Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional IDing dyslexia early? Who and how?

www.covd.org is a good place to find a neurodevelopmental optometrist. I can tell you that we took dd7 to two before we found one that not only gave a diagnosis BUT was able to demonstrate the findings with dd and with computerized read outs.

"visual immaturity" seem ambiguous to me. What exactly is "immature"? convergence? Focus? tracking? I would suggest taking a look at the website and then finding a second opinion. My dd has been in therapy for 3 weeks and I am seeing results already!

I don't mean to sound like an expert, but I know that we have tried every "expert" from Audiologist to psychologist to counselors, OT and PT. Finally we feel like we are on the right road with the right "expert" leading the way!

DD7 will also be receiving OT and PT to augment Vision Therapy as well.

Good Luck!

The guy we're seeing is the only one listed on covd.org for 50 miles. That's where I found him. He is THE guy in our area, no question. I've asked around locally.

We do have a plan in place: we're giving the glasses a chance first, then we're to return to the DO this spring for re-examination and possible visual therapy. Given that DS is only 4yo, I am perfectly okay with that approach. It seemed wise to me (and to the DO!) to see if the problem might correct itself given a couple of months with glasses rather than diving into expensive and potentially unnecessary therapy. After all, we don't really even know if the problem is visual yet. (Or if there's a problem at all, for that matter...) Since we're starting early, we can afford to move more gradually than we could if he were 6 or 7yo.

I don't feel the need for a second opinion yet. And the optometrist did say more to me about the vision problems, showing me examples of the problems from the tests and so on. I just didn't go into that sort of depth here.

Thanks for your concern. I really appreciate it! But I'm happy to be moving slowly right now. I think our DO is being responsible.

Baby steps! One benefit of starting early!

Your approach makes sense.

I know that for our dd, time really was of the essence. Her visual skills were VERY behind while her Cognitve skills were advanced. Unfortunately the discrepancy put her in the wrong grouping at school and she was "feeling it". So what we had on our hands was a little girl who was becoming depressed and hopeless.

I have learned that for me that using my "mom gut" (and a little iput from this forum) has been the route to take.

Best Wishes!

Yes, I would move fast in your shoes, too. No question about it.

We're not there, thankfully. Not yet. And hopefully, because we're starting early, we won't ever get there!

We have our "Mental Nike's" on here!!

unfortunately not really.... I wasn't diagnosed till college.

I read this study that was put out by Harvard medical year ago that dyslexia is cause by damage to the 23rd gene. People with the disorder also tent to have autoimmune problems- ie allergies

also, this one I thought was weird there is something with the balance, if you see him watching tv and he tips his head to one side.... this is a indication.

Also when reading he may hold the book at an usual angle.

Make him watch something with the red blue 3D...... a lot of dyslexics repost 3D not looking right.... it doesn't work for me, I see all the layers and it is very flashy. High def 3D works

Thanks, Soupy. I'll look for these. He doesn't have any allergies that I know of, though everyone else in his immediate family does. I'm not sure about the book or the 3D issues. Very interesting!

Hi Kriston, writing back because I found this really interesting passage about letter reversals in 'Dreamers Discoverers & Dynamos' while I was re-reading some bits about add and capd.
I don't want to turn you off pursuing the ld angle, but I found this very very interesting, especially considering your other ds is so gifted.
I think you've said you read the book, so my apologies if you've seen this before.

pg 211
"Letter Reversals
All children reverse some letters and numbers when they first learn how to use these symbols. If reversals persist and interfere with a child's ability to read, they are seen as symptoms of a learning disability called dyslexia.
Few Edison-trait children actually qualify as dyslexic, but many continue to reverse letters much longer than their classmates do. Some will stop reversing letters when they learn to write in cursive. Some may continue to reverse the printed letters b and d occasionally all their lives.
If letter reversal is inconsequential, there is no reason to regard it as an impairment. In fact, another way to understand letter reversal is as the natural expression of a fluid-thinking mind. Edison-trait children conceptualize imaginatively and pictorially. Their minds are an animated motion picture of thought. Letter reversal is, in effect your child's mental act of resistance to giving up some of there fluidity. There is a strong relationship between visual ability and spatial intelligence. Your child's spatial intelligence tells her not to limit the meaning of a given symbol to one direction only. Functionally, this limits future possibility....

Consider the mental agility of a an inventive genius like Leonardo Da Vinci, who wrote his scientific notes backward.'

There is a bit more after that about architects and astronauts, and the advantage of being less oriented to our traditional framework of up-down-left-right being the 'only' way.

I wonder if 'not knowing' he is writing things backwards just means it doesn't hinder him from understanding his writing when he reads it back, he has just as easy a time reading back as forwards...?

I think my ds is definitely a person who will continue to reverse b and d his whole life, some of the time.

Also, as I reread your initial post about not wanting to look at early readers..ds was similar. His writing was what I called 'crazy writing', maybe there were lots of reversals but I didn't notice that in particular, all parts were just wacky.
Reading for him was looking at pictures and being read to. HE LOVES any books with tons of pictures. Words...not so much. You might check out Calvin & Hobbes or other things like that for your ds, let's see...
Captain Underpants.
Frannie K. Stein, Little girl mad scientist.
You have probably run the gamut on types of books offered to your ds, but I figured I'd throw that out if you have not approached from that angle (yet).

Ds was reading about 2-3 levels above grade as of last year, it was just a roundabout way to get there; book picks are still a problem. He is *very* picky!
For instance, 'how to eat fried worms', read about half. Wimpy Kid books, tons of pictures, reads them over and over. Manga usually works,too. (They are written back to front, so that is definitely doubly appealing...)

I am not sure where the writer that you are quoting got this simple definition of dyslexia, but it's not just about letter reversal. This is a commonly held belief though, I can't tell you how many times I have been asked if I "Actually see the letters backward?" I see letters backward, forward, upside, down and sideways.... it doesn't stop me from reading them though. I don't read right to left..... it's hard to explain. It's sort of like having a mirror in your head.

Think of letter reversal as the tip of an iceberg. Dyslexics have average or above average intelligence and many people believe that Edison was dyslexic. It has nothing to do with intelligence. Some dyslexics, like me can read without issue, actually reading better then 99% of the population.

Here is a link to a list of famous people with dyslexia... and what do you know, Edison is on it! So maybe Edison trait kids don't have it .... but I guess he did. lol

http://www.dyslexia.com/qafame.htm

My worry was that it wasn't just letter reversals--which I know is normal--but mirror writing in toto. He often reads and writes words and numbers from right to left instead of left to right. He doesn't seem to get that we Amuricans (smirk) read and write from left to right.

He'll ask "what's 1-4-9," and I'll tell him it's 149, only to find that he meant 941. Or perhaps even 194. Usually 941 though.

That seems more worrisome to me than simply flipping a "b" and making a "p"... (And more like what Soup is describing in her post--you snuck in there on me! )

He does seem to be a visual-spatial kid though. He's very artistic, very mathy. (But that is yet another reason why his not looking at books when we read them seems troubling.) Maybe he is just an Edison kid.

More food for thought. There's another book I need to reserve at the library.