7 Yr Old Girl Not Spelling and Reading- Possible Retention

Vision test
Test hearing
Test for Auditory processing disorder
Check for other learning disabilities
If you can afford it, hire a reading specialist to tutor her

Have you had her tested for learning disabilities? If I were you, I would write the school district a formal request, Viola, by way of certified mail. By law they have 10 days (I think that's right) to answer you. You should also ask for them to test her for dyslexia. (That's a different kind of test that is more specialized.)

Oh - I just saw that you asked about that testing. It's good that you want to check that, regardless of what the reading teachers say.

The testing is important to get her an IEP. If nothing shows up, then discuss with your ped the possibility of her being depressed.

When you take her to the eye doctor, ask for them to test her to see if her eyes are tracking right. Her actual vision can be fine, but if her eyes aren't tracking right, reading is very difficult. Vision therapy can help that.

Have you talked to your pediatrician? What has your daughter said about this change? Has she had her eyes/ears checked recently?

If she's doing well in math, she hasn't "stopped wanting to learn". Something is going on. Is reading a separate class? Could there be something going on there?

Good replies below. I'd add:

What happened with writing? You mention reading and spelling and math and working in groups (on what exactly) but is she also resisting writing? Is that what you mean when you say spelling fell from 100s to zeros -- does she dislike or even seem to fear the physical act of writing things down unless they're numbers? A friend's son got so frustrated with writing (he could write OK but had some coordination issues that made it laborious for him) that he wanted just to draw everything. He too did fine in math but hated all spelling quizzes, writing sentences, labeling things, anything with writing. He was capable of it but it was a mental block. Just checking: Does your daughter have any writing issues like that?

Have you talked to both the teacher and the counselor to find out precisely when she suddenly dropped from perfect scores to zeros on spelling? That precipitous and sudden a change would indicate something specific happened -- she became fearful (teased for doing well?); or she hit a list that was tough and suddenly resisted learning the words (could indicate a need for some counseling if she turned on a dime like that at a difficult assignment after doing so well); or she could have something else going on. But I'd really question in depth and get the counselor, teacher and reading specialist to work as a team here.

What does SHE say about the change? Have you been able to talk to her calmly or does she get quickly upset and defensive and say things like "I just don't get it" or "I hate reading" and then refuses to talk? Again, involve the counselor to meet with her.

As for dyslexia, get her tested ASAP for that. You can find signs online but lists of signs on web sites aren't always accurate or complete.

When the teachers say "We don't think she has dyslexia" etc. , tell them you'd like her tested just to rule those things out, not because you're seeking a diagnosis. A lot of parents do just that --want to make every learning issue into a diagnosable condition -- so be clear that your'e not going that route; you just want to rule things out.

I am surprised the school has not already recommended that she be tested for dyslexia and possibly other issues. Schools are obliged to provide interventions. If she does not progress with the special reading class, she should be evaluated sooner -- not later.

Has anyone checked her hearing? It's an excellent thing that you getting her sight checked. I hope that's with an optometrist and not a pediatrician -- I know folks whose pediatricians never caught vision problems. Please also get her hearing checked. She may be able to "hear" your normal conversations with her just fine yet may be mis-hearing certain key sounds (and she won't know that she mis-hears them if you ask her, because the "wrong" sound is normal to her brain). If she has a hearing issue, that could affect her spelling and reading out loud.

Do read with her a ton and read to her and have her read to you. Why does she read better for dad? Do you spend more time with her than he does, so when he gets home she's more "on" for him and trying harder to please? If it takes having dad there more, truly, this is the time for him to rearrange some scheduling to get home earlier because this is important right now. Will she help read very simple parts of recipes to you? Read boxes and bags in the grocery store? Are you reading lots of goofy fun stuff she giggles at or focusing on schoolwork reading? Ask the specialist for ideas too.

Do not wait for the next official conference. At this point I would be setting up a weekly check-in with the reading specialist teacher; her classroom teacher; and the counselor. Every week. It can be as brief as an e-mail "conference" most of the time but I'd see them in person maybe every other week.

Is she possibly refusing

I know a few kids with dyslexia. One HUGE issue is the school not seeing or recognizing it. It is believed that the funding for helping the kids is an issue with the schools.

You need to pay out of pocket or with insurance for help vs. depending on the schools.

I think it is odd that she went from 100% to 0%. I wonder if she is in first or second grade. I would try to avoid retaining her at this age. Kindergarten age 4 going on 5 I can see retaining, but 7 year olds could be impacted by the retention a lot more. That does not mean it is the end of the world if she is retained, but if you can help her get ahead with tutoring and extra help, I say go for it. The school's main concern is their scores, not your individual child.

p.s. It is hard to spot dyslexia at age 7. Most teachers are not skilled at assessing whether a child has it or not. Some like to give their 2 cents because they know a child or 2 with it.

If she was once able to read/spell, but now can't, I do agree that you need to have her eyesight assessed. If that comes back normal, I'd suggest something that's probably going to seem totally counter-intuitive: just stop pushing her so hard. Some kids are not ready to read chapter books at this age (or anything approaching that). Some kids are frustrated because the things they're interested in, they don't have the skills to read yet. The things that are at their skill level seem babyish and boring to them.

So what can you do? Read TO her! Let her choose the story (or pick a book/story you really loved from your own childhood) and then you read it to her. Don't worry about her reading level matching up with other kids her age. Kids are individuals, and they develop at individual rates. She's not defective because she isn't at the same level as other kids in her class (some of whom may have started Kindergarten much later than she did, and so are just older than she is!). I think all of this stress over making kids attain a certain level of reading at such an absurdly young age doesn't do much to produce good readers later on, honestly. Plenty of kids who go to Waldorf schools don't learn to read whatsoever until they're 7 or even 8, and they go on to do extremely well in high school and college. Kids will read when the material is interesting and relevant to them. Truly.

So, first step, eye doctor. Second step, read to her and just stop worrying about this. She's picking up on your stress, and it's not helping her confidence or her abilities, nor is it making her want to set the world on fire, frankly - she already feels defeated and she's only 7! Send her outside to play. It will do more for her than drilling reading.

First and foremost, read to her and with her. Not just her assignments, but for fun. Read harder books, and point to words that she should know and have her read them. Just go back to when reading was enjoyable and not a chore. I think that our poor kids lose the joy of reading as school progresses. It doesn't have to be that way.

I was 7 when I needed glasses, and my oldest was as well. An eye appointment is a great idea.

Most of spelling is based upon studying and repetition. We would take the spelling list at the start of the week and on the first night our son would write each of the words 5 times. The second night, he'd do the same, and then I'd take the list and we would practice. I'd ask him to spell a word on the list (in no particular order) aloud, and then write it. We'd do that through all of the words, and I would do the words he struggled with a few extra times until he felt confident. We worked through these every night, and by the end of the week, he'd get an A on his spelling test.

I think that many kids who didn't struggle sometimes get to a point where they just think "I'm smart, I don't have to study or work for it." And then, when the work is beyond their ability level and they actually DO have to work for it, they become discouraged and give up.

Help your daughter to understand that learning to spell and read aren't innate. They require hard work that you know she is capable of doing, and you will help her with. It's non-negotiable, and she'll be better for it.

I would try to find out what stopped. Did she get picked on? Did she start more difficult work? Definitely follow up with specialists. My friend's daughter has a reading problem where the spaces between lines and between words disappear. It's very hard to diagnose til they are reading. I can't find information on it at present.

You might also try this font and see if it helps: http://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/quick-fix-for-dyslexia-dy... if it does, it may be a sign she has a form of dyslexia. The font is free to download for home use: http://www.dyslexiefont.com/

When is the next conference? If my child was in danger of being held back, I would not want to sit and wait. I would be talking to the reading specialist, I would want updates and home practice techniques. What do they need you to do at home to support what they do in school? And how does she do in math? If it is ONLY a reading issue, then I agree it is not "not wanting to learn" but having a problem that needs to be addressed. If sounds are an issue, get her hearing checked. I also agree that it should be with a pediatric optometrist and not the pediatrician. You want to know what she can see, not generically that she can see. You need a specialist.

I would also want to know if it warranted retention or help. For example, one of my DD's kindergarten classmates struggles with reading, but she continued on to 1st because she was fine in other subjects. The school chose to support her more in reading (like your daughter) with a specialist and allow her to stay with classmates for math and science, where she was fine.

If it were me I'd pull her out and homeschool her at her own pace. The problem is not with your daughter. The problem is early education does not work well for all kids. Preserving her love for learning is the most important thing you can do right now. Special classes are all find and great because it helps kids learn better at their level and gives them more one-on-one. But the real problem is likely that her brain is just not developed enough to handle what schools throw at kids these days. In other words, she's a normal kid, with a developing brain, who will at one point be caught up with her pears. But it you force her to work at a level she is not ready for, thats where real damage is done. When a child is force to lean beyond their developmental ability, and the area of their brain best suited for the task is not mylinated, they will use a developed part of their brain to compensate. And this my friends is where early education will really backfire. Because those kids will likely never reach their full potential as they learn to form pathways of math and language and writing skills from the wrong area of their brain.

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