My 2nd grade daughter has been struggling with reading. She is left handed, and from early on has had trouble with letter reversals. Before she went to Kindergarden, she would regularly write everything in a perfect mirror image from right to left. I discussed the possibility of a problem with both her Kindergarden and first grade teachers, but was told she would grow out of it and she just needed to try harder.
By the beginning of 2nd grade, I new we had a real problem. She could not read basic words, and would forget a word from one sentence to the next. She continues to reverse letters, words, and parts of words (e.g. could and cloud).
She’s been working with a reading teacher using Lindamood Bell LIPS program for three months, and is making a lot of progress. We asked the school district to test her, and they found her to be average or above average in most areas, with the exception of “reversals,” where she tested below a 5 year old.
Since she doesn’t qualify for special education, what can we do as parents to help her master this problem with reversals. Are there special tools or programs that will help? Her reading teacher mentioned a method using colored transparencies to help the letters “stay still.” What’s that about?
One thing I would do is get a developmental vision evaluation, since reversals can be a red flag for developmental vision delays. See http://www.childrensvision.com for more info, and http://www.covd.org to find board-certified developmental optometrists in your area.
The colored overlays refer to scotopic (hope I’m spelling that right!) sensitivity. Some people are very sensitive to the contrast between text and a page. Colored overlays (or tinted eyeglasses) change the degree of contrast. I have never heard of this being used for reversals, but you can find more info at http://www.irlen.com . Personally, this is something I would investigate as a last resort. It would not be my initial emphasis.
Because of the left-handedness and mirror image writing, I would be inclined to get a Handle assessment (see http://www.handle.org ). It would be interesting also to have her write with her right hand and observe how she does.
The “could” and “cloud” mix-up indicates poor sequencing skills. Sequencing skills are helped by cognitive training. Options are Audiblox (http://www.audiblox2000.com ), BrainSkills (http://www.brainskills.com ) and PACE (http://www.processingskills.com ). Audiblox and BrainSkills are home-based programs. PACE is provider-based.
You may also want to take a look at the book “Reading Reflex” by McGuiness (check your library or local bookstore). This is a much less expensive approach than LMB LiPS. Although some children need LiPS, many respond just as well to the approach in RR. (You would not want to do LiPS and RR simultaneously, though!)
Nancy