Could My Daughter Be Dyslexic?

It's not dyslexia you need to look into... it's DYSGRAPHIA...which is a cousin of dyslexia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dysgraphia

That said... it could be other things, like fine motor control, boredom, etc. But just as one would want dyslexia diagnosed as early as possible for early intervention... ditto dysgraphia or other fine motor issues.

My son was reading fluently at 3, but even 5 years later HATES to write. He just absolutely hates it. He's not dysgraphic, but being adhd... having him do anything he hates is the whole mountain and mohammed thing. There are 2 schools of thought on this... one is absolutely not letting them type whatsoever... and one is just letting them type. We went with letting him type. He has no fine motor issues, he just despises the physical mechanics of writing. That was not a battle I was willing to choose since I have other options. So he writes by hand more and more every year... but the typing takes care of the academic problem. Why after all, imho, delay learning because of *one* aspect of it?

Hi N., None if the things she id doing would lead me to believe she is dyslexic. You don't say her age, but I am assuming she is around 4 years old based on your previous questions. She may just not want to start writing letters yet. maybe she feels pressured. Does she color? Make pictures? Sometimes when children excel in one area they struggle in another. This may be the case for her. Try laying off for a few days and see if she becomes interested again. They sell great dry erase boards that have the letters printed on them. It's lots of fun for the kids to trace the letters then wipe them off. This may get her more interested.

Are you seriously worried that she doesn't want to write at 4 years old? Developmentally it's more appropriate that she learn to read and write at 6-7 years old. Just because the state has some initiative, doesn't mean it's appropriate for everyone. Let her be and don't take anything too seriously at this stage. Wait a year or two and see if she eases up on her position. Then if it's still a problem, then consult the experts. My daughter refused to write last year, as well and she knew all her letters and numbers. When she started school, she was still resistant, and I actually ignored her homework. Then of her own will she asked to do her homework (I guess the positive pressure from class got to her). Now she's doing great. Let kids this age lead the learning process. Let her paint or color. Keep it creative as long as possible and be easy with her for now.

I agree way she's waaaay too young to worry she's dyslexic! My five year old does not want to draw, he draws like a three year old. but is starting to read and write and knows letters and numbers. everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. In many other cultures she would NOT be expected to pick up a pencil or scissors this year! I think she feels pressured. Drop the writing thing and concentrate on drawing IF she doesn't mind it will build her hand muscles the same as writing and prepare her for writing. if she doesn't want to draw, try play dough, glue sticks, stickers, etc crayons are better preparation than markers but markers are easier than crayons. Dont hurry her to grow up.

OK. First, how old is she? If it is not yet appropriate for her to be in kindergarden, it is too early to call this a resistance to learning, she is resistant because it is not yet time for her to be sitting at a table learing to write.

That being said, dyslexia is, at its most basic form, the inablity to manipulate phonemes and diffucluty learning sound-symbol relationships. They can and do recognize letters. They can, and are, of variable intelegence levels, including very, very smart in all other areas, or not so much. They can have other things or not. It is kind of like trying to qualify knock knees with eye color, these things are independent issues for many children.

What you are describing is not dyslexia, and it would be too soon to see that, because it is not time to learn to read yet, so she cannot be behind, or if she showed issues, it would not yet be developmentally atypcial, but if she were to have a reading issue, say in 1st grade, then she might need an alphabet phonics program, instead of whole langague, to learn to read. Be vigalent, get intervention sooner, rather than later, but not until it is an actual problem.

What you may be seeing is an issue with visual motor, sensory motor, occular motor, or visual processing skills. Depending on how old she is, was she supposed to be in Kindergarten, but was held out? it could be something to explore. If she is 5, I would take her to an occupational therapist and a developmental optomitrist. Have her visual and fine motor processing skills evaluated. If she is 4, wait for a while, unless you see other issues with senory defensiveness, gross motor, behavior, or hyper activity that you have questioned already. If this is all you see, and she is very young, you might just be seeing a child who is not yet ready for school, and school will be there for her when she is old enough to go. She does not need anything other than enrichment to succeed in Kindergarten, and it sounds like she has already had that.

Do a little reading about dyslexia, dysgraphia, visual motor, fine motor, and visual processing skills. You can probably find all you need on a google search, but www.wrightslaw.com has many articles about these issues too, although, they will be geared to much older children than yours.

I think you can relax. My gut would say, put her in a program that meets her needs a little better. That is coming from an educational advocate who always comes down on the side of evaluate, early, evaluate often, and get more therapy and intervention as early and as often as you can, rather than less. My montra is NEVER wait with development, the price is too dear if you are wrong, but that is for people who have a real issue. Evaluation is always a win-win, but not if you are too soon.

If you think you need evaluation, get it, but go to the occupational therapist and tell them that she will not write, don't ask if she has something...just tell them what you see and ask them to tell you, the evaluation will go much better that way!

M.

My daughter is 10 and is diagnosed with dyslexia by a neuropsychologist. She was able to write her name in Kindergarten and can read at class level. The difficulty comes in applying phonics rules which became evident in 3rd grade. She knows the word "port" and "ant" but when she sees "important" she cannot see the separate words in it. So it is NOT just problems with reading or turning letters around. For her it is mostly an extreme problem with spelling. There is a great website with lots of information about dyslexia: http://www.dys-add.com/define.html. However, I agree with the other answers: if she is less than 5 she maybe just not ready yet. My 13 year old honors student hated to write her name at that age, so that in itself is not a concern. I think too much is pushed down at too young an age. Give her time. Oh, also praise the things she does well, and do not make it all about something she cannot do. My parents sent me to music lessons at age 7 and I hated it, but when I took music after school at age 10 I LOVED it. Timing is everything. Good luck and enjoy your precious daughter.

Trust me.....not to worry...my 5 year is the same way....just so independent that he almost gets offended when you try to help him...He's come a long way though these past few weeks in kindergarten and I'm not near as concerned as i was in the beginning.I think we as a society put way too much pressure on these young kids...they "have" to be ddoing this or that at a certain age sometimes is just a little too much for these "babies" (for want of a better word).Try not to sweat it...you said she is advanced in other areas.....the rest will catch up...I guarantee it!!!

she is young to be considered dyslexic and even if she were this would not be the sign. she just doesn't want to practice writing, esp. if people around here are 'encouraging' her to do so. give her a pencil and ask her to draw, or sit and draw with her, no pushing, see if she is willing to do that.
i imagine she's about 4 years old, and the reason i am saying this is because i have seen 4 year olds not even knowing how to hold a pencil, and not knowing how to even after kindergarten begins. so i think the place she's at now, is good, encourages academics and learning but she just may, and sounds like it, may not be ready. i think, if anything, you guys should lay off her, because it could backfire. she could carry this attitude into kindergarten and more then you'd have a real problem to deal with.
her being bilingual-tells you she's smart and advanced.
good luck

my best friend is dyslexic and she has a hard time recognizing the letters. she writes fine. she has a hard time spelling, etc. but she actually loves to write. she keeps a journal and everything. she always has. I've heard different things regarding dyslexia. like the letters "float" or "dance" around. or the letters and numbers flip themselves. i would probably contribute her not wanting to right on the fact that she just doesn't want to. i would think even if she was dyslexic, at age 4 she's not going to know that she's writing things backwards or wrong. my 6 yr old still writes some of her numbers wrong and a lot of her kindergarden class last year wrote a lot of stuff backwards.

There are alot of "parts" to what is diagnosed as "dyslexia" Can be reversing letters and numbers,writing backwards. I always like to point out that this is suppose to be seen in the smartest of the smart.
But have you asked her. I mean really w/o stress gotten into a conversation with her. Lots of people write, and you are chosing not to, and why is that?
This is a terrible time to have school become a battle ground. And the way things are today non complient children usually end up drugged.So it would be good if you could get her to talk about this.
There is a group called Mace-Kingsley, and if the conversation with her doesn't handle this, then I would contact them, and get their input.
Please don't use force.
best, k

She probably still has infant (primary) reflexes still left in her hands. You need to get her to an OT who specilaizes in sensory integration. Four yr olds should not be expected to write anyway even though lots of kids can dosn't mean that the ones who are not ready should be a problem. Does she color and paint freely? Does she feed herself with correct utensils? IF you need any help, I am in Broward County and you can come by our office. She will be checked for all learning disabilities.