He very rarely skips or transposes if doing so would make it not make sense. If that ever happens, he immediately catches himself and goes back. So he "hears" himself. But he just zips. I don't have concerns about comprehension--my only slight worry was if this might be some kind of weird vision or processing issue, but my gut says no.
I vaguely recall my DD also doing this at this age. Not sure if she still does or not. I don't think so?
how are his spatial skills? when he draws people, how detailed are they? Does he like to do I-Spy type books?
Spatial skills are great. Draws nice detailed people, though he isn't as ahead in writing or drawing as his sister was at this age. Great at I-Spy and Waldo--loves them.
DD does the exact same thing. Are they clones? Like your DS she rarely reads out loud to me, but when she does I have noticed (for a long time) that she replaces an "a" for a "the", an "on" for an "in" or adds superfluous words that don't change the meaning Just like your examples. She also sometimes just leaves an easily readable word out. They are necessary words as far as grammar, but do not really help in meaning. She is very fluent--overly fluent. She comprehends everything she reads. She also reads really fast.
She does have a vision issue that is often associated with convergence insufficiency and other processing disorders. (She is awful at puzzles and I-Spy books.) I have often wondered if she is showing signs of this in her reading. One thing she does is mix the words "here" and "there" and "what" and "that" all the time. And, she cannot read italics very well. But, she is reading so far above her grade level that I think it might be remediating itself anyway.
She started reading in her head at the beginning of the year and is mostly reading grade three or N-O-P some Q book (finished up Merlin Missions, the Littles, Cleary, Boxcar Children and other random chapter books.) She reads really fast in her head--like a speed reader with her little finger almost going entirerly down the page without going across. It is amazing. She reads nearly a book a night. Her comprehension is okay, best I can tell.
I think it is important to emphasize that every word counts. I tell DD this but I also have not given her any reading instruction since she was about 3. I have just been giving her the right level of book and letting her enjoy it--and things have worked themselves out. She probably wont have a challenging reading test (with really detailed comprehension questions) for a few years I imagine and that is fine, IMO. Hopefully her school will make her read aloud and she will learn to take pride in reading precisely.
Another thing she does is sound out a new word wrong and hold on to that pronunciation forever. This mostly happens with names.
