reading problems in kids?

Question

my 6yr old kid is very happy and very bright but cant get around words on paper she reads her school books by looking at pictures and knows the story but ask her to spell simple words she cant spell them but she gets lots of letters mixed up lie b for d and also writes other letters in mirror form were confussed as been told that its not dyslexia

Answer 1

Recently I started helping children in the reception class (coming up to 5 and just turned 5) with their letters and it is so rewarding - just wish I had done this years ago!



Four of the little boys have been struggling recognising the letters so have introduced a game exercise rather than words as such. Their teacher provided me with a box of all the letters of the alphabet on cards plus various pictures also on cards. We played a form of snap.



Each boy was given one of the cards showing a letter. I turned all the picture cards upwards showing the picture and asked them to match the letter card with the picture. I got them to pronounce their letter and also to see whether there were any other picture cards with that same letter.



Then I turned the picture cards upside down on the table and put the letter cards face upwards as well. Each boy had to pick one of the cards facing downwards, tell me what it was and to match it with one of the letters. Each time they did this, I got them to tell me what the letter was and to say it repeatedly.



We also did some other guessing using the letters. They did so well that each of them was given a prize. At the end, one of the little boys actually thanked me for the game and he was one of the shyest.



What I am therefore suggesting is if you make this business of reading a game rather than actually reading, you may be surprised at how your child will improve.



Letters b and d tend to get mixed up but eventually, your child will realise which is which simply by the sound of the word. Lots of praise when your child does well will go a long way - again make even this a game. Say five or ten "well-done" will result in a small prize.



At the end of all this, you want your child to enjoy books and reading so the simpler methods of teaching seem to be the solution. Bearing in mind I am not a teacher but just a grandma, the results of my efforts with these children have been remarkable.



Using the school books as a format, print some of the shorter words, cut them out, give your child say ten of them, get the child to say the letters phonically and try to combine all of them into the word. When these selection has been done, do another selection and work at them on a daily basis.



You will need an abundance of patience but it really is so worthwhile in the long run. Keep reading books, get your child to repeat the words with you as well.



Good luck!

Answer 2

I am a father of 3 children, two of which suffer from Dyslexia. Don't be scared by this term. the word Dyslexia is just Latin for "unable to read". Your child is very young still and may just not be ready yet. All children progress at different speeds. I had a major battle with the schools to get any help, my eldest was assessed when she was 6 or 7 years of age, the school's answer? "She's not Dyslexic, she's just a bit slow". I was gobsmacked at the time but knew what to expect when my second daughter started having problems. My best advice at this stage is to read with your child while pointing to the words as you read. Make some labels with the name of different items around the house (i.e. Television, Computer, Toilet, Telephone etc) and attach them to the corresponding items.This can help with word association. But most importantly of all is to remember that no matter how frustrated you or your child may get, your child can't help it, try not to get upset with them (it will happen) and take a break. Getting B & D mixed up is common, get them to hold up both thumbs facing in to each other and say the word Bed ("b" being the left hand and "d" being the right), this will give them a visual indication of which way round b & d are as they are mirror images of each other. Mirror writing can be early signs of a problem but may indeed not be, that alone shouldn't be of great concern. Is your child left handed? Unfortunatley our written language is right handed & not designed to be written with the left hand, someone who is left handed would naturally start writing right to left. If this is the case, don't worry too much as this will rectify itself in time. From experience I advise you to persist with the school if things don't change and don't allow them to fob you off and don't worry. Even if she is Dyslexic (this is just a label used by professionals) she will adapt and won't struggle through life illiterate. Best of luck! Danny

Answer 3

My son is also Dyslexic (why do they make that word so hard to spell!) and I have worked with children with Dyslexia for several years, and I would say that the chances are she has a Specific Learning Disorder (SpLD- the new fashionable word for it). You could do one of a few things, get in touch with the British Dylsexia Association (website at the bottom of this thread) and explain the issues she is having to get some advice. You could contact the school SENCo and ask for an appointment to see them to discuss your fears. I don't know who told you it was not dyslexia, but are they qualified to tell you that?

I have always taught all dyslexic children to read in a phonetic way, did you know there are several ways of spelling the sound a? Look for phonics books in your local book store, always try and give her different methods of learning, not all children will learn from being told how to read, but they prefer to move letters around ( wooden letters or magnets are a fab method)

If you want to contact me I would be happy to give you more hints and tips.

Answer 4

Hi, don't worry too much if she is bright and happy she will read when she is ready. trust the teachers and don't put pressure on her. When children start to read they do use the pictures and the story to get the understanding of the story. Don't expect her to spell .bless her! Children often get b's and d's confused along with q's and p's. One game is to make a joke of bed shows the b at the top and d at the bottom. Or b has a belly and d is like a dog with a tail.

Give her the gift of the joy of reading and snuggle up with her and a super story book. Let her realise that words on a page are fun and exciting NOT an ordeal dad puts her through!.Reading is the most important skill we can teach our children it opens the door to new worlds . Just have fun.

Answer 5

I was exactly the same at 6 years old. I used to mix up b's for d's, p's for q's and vice versa. Plus I used to write letters backwards.

Take her to an opticians and have her eyes examined. It may be something neurological. Dont' be alarmed though, it can be sorted. Try to get her to write the alphabet out over and over again. But it can be dyslexia, dyslexia has many forms and detailed tests have to be done to find out.



I'm fine now, but still occasionally get mixed up, especially when I'm tired.



Hope this helps and that you have a solution to the problem soon. x



Try getting her to write on a yellowy coloured paper, this is known to help Dyslexic's. No harm in trying heh?

Answer 6

My Mom home schools her kids, and from my experience with helping her teach (We have a rather large family) it's just that some kids want to read more than others.



I was reading Disney books at four, but I couldn't wait to start reading. One of my sisters is currently struggeling through reading problems because she just doesn't see the point in reading, meanwhile she is a complete whiz at math. We have found that the best thing is just keep it interesting for the kids, yet at the same time repetitve, if you understand. A program that is wonderful is Hooked On Phonics, and I would suggest looking at that program.



Mixing up certian letters is very, very normal. Some kids do and some don't have this problem.



Hope that was helpful!

Answer 7

Coming from a teacher, it's true it's probably not dyslexia. Many students continue to mix up b, p, d late into first grade and sometimes into second grade. Letter and number formation is not a reading problem though, neither is not being able to spell. She probably needs help with blending and sounding out words, but for a six year old, I'm sure she is doing fine. If her teacher isn't concerned, then you shouldn't be either.

Answer 8

I'm sorry but your daughter has dyslexia, although she may be 'discriminated against' because many people believe that dyslexia is limited to males. But, it also could be that your daughter has a 'problem' similar to Da Vinci (it's actually called 'Da Vinci Syndrome') ... which means that she CAN 'write in both directions AT THE SAME TIME (with both hands ... left to right with the left hand, and right to left with the right hand) ... and that is a 'problem' if you try to keep her writing ONLY with ONE hand, or with the 'wrong' hand. This is a type of dyslexia, too, but generally the people who have it are EXTREMELY INTELLIGENT although they are considered 'learning disabled' and tracked with the 'slow learners' ...

Try giving your daughter a stack of paper ... at least 11X17" if possible, and put her in a room BY HERSELF and tell her to 'draw' ... using crayons. Watch her from just outside the room. If she uses BOTH hand (because she think's she's alone) she'll be 'drawing' with BOTH hands ... unless she's so 'afraid' of disappointing you that she can't 'draw as she wants' even when she's totally alone.

Now, I have a 'cure' for her, if you are willing to try it. Get a 'computer game' similar to the old 'Space Invaders' game where the 'bad guys' start at the top left, march toward the right, and drop down, with the 'good guy' at the bottom. Let your daughter play this game for AT LEAST an hour (up to two hours) and then give her a book to 'read' to you. Her 'reading' should IMPROVE for at least an hour after she plays this game. After several months, the time she can 'read properly' and 'write properly' will get longer and longer ... she may always have 'problems' but you will have a much HAPPIER child who can do her schoolwork without problems.

Answer 9

First off, reading and spelling are different skills. She may have early reading skills, but very limited spelling skills at present. Most children in Year 1 will spell phonetically - spell words as they say them, e.g. 'Wons' for 'once,' 'wos' for 'was' etc. If these are the kind of errors your daughter is making, don't worry. This is perfectly normal for her current state of development.



You say that she memorises books and uses the pictures to give her clues. This is an early reading skill and is perfectly normal. Once she has read to you, ask her to read some of the words out of context. Cover over all the words except the one word you want her to read, or, write words down clearly on a piece of paper. If she still struggles to identify the word, help her to sound it out. If she struggles to recognise the sounds, you have to go back and revisit letter sounds, (not letter names, which many parents teach their children).



The 'b' 'd' reversal is very common - most children of this age will do it, and it will correct itself, given time and practise.

Hope this helps!

Answer 10

b and d reversal is common and some of the 8 year olds in my class still do this so dont worry. I also have some 6 year olds who reverse h, p, and n. Many of my children will spell phonetically, such as haws for house, but some still only write the inital or last sound, such as ct for cat. You could speak to the school to see what kind of support they are giving her. In my class I work independently with 3 children who sound very similar to your daughter, for 10 minutes every other day. We work on letter sounds, making sure they say the 'clipped' sounds as this makes it easier later when segmenting and blending words. You can hear these clipped sounds on this website:

http://www.ngfl-cymru.org.uk/vtc/ngfl/ngfl-flash/alphabet-eng/alphabet.htm

They then use these sounds to blend words, l...o...g (ul = L sound)

We start with CVC words (Consonant vowel consonant)

We then move onto sounds such as sh, ch, th, ff, ss,

Then we work on long vowel sounds ai, ay, igh, ie etc

If you want to work with your daughter (it's always best to make it a game) you could use very simple resources, such as magnetic letters on the fridge. You could have a small chalk board in one corner of the room and have a 'rhyme of the week', eg, 'og' and she can see how many rhyming words she can find in the week, log, dog, fog etc. This is great for learning to blend letter sounds. I am sure that if you talk to her teacher she will be able to give you lots of advice. Remember that she is young, and just because she finds this aspect of education challenging, does not mean that she isn't bright, intelligent and capable of excelling at school

Good luck

Answer 11

Dyslexia has a very broad definition and your child's problem could very well be considered dyslexia. Your child may need special training in order to correct the problem. There is a lot of information out there on where and how to get help so look into it in your area.

Answer 12

Do not worry at this point. As long as she is bright she will learn to spell and identify letters in the due course of time.

Answer 13

Some children find it easier than others. My 6 year old is very forward and can read and write really well yet she has real trouble writing numbers, they are nearly always back to front. They all develop at different rates, just take time to sit with her and help her as much as you can.

Answer 14

The best thing you can do is get her onto the phonics books. Have you requested the school to assess her and get a special needs teacher in for her to assist with her compilation of letters/words and sounds. We had similar problem with our son who was tongue tied. He has had to do it for both English and Welsh, so you can imagine the fun we had. If you have any other ????'s I will be pleased to assist when I can. My e-mail is : [e-mail]

Answer 15

Same here. It took gentle but firm persuasion to get our youngest to make the effort. This child is a Taurus. You are the most important lifeline for your child right now - you have to invest the time to work with them and it will be no time when they are reading with greater fluency and ease.

Answer 16

1

Answer 17

I had a newphew with the same problem. Parent toook him to the eye doctor for exam and he has stagmatsm in one eye and severely needed glasses, now he reads and write correctly all the time!!

Answer 18

Read this sentence..



nu vsvt xeuwa skir.



I typed my baby cries a lot.



However to your child who cannot yet link sounds and letters the sentence looks like gobbledy ****.



Mixing b & d is normal.



Speak to his/her teacher to find out how you can help or if you need to be worried.

Answer 19

my 6 year old is the same.you might be being to over critical,lets face it your kid is only in year 2.we were at a parents evening tonight and her teacher was more than happy with her progress.the things you discribe are normal.

Answer 20

Hi,i wouldn't be worrying yet,it seems to come to them eventually,my son was a slow reader,fine with everything else,just struggled so much with his reading and it wasn't until he got to about 9 years old that it suddenly all seem to click.All you can do is encourage her and practise as much as poss with her,but dint over do it,she will get it eventually.good luck

Answer 21

it is a sure sign of dyslexia my friend had it and i helped her alot. first when she gets a letter wrong tell her no almost then if she guessed the right one the second time giv her somthing she will like dearly. like if she passes the grade get her a kitten and throught the year drop hints that you might she will improve gaurenteed

Answer 22

As long as she can spell her name, it's fine. For the rest...give her time and space.

Answer 23

why dont you try to actually read with her. as a six year old it would help to know how to say the word right then them saying it and knowing that the way they said it is re=ight when it is actually wrong! idk if it will help!

Answer 24

have you seen her peditritian latley, talk to him/her it might just be a stage or not. maybe somethings wrong get help.

Answer 25

idk. Maybe turn her upside dopwn.