Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment Testing Vision re: reading at 4.5yrs?

i wanted to add that i have a visual-spatial DD7 who was so uninterested in any kind of phonics or rote learning when it came to reading (and everything else, really). He did not really read until entering first grade, but by January (Six months later) he was reading very difficult chapter books.. So all our worrying for nothing.
irene

This is very much how my DD (MG/HG) learned to read. She did not read at all starting K, but by the end of K was reading chapter books. It was pretty astounding to watch it happen.

Thank you master of none. I really appreciate your response. It definitely struck a cord. I am just learning how to have this confidence that you mention and have been in a lot of chats with DH about our role as her advocate and champion. Your post reminded me of our recent school decision. We ended up picking the accelarated school with gifted instructors, putting her in K a year early, for the very reason you mention- thinking of her needs v. my own comfort with a more "average" or what is thought to be "normal" pace. Trust me this is a lot of internal arguing going on about my assumptions about what is appropriate when ;-)... I imagine that occurs for a lot of parents just discovering this world of high IQ, OEs, weekly OT apts, visual spatial learning, etc.

My dd is already doing the gifted girl hiding behavior, and she is also an extreme introvert so she immediately scans a room and quickly modifies her behavior to match the group. This behavior in itself caused her to partially reject reading even though she had been quite passionate and emotional about it (i.e. none of her friends were reading). Of course she didn't do it perfectly and apparently for introverts perfections is quite important. I am working with her to understand and also teach myself how these are incredible strengths and nurture them.

Fortunately, my DH is quite similar to this, an extreme introvert himself so he is quite enlightening on the motivations.

Thanks for the post, very thought provoking.

Branwen, I have a son who has had glasses since he was three. It's definitely not too early to get vision checked, though it is true that kids vision continues to change through pre-school years. Ask the Dr on that one.

It's interesting that your DS wants to read so badly. I have heard that some of learning to read is social readiness, which correlates with the phenomena of more girls being early readers than boys. Both my sons actually resisted any kind of formal reading instruction until they could read. My DS15 never liked the phonics books. His first "book" that he read alone was Captain Underpants when he was six, and 3 months later he was reading all the Harry Potter books. My DS11 has always been less mature for his age. He had learned to "read" (sound out words) at school and we all knew it. He insisted that he couldn't read and it came out that he was afraid that if he could read we would stop reading books to him (by this time his older brother preferred to read alone). Like his brother, he didn't want to read until he could read whatever he wanted which didn't happen until 2nd grade.

That being said (my own story I know) I would definitely honor her desire and if things don't click, get her vision tested. (I might not tell the Dr that you're doing it because she can't read yet