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

I know I keep dipping a toe into this subject and then letting it drop, but I get more and more convinced with each passing day that DS4 has a 2E issue. He has all the intensity and perfectionism of a PG child, but without any of the PGness showing.

He seems like a perfectly average kid--if an overly sensitive and perfectionistic child--to his pre-K teacher, and he would to me, too...except for the fact that he is very verbal and loves books but won't look at them, loves to write but does it backwards pretty much all the time and not on purpose, is very visual but has some visual immaturity in how he perceives things... All this screams 2E to me.

Lately I have been thinking that dyslexia might be a/the problem, but I don't know enough about it to get evidence that might support or counter my theory. Aside from the fact that he writes pretty much everything from right to left instead of left to right, I don't know what to look for in a kid who isn't yet reading. (Though he can sound out words like a pro if I point to the letters. But hand him a beginning reader book and he wants no part of it.)

I suspect a dyslexia expert would simply "there-there" me and send me on my way for another year or two because "4yos can't read, crazy lady." So I think I need more info and more specific evidence. I believe I have read everything about dyslexia that has crossed this forum in the past year, but it all seems to say that dyslexia can't/shouldn't be diagnosed this early.

Can anyone point me in the right direction of what dyslexia might look like in a GT 4yo? To what sort of expert should I turn for help? We have a Developmental Optometrist. Is this something he can help with?

Our pediatrician already "there-there'd" me about the vision issues, so I'm loathe to ask him about this one. I know he'd just tell me to wait because 4yos can't read.

Or perhaps would our psychologist who tested DS7 (and whom I like and respect very much!) be the person to talk to?

I'm really feeling like I need someone to hold my hand through this mess. I have no idea what we're dealing with, and I can't help feeling like "wait and see" is wasting time that we could be using to help DS4 to get past whatever problem he has. I'd love to hear that he's just an average, ND kid, but my gut tells me that's not what's going on. Everything about him screams GT except for the fact that he does pretty much nothing that looks academically GT...

I'm in one of my worried phases!

Thanks, gang! I appreciate whatever you can give me.

Hi, Kriston,

I'd go with a call to the psych you like. I'd have to think he or she would be the best person to guide you.

Hi Kriston,
My DS6 is the same way. He wants nothing to do with written language yet it can't be fine motor skills because he can construct with legos and screws/screwdrivers as well as other tiny operations. He reverses so many letters and reads the same way. I asked the psych when he tested him and he told me that since he tested high everywhere but written language to start from scratch on spelling and writing. What??? Anyways thanks for the post because I am so curious what others have to say. I know it is "common" for my son's age to do what he is doing but still if he is so far ahead in all the other areas doesn't that point to a problem??? Thanks for the post.

He rhymed pretty well, Dottie, but definitely not perfectly. He had the most trouble with end sounds of t & d, and with vowel sounds with r. For example, I said "bat" and he got "hat," but he also said "had." I said "bar" and he got "car" but also said "her."

Hmmm...

His speech was early. But if he's HG+, I'm not sure if that tells us much.

He doesn't mix up sounds. He did say "apple people" for pineapple when he was first learning to talk. But nothing memorable since then.

He does sometimes stutter/clutter a bit, especially when he's excited or distracted and trying to talk fast. It doesn't seem like he does it an unusual amount to me though. It's not something that has worried or troubled me, though my DH sometimes gives DS4 a hard time about it (and I glare at DH!).

If he reads a word on one page, he won't know it on the next page. Guaranteed.

He has directionality confusion with letters (like b vs. p), though many 4yos do, so I put less stock in that one than I might if he were older.

No ear infections ever.

He can't yet tie his shoes, but he's only 4.

His bedroom is a mess and he cannot clean it even a little without help. Totally helpless.

No problems at all with relationship words (over, before, etc.), immature speech or hand dominance, but he does have trouble with yesterday and tomorrow.

I don't know about telling time, yet, Dottie. I haven't really worked with him on it because he hasn't shown any interest in the clock. (Problems with taking a child-led tack...) Time is a big problem with him. He makes DS7 look like Speedy Gonzales when it comes to getting ready for bed, getting dressed, etc.

The bold parts in the following section really made DH and I sit up and take notice:
That's DS4!

I haven't read "The Mislabeled Child" yet, but it's absolutely next on my list. As soon as it comes in at the library for me, it's mine.

I'm thinking I'm right to look into it, aren't I?

Have you thought of a nuerodevelopmental (behavioral) Optometrist?

Yes, he has one already. He IDd the "visual immaturity" that I mentioned, but has not yet suggested therapy or any specific diagnosis. He did prescribe glasses for reading, which DS4 wears religiously, even in pre-K.

I'm just not sure he's the guy for this or not. Is he?

Thanks for the tips, Dottie. It does help to have something to read and actual symptoms to compare, rather than just my "something seems off" gut reaction. No one seems to put much stock in that for some reason...



Our parent-teacher conference with the pre-K teacher is this week. I was hoping to enlist her help in looking for symptoms (or examples that show that he doesn't have the symptoms!), but I really do need to know what to ask her about. This helps.

I've been thinking some more about this:



Does anyone know of a way to tease this apart? I know nothing about this aspect of dyslexia.

I can think of ways in which DS4 might have auditory processing issues--freezes up if given too many oral directions, the rhyming problem, etc.--but I can also see that he might have a visual problem--not looking at books, writing backwards, etc.

Any helpful hints about figuring out which form he might be dealing with? This thread (and everyone who has posted!) has already been so helpful, I'm pushing my luck and asking for more!

Thanks, MON. I confess, I got a little overwhelmed by that site. Looks like maybe I need to underwhelm myself and try again...



This article is very helpful for allowing me to use correct terms and ID just what exactly he seems to be doing:
http://www.ldonline.org/article/6376

A lot of this stuff is very confusing to me. I know just enough to be wrong...

Just sent you a PM Kriston.