Ask Dr. Silver
Dr. Larry Silver answers selected questions from LD OnLine users regarding diagnosis and options for managing learning disabilities.
Below are the newest questions answered by Dr. Silver. To view all questions, organized by topic, visit the All Questions section.
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How can we help a gifted fifth grader who is forgetful and lacks organization?
Dr. Silver,
I really hope you can help steer us in the right direction in seeking help for our daughter. She is in the 5th grade and has been tested as gifted (IQ of 135). She goes to a private school and is in a gifted pull-out program (one day per week), which she loves.
She is struggling mightily this year with organization. Her grades are just OK, but her effort is definitely lacking. She is not working up to her potential.
She says she is trying her hardest, but her teacher thinks that she does not use her time wisely and does not listen attentively. Her desk is the messiest in the class and no system of organization has seemed to help her. She generally does her work but often "forgets" to turn it in. Her handwriting is awful. I constantly have to remind her to head her paper and mind the margins.
I am at my wit's end with trying to get her to be more organized and responsible, and always give school her best effort. I should mention that she also suffers from anxiety. She has been in therapy for two years and is currently being medicated for it. The anxiety seems to be under control.
I don't know what else to do to help her or what kind of professional to turn to for help. I would love any advice you could give me. Thank you so much for your time and attention.
Respectfully yours,
Andrea
Most of the difficulties you describe suggest what is called executive function disorder — difficulty with organization of materials, tasks, and time. She also appears to have a fine-motor problem that is affecting her handwriting. It is important that the reasons for these problems be clarified.
She will need a psycho-educational evaluation. The results will explain why she is underachieving and what to do to help her. You are in a private school; however, you are entitled to services from the public school system. Meet with the principal of the public school she would have gone to and request that she be evaluated. The principal must schedule a meeting to discuss your daughter's difficulties. If the principal denies your request for such studies, you may have to have it done privately.
Do not wait until she is in middle school. Her problems will only become worse. Have her evaluated now so that the right help can be introduced now.
My 6-year-old son is reversing letters and numbers. Should I get him tested?
I have a 6-year-old son that is having trouble at school. He reads a lot of common words backwards, such as reading pan for nap or dull for pull. He can do basic math, but if the answer is 32, sometimes he'll write 23.
It was upsetting me that he was making simple mistakes because he wouldn't take the time to look at things, and then I noticed he was having trouble focusing his eyes. I had his vision tested and it's fine.
I asked his teacher if she would refer him to get tested for a learning disability. She told me the school's waiting list is about 60 days. Am I going about it the right way by getting him tested? Where do I go from here? Can my son's doctor have him tested or refer me to a testing center? What kind of test do you do to identify learning disabilities? I feel completely lost and worry that I am failing my son. Please help!
Sometimes, 6 year olds still reverse letters and numbers. If this is his only problem, you might wait a little longer. If, however, you find that he is not mastering his first grade skills (reading, writing, math), then I would not wait.
Don't discuss this with the teacher. The process is for you to write a letter to the principal, requesting a meeting to discuss your son's difficulties. The principal must call such a meeting. The school psychologist and special education person will be present. Discuss your concerns with this team. If they agree, they will schedule testing. If they do not feel testing is needed now, you will still have focused everyone on his difficulties. If in the fall he has not made progress, request another meeting.
You can always have him evaluated privately. The testing is called psycho-educational testing.
As an adult, how can I determine if I have dyscalculia?
How can I go about determining if I have dyscalculia? Do you know of anyone who can make this determination in an adult in the San Antonio, Texas area? I have always had difficulty with math but now that I am in intermediate algebra in college, it's impossible.
I use a tutor two hours a week, the professor is wonderful, and I still don't get it. As they explain it one-on-one to me, it makes sense. Twenty-four hours later, I might as well be looking at Japanese writings. It does not make sense. I can't even look at the examples given to figure out a solution. A friend suggested I may have dyscalculia. I thank you in advance for your assistance.
Dyscalculia, or difficulty learning and applying math, is considered a type of a learning disability. If you have never had studies done to answer your question, you should do so now. Go to the Office of Disability Services at your college and ask how you can be evaluated for your math disability.
My sister's first grade teacher said my sister will be in special ed classes for the rest of her life and won't go to college. Isn't this setting her up for failure?
I am not a parent but my younger sister, who is in first grade, is having difficulties with reading and other basic skills. Today our older sister went in to talk with the teacher and the teacher told her that our younger sister is going to be in special ed for the rest of her life and that it is likely that she will not be going to college. I guess they are teaching her life skills at the school and they do not look at the homework that she is doing.
This aggravates me because it seems like they are just setting her up for failure. I read an article about one student who said that it is better for these kids to be challenged and placed in mainstream classes — he was placed in special ed second through eleventh grade and once they did put him in mainstream it was a lot more difficult to transition. His was a success story, but I completely agree students should be put in mainstream classes earlier. I would just really appreciate your input on this situation because I do not want to see my little sister fail.
Your younger sister is fortunate to have you as an older sister who cares about her. I do wonder why you and another sister are involved. Where are your parents/guardians?
It is essential that the parents request a meeting with the school principal and school professionals. What studies have been done to support this teacher's comments? A child cannot be placed in special education without studies to support this need. AND, no decisions can be made without the parents' consent. First, speak with your mother and find out what she knows. If there are no formal studies or no official meetings, this teacher needs to be confronted about such comments. If there have been such studies and your mother has not shared them with you, ask that they be discussed.
Could a pre-kindergarten student who identifies numbers but not letters be showing early signs of dyslexia?
I teach early childhood special education and have a student who is pretty good at identifying numbers, but is not identifying letters or showing much interest in emergent reading. He likes books and looking at the pictures or singing the songs, but not identifying letters or sounds.
The child is 4.5 years old. His speech is good — he has received SLP therapy and his receptive and expressive language are both high. Could any of this difficulty in expressing letter knowledge, but not number knowledge, be an early sign of dyslexia? Is it perhaps just a matter of being 4 and not wanting to answer the questions? Also, his parent had a learning disability as a child — could this be genetic?
Thank you!
The problems you describe could be the initial clues that this child might have learning disabilities. The fact that he needed language therapy adds to the possibility of this diagnosis. If this child is in your class, it suggests that he is already seen as in need of special education services. The current approach would be to try remedial interventions and see how he responds. If he does not respond, then formal studies might be done.
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