reading, dyslexia

This anonymous mother has my exact situation, so I totally identify when she says her son is, "5.5 and smart. He is starting to read, can add, subtract small numbers, but he consistently writes a few numbers and letters backwards. Could it be dyslexia?"

My own son not only inverts letters sometimes, but on occasion, he even writes his name in reverse (esrever)!

proud2Bmomma thinks her 6-year old daughter may be dyslexic; her husband has the diagnosis-- and although her daughter is bright, she has problems reading and with penmanship.

In reality, there are a lot of us moms who worry about this condition, some with good reason, but most of us, unnecessarily.

Dr. Laura Bailet, Executive Director of the Nemours Bright Start! Dyslexia Initiative, says that "mirror writing" (what my kid does) and letter reversal are not red flags at all. But she adds that in preschool and elementary school children, some signs of dyslexia include difficulty with:

  • Learning to talk
  • Pronouncing longer words
  • Rhyming
  • Learning the alphabet, days of the week, colors, shapes and numbers
  • Learning to read and write his or her name
  • Learning the connection between letters and sounds
  • Decoding simple words
  • Using ‘b' and ‘d' accurately
  • Reading and spelling words with the correct letter sequence - for example, ‘top' versus ‘pot'
  • Handwriting and fine-motor coordination

In older children and teens, these same signs may still be present. In addition, they probably will:

  • Read and spell far below grade level
  • Avoid reading and writing
  • Work slowly on reading and writing assignments and tests
  • Struggle with learning a foreign language

It may help to know that one in five Americans has reading difficulties. The earlier you intervene, the faster your child will be on the way to reading. As Dr. Bailet mentioned, "It's never too late to learn to read."

If you feel like you child may have dyslexia, please check out these important links for a variety of resources and loads of information on dyslexia. Both of these sites are really thorough and supportive. Happy reading!

Do you or your child struggle with dyslexia? Do you have any other resources to share?