Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional How to DX Dyslexia?!

Thought I would add this link to the discussion. Here is a list of tests that evaluate the 5 main areas of reading: http://www.concordspedpac.org/TypesTests.html

A good evaluation will include tests in all 5 areas, and if problems are detected while the evaluator is administering the tests, he or she will most likely use more than one test to get more info.

Many times a dyslexic student may also have relative weaknesses in one or more of these areas: processing speed, working memory, executive functioning, sequencing, motor skills. Dyslexia is a spectrum, and no two dyslexics are exactly alike.

A good resource to understand Dyslexia better is the book ,The Gift of Dyslexia. I also recomend the book, Overcomming Dyslexia. The book The Gift of ADHD, has a alot of information that is extremely helpful!

Has anyone had a child who they believed was gifted and dyslexic (had many of the characteristics of both) not do well on an IQ test or do less well on multiple IQ tests over time?

I ask because I have often thought that DS12, who was very ahead during his first 5 years of life, may have dyslexia. He had a hard time learning the alphabet, rhyming, and blending letter sounds together when learning to read and now (he did learn to read at 5.5-6) often substitutes words for those that have a similar meaning or makes the text say what he predicts it will say. He misreads small words like a, an, that, what, not, here, there, where, etc. even though he regularly reads much bigger words, He guesses at big words he doesn't know and has to make multiple attempts to sound things out phonetically. He's a terrible speller (although does well on spelling tests) and not a great writer. His reading fluency is poor, although his comprehension is above grade level (sometimes testing quite a bit above grade level). We brought this to the attention of his school in 2nd grade, they gave him IQ and achievement tests, and just said he was "high normal." They did start him in speech therapy for awhile for speech fluency, but we stopped that after a year of no improvement. (BTW: he had done speech therapy for a year when he was two because he didn't talk a ton -- although he did talk at 12 months and immediately used multiple word sentences -- and when he did speak he left off consonants, but this improved to normal when I introduced him to phonics.) After seeing an optomotrist and then a developmental optomotrist, he did VT for a year with some results (text stopping moving on the page, no more headaches when reading). Last winter we had him ability tested again after concerns from his teacher that he might have attention issues because it was taking him so long to finish his work. This time, the IQ results had dropped 20 points. The psych thought this might be due to undiagnosed ADHD-inattentive type so we started him on meds that have helped a little.

But still, I wonder about dyslexia since he has so many characteristics. In addition, it makes no sense to us why a child who was always "performing" several years above age when he was young, and who has a sister who is HG+ and a brother who is MG+ and two parents who are gifted, is having to work so hard to learn. Can undiagnosed dyslexia cause a drop in IQ? I'm prepared to accept he's "just" ND, but he's always just seemed dyslexic to me.

Not dyslexic, and I don't play one on TV. (nor do I know enough to diagnose dyslexia)

However, I read whole words and have since I started reading. This means that I often skim sentences to get meaning and will skip or misread individual words. The idea of phonics didn't really click with me until I had been reading for years. Even now I have issues sounding out words.

It sounds like there's something wrong, however it may not be as simple as dyslexia. Is he being adequately challenged in school?

Hi Maryann1,

He is being challenged in school. He's possibly the youngest in his class (boy with a summer birthday in a private school with a lot of red-shirted kids). He gets almost all A's in all the academic subjects (mostly B's in art and general music), but he has to work for them. It's become a bit easier since he started Adderall, but his biggest issue is still how much time it takes to complete work (hours) and the "careless" mistakes he makes, particularly in math. Interestingly, the testing showed math concepts to be a strength, whereas computation was a weakness. Story recall was at college-level and comprehension was two grade levels ahead, while phonics and coding and working memory were weaknesses. Reading outloud is painful for everyone involved, but he always seems to do well when reading to himself. There have been mixed thoughts on the necessity of reading aloud from his teachers, though. We try to just let him read to himself since he enjoys reading when he does. It's good to know, though, Maryann1, that you are a well-functioning adult even though you weren't great at phonics as a kid!

Anyway, just curious if anybody had seen a drop in IQ as a result of dyslexia that perhaps improved when treated? What types of techniques are used to help people with dyslexia?

Well, you need to consider what Keith Stanovich calls the Matthew Effect. If you're not reading well or easily, then you have less access to the curriculum (whether that be formal curriculum or just the stuff floating by in your life). So you learn less from what's around than other kids are learning, both in terms of content and in terms of learning strategies. So you have less fund of general knowledge, less experience solving complex problems, less experience self-regulating as a learner. This becomes a self-stoking cycle -- the less you read, the less you learn, the less you read, and so on. The poor reader will tend to diverge more and more from the normal-reader population over time.

Similarly, there's a reverse Matthew Effect with gifted kids -- they get better and better at extracting more and more information and ideas and strategies from the world around them, they learn more and more, and so on.

So it's not unreasonable to wonder if a GT kid who has chronically been struggling to read might start to lose ground compared to those who have not had to try so hard.

In terms of techniques that are helpful for dyslexics, the key words are multisensory, structured, sequential, phonics-based. There is a whole chart comparing the various research-supported intervention systems on http://www.interdys.org/ewebeditpro5/upload/MSL2007finalR1.pdf

Aimee brings up an important concept - the Matthew Effect. Sally Shawitz addresses this in "Overcoming Dyslexia" - specifically as it relates to vocabulary. Since after about age 7 or 8, most of us learn new vocabulary through print, those with dyslexia are at a huge disadvantage. They are not exposed to as many new words simply because they are not reading.

It is important that if a child has significant LD"s that impair access to the school's curriculum, great literature and new ideas in traditional ways (reading), parents should work hard to find alternative modalities. For us, audio books are a part of our every day lives, experiential learning such as visits to museums, other cities and national parks are the cornerstone of our vacations and free time and even things like the Discovery Channel and History Channel can help expose reading impaired kids to new ideas.

That said, most of the subtests on the WISC are not effective by this kind of knowledge. My son's IQ scores have actually gone up (and now leveled off) as he has matured. The only exception would be the subtests that have a time element or a motor element. He has actually lost ground in this area and his processing speed has declined each time he has been tested.

@mich, have you found any resources for non-fiction audio books? We had the recommendation for audio books from the ed-psych a year ago. DD8 has a difficult time listening to fiction stories because she finds them stressful -- she is highly empathetic. When I called the psych back, she recommended having her listen to non-fiction, science texts (science is a passion area). Our local library network only seems to have fiction audio resources for kids. All of the non-fiction resources seem to be geared for adults.

I believed my son had dyslexia and asked for testing, as did his teachers. The diagnostician refused, saying he did not meet standards for school testing because he was not at least 2 grade levels behind. We had him tested privately through a local psychologist who instead diagnosed him with a fine motor disability, dysgraphia. Similar to dyslexia, it carries the same issues with reversed letters, difficulty reading and spelling, and challenges with memorization of things like times tables, etc. It also brings the additional challenges of fine motor skill developmental delays.

Once I had the private diagnosis, I requested another meeting with the school diagnostician. She agreed to take the results before a review committee who then voted to allow the results to be part of his official school record. Based on the results, he was admitted into special ed and began receiving speech therapy, remedial education for reading, and occupational therapy for writing.

If your child is gifted or very bright along with these challenges, you will have a fight on your hands because his testing will belie the difficulties you are describing. You will have to remind yourself that you are advocating for the success of your child. Trust your instincts. Don't be afraid to push beyond the standard institutionalized "no" when asking for help. But whenever possible, keep the teachers and testing staff on your side. Understand that they are overworked, overwhelmed, and bound by a massive boatload of rules and regulations.

Good luck.

BookShare is a service similar to RFBD. You will be able to find periodicals as well as fiction and non fiction books. http://www.bookshare.org/

ABQMom - there is NOTHING in IDEA (Federal Special Ed law) that says one must be at least 2 years behind in order to be evaluated. In fact, if the child is not tested, how would one know how far behind they are? The Child Find provision in IDEA states that upon referral a child must be tested in all areas of suspected disability within 60 days. Most states have further regulations that clarify the 60 days (or less) and the timelines allowed for the report and eligibity meeting. There is no provision for a vote or anything else.

Yes, it is harder to get a gifted child on an IEP if he or she is compensating and meeting minimal requirements. But, with good testing, it is not impossible. www.wrightslaw.com is a great source to learn the legal underpinnings of the spec ed process. www.concordspedpac.org is another excellent site. The concord site contains a lot of info specific to MA, but the federal, testing and other advice is right on for the entire country. LDOnline.org is another good resource.

Districts are often not forthcoming about their responsiblities under IDEA. Be sure to check out the state and federal laws yourself, so that you can hold them accountable.