Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional Do we tell DS7 he is dyslexic?

I was diagnosed very young (6 years old, in first grade) and went to a tutor for a year. That was effective enough to get me reading on level, and doing well in language arts, but I struggled with spelling well into high school. I also had problems with tracking, such that copying anything from the board was extremely difficult. My parents never explained to me that I had dyslexia until the end of high school. I think they didn't tell me because they didn't want me to use it as an excuse. Personally, I think it would have been nice to know that there was a reason that I had difficulties with certain things. I didn't really think that I was stupid though even with those difficulties as I was generally a good student.

Most importantly though, they did get me help. I certainly had an easier time in school than my dad (also dyslexic) did, and I think that had a lot to do with early intervention. I suppose it is also possible that my case was milder than his is.

It's awesome that your school tested him and is going to do intervention. They don't seem to test children at my kid's school unless they are at least in third grade at least and below grade level. It makes me angry because the research clearly supports early intervention.

We have found the term "dyslexia" to be confusing to my kids and to people who know them. The stealth part of the dyslexia means that a lot of the stereotypical features of dyslexia, including much of what's in the Percy Jackson books, don't fit my kids.

We have instead focused on what it is about how their brain processes information that makes spelling and writing difficult, and how the Wilson/OG intervention helps to rewire the brain to make those skills more accessible and automatic to them.

Each kid has subsequently picked up on the fact that this is an intervention for dyslexia, and I think the OG tutor likely uses it with them as well. Each has asked me about it their own way, for which I've acknowledged that yes, the diagnosis is dyslexia, but there are specialists who would classify it as "stealth dyslexia," because it doesn't affect their reading skills significantly. They both think the term "stealth dyslexia" is hilarious, but my initial explanation to them feels more right to them.

My DS is a little younger, 6 y/o with dyslexia and dysgraphia and dyspraxia. The dysgraphia was easy for me to explain to him: that his brain worked so fast and quickly that his hands have difficulty keeping up with his thoughts. Dyslexia is a term I use frequently when discussing with others about DS (while he's around). I tried to explain it as just a difference in a way of learning things, that some people's brains just work differently and learn differently. DS is not stealth, more "typical" with reversals/etc, so I explain that his brain has an ability to work in this way (see things conceptually, great imagination, etc). I also explained how a group of kittens and a group of lion cubs need to learn different things to be successful cats/lions, and we wouldn't teach a kitten how to hunt a gazelle, nor a lion cub to do cat things. They're similar but very different.

Sorry no experience with stealth dyslexia though I'm sure I would go all out on the stealth aspect and talk about ninjas, spies, etc.

Thank you to everyone for your replies. It has been so helpful!

Over the weekend we brought up casually at dinner with my DS and DD to tell us about Percy. What did they know about him? Left-handed, etc. My DS7 said he was dsylexic and had ADHD. We talked about what that meant for Percy. I asked if it was good or bad or both. He said both. We didn't go any farther just then, but it has opened a door for us to talk with him. While my DS does not have the apparent reading challenges Percy has, I think we can use Percy as an example to help him understand what dyslexia means for my DS and how it can be BOTH good and bad. This is going to make it so much easier to have this conversation with him.

Thank you!

I just fell in love with Rick Riordan.

According to my DS, Annie in the Lucy Hawking George books is also dyslexic.

As an adult who grew up before all this testing and evaluation became common, I would have given a thing to have had an explanation or understanding regardless of the name used. My son has a weird variant of dysgraphia so I haven't ever used the term and just focus on describing it as a disability, although I didn't initially use that term either. We started with his brain his just wired differently and there seems to be a short circuit in what he sees in his head and what he can make come out on paper. We focused on how everyone has something, needing glasses, needing help reading, having allergies. And that helped him understand, but he definitely needed something because he was feeling very down about having trouble.

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