smart kids will be in one room the middle kids in another and the learning disabled kids in another. This way the teacher can develop a plan to deal with each skill set. The kids often don't know why Tommy is in Mrs. Smith's room and Billy is in Mr Jones' room or that Mr Jones may have specialized training to deal with the learning disabled or super smart kids.
The biggest thing is don't worry. Just do some research and be willing to fight for your child. Make sure the teachers and schools are giving him the best education possible.
I had the same concerns about my daughter and expressed them in 3rd grade when she went to public school. The counselor told me that she did not think there was an issue but they could keep an eye on it. I felt a major brush off. But, she was right. My daughter will be starting 7th grade next week and is a straight A student. Yes, she does slip up sometimes placing letters in the wrong spots, sometimes my kids still write the d VS b but I think we all mess up here and there.
I was a sitter to a little boy that was diagnosed dyslexic at 8 yrs old. He received a lot of extra tutoring. His school had him in a few classes to get extra help but otherwise he was in the main classes with other students. The boy was extremely smart but just needed some help figuring things out.
its not uncommon at all....my son age 6 also does this with his numbers and some letter combinations also....i thought the same but his doctors and teachers said its ok and they wouldnt start questioning anything until around 3rd grade....he too is on asthma and allergy meds and has some type of hyperactivity thing goin on....
My daughter wrote her whole name backwards AND mirror image in kinder, and maybe first grade.
It is probably a little early to jump to that conclusion, but follow your instincts! My daughter was diagnosed at 7 which I had to push for, but she was my 2nd and there was a clear difference in the way she interpreted letters/words compared to how my 1st child learned to read. I knew there was something wrong. If she had been my 1st I might have waited longer not knowing the difference.
If it is dyslexia, don't be scared of that word. My daughter was also in the talented and gifted program and has turned out to be a whiz at math and science. She has learned to read and although it is at a slower pace than others, she does well in school.
Good luck and try not to stress yourself too much!! It will work out!
There is no medication for dyslexia, there is no cure, most dyslexics struggle to learn to read. How is your son doing academically?? My son was writing backwards a lot in second grade and I was concerned about dyslexia but he was doing Great in math and OK in reading. In third grade it was no longer a problem. It's very normal for young kids to reverse things and all kids develop at different rates so the "average" kid learns he cant reverse numbers and letters and words between 5 yrs and his 7th birthday . My son was closer to 8 but not dyslexic.
