I wish I'd had my super-smart son diagnosed at age 5, instead of 7 1/2. That was two years of learning and reading practice he missed out on, not to mention 2 years to get the idea that he wasn't as smart as the other kids, since reading wasn't clicking with him.
My son knew his letters and letter sounds by 2 1/2, but he just could not make the leap to sounding out words. He has a PG twin brother who did make that leap and it was a daily frustration for him that his brother could read and he couldn't. By 5, he told teachers he was afraid he would never learn to read-- and he obviously had reason to believe that, whereas teachers just ignored his (and my) concerns.
If I were you, I'd get him evaluated by a qualified professional. Sign up now, even if you change your mind, because it often takes a long time to get tested. If you're not ready yet, I second the advice of trying some reading intervention programs on your own. We tried some when my son was in K and it was a brutal experience. He hated it and didn't make the progress we would have expected. And that should have been another warning sign for us.
