I have just joined and would like some advice.
I a mum to a 7 year old little girl(DD), we currently live in southern Germany and first language is English, however is is fluent in German also although she commonly mixes the languages. My DD started school at 6 years and she is in the German reception class (6 years is a normal age to start school here)
She has had many issues since birth and is now only the weight of a 3 year old and under the hospital.
In school she has many issues, reading is just a nightmare for her and writing. we are in this scenario - she learns it, she knows it, 2 minutes later she forgets it! and we are going no were! also she knows the answers in maths but if the answer is say 5 she will say 7 - if was ask if she is sure she says no its not right. Give her the numbers written she immediately points to the correct number. It is like she can not find the correct file in her brain.
We just a have statement diagnosing dyslexia and mild ADHD. I am not surprised and i also have dyslexia myself.
We are in an absolute nightmare and here is my complicated question??
She is currently in German local school in a class of 13 children, however my German is limited and so out side help from us at home is not easy.
she has the option to go to international school, however this is then learning in Geramn and english so we add a language but we can support in the English side. The class she will be in will currently be just 3 children learning in her first language, and i the bilingual group again only 11 children.
our dilemma is which is better?? out statement says learning in the 1st language is a must for her but how does this work if it is dual languages.
I really don’t know what to do so any advice and thoughts from your experiences would be very welcomed
thank you and sorry for the long post
Ttaceyx
Help with dyslexcia
In addition to dyslexia my child encountered problems pair associative memory (putting sound and symbols together)and short term memory. It is funny that it mainly related to phonics and and not so much with numbers.
I agree that you should look for a specialized program that teaches with multi-sensory instruction. If you’d like to see what such a program looks like in English, try watching a few of the videos on this site:
www.brightsolutions.us
For German multi-sensory instruction, I would also recommend that you see if you can find anything created by Elke Schneider, Ph.D., from Winthrop University.
Guten tag, wie gehts?
ich bin auch ein expat. in die haupstadt von ostereich.
To me it sounds as if you have quite a problem…
I think, as someone diagnosed with both of those diagnosies myself, and reading your post that, you have a bad diagnosis. Bear in mind i have never met your child i am going solely and completely from 1 brief post by you. But what you describe to me, sounds nothing like ADHD and even less like any kind of dyslexia i have ever encountered.
If she is dyslexic, as a dyslexic myself in a german speaking country, she must learn to take the language apart, she must learn the same in english. It will take a loooong time because she will also have to learn to put them both back together again. It must be taken apart piece by piece, it requires rewiring in the brain really. She will need to make a set of neuropathways specifically for english and one for german. Educators say that is nearly impossible for students with dyslexia to learn to be efficient in more than their own native language. Well, i am living proof that is a load of crap. As i also speak dutch and finnish a bit of spanish my polish is very good and my korean blows but i can make myself understood when i need to and my irish gaelic is bordering on efficient. If i can speak more than 2 languages as a dyslexic i know it is possible for all of us. It is harder though and it takes a long time and a lot of practice and specialized remedial work in each of the languages so we can learn how to build the words by learning the sum of their parts first. It’s how we build those neuro pathways i believe.
Which is better? Neither. Both your options sound terrible to me. You need a specialized program for both that is geared towards teaching the dyslexic brain so that it can make those pathways it needs for each language. Though, i have never heard of a dyslexic person that just forgot everything constantly…. Usually what happens is we struggle with it then oneday, it is showed to us in just the right way and our brains click and suddenly it all makes sense and then because dyslexics typically are also exceptionally highly intelligent they then go on to excell in everything. Easily compensating for their disability.
I have no idea what is going on with your kid, but if it truly is dyslexia there is a certain kind of aproach you need to take towards both languages, i am looking for it at the moment here in austria. My german is sufficient but i am not satisfied with it as i am staying here for the next several years and i would like to become more literate than i already am, so best way to do that is to find some sort of orton gullingham german system….. You might want to look for that too. Or even for english. If she really is dyslexic such a program will help her. If she isn’t it will definately make it clear her diagnosis is incorrect i would think.
good luck
tchuss!