I am new here and would love some input. I have a 12yo son who is DX ADHD since 3rd grade and has been doing well with medication. Recently his 6th grade teacher made a nonchalant comment durning his 504 meeting that maybe DS has Dyslexia. The comment was in relation to DS’s distaste of written work and VERY poor writing ability. Well, I came home and did a little surfing about dyslexia and I think DS at least has 3/4 of the common symptoms. His hand writing is terrible,he makes his letters wrong,mixes his d’s and b’s,holds his pencil oddly,spells even easy words (what, and, the) incorrectly even after lots of practice and on and on. He had some testing back in 3rd grade,the WISCIII and LDDI,both tests showed he is very smart(boarderline gifted) but very asynchonous-hit the ceiling on some subtests but bottomed out on things like coding and comprension. His teacher feels like even a Dyslexic DX wouldn’t make much of a difference in how he is “treated” in the classroom,he already has most accomodations that he can have(without an IEP) and she also said many of the same triats could be considered ADHD related or even ADHD/gifted related. DS is a great reader(a couple grades ahead,but I notice he doesn’t read all the words he skips through-reads quickly)
So, I would like to have DS tested. I don’t think the school should do it but where do I go? Should a talk with his ped and get a recommendation from him? Who should he send us to??
I also read that Dyslexia is a kind of umbrella DX and there really isn’t a specific DX and /or treatment that goes along with it. Is this true???
Thanks for any help, Cheryl
Thanks
DS is a good reader actually. He seems to comprehend very well and has always scored very high on standardized reading tests or portions of tests.That is really one of the things that would keep him from really fitting into the Dyslexia “box”.
I have read on here that many parents do one-on-one tutoring with their kids, is this something that really helps??? Are there specific “ways” to work with kids like DS???? Is a DX needed to have someone work with him???
Thanks again, Cheryl
Re: New and Need Advice.....
I work tutoring kids like this one-to-one, and yes, it can do a lot of good. As he gets older and more in-depth reading and more writing are needed, some work improving these areas can make a huge difference. You have to dedicate the time and money (or your own work) and be ready to keep up steady work over a period of time — it’s not a short-term miracle but steady improvement in skills that you are looking for.
As far as diagnosis, yes dyslexia is a vague umbrella term, and no, by this age it probably won’t make a huge difference — I don’t think from what you write that you want to go the special education route anyway. The best thing to do is correct the problems you see and keep developing the strengths at the same time.
Re: New and Need Advice.....
You might want to investigate dysgraphia rather than dyslexia. Dysgraphia involves handwriting, spelling, and sometimes written expression in general. If you go to the “LD in Depth” section of this website and click on “Writing”, the first article shows which combination of tests is needed to make a diagnosis of dysgraphia (“The 90-Minute Dysgraphia Evaluation”).
Nancy
Re: New and Need Advice.....
With testing, look at his scores in phonological awareness and rapid naming. If either of those are very low he may be dyslexic and need help in one or both areas.
I agree that it’s not unusual for kids with ADHD to have difficulties with spelling and written expression, and not have a reading disablity. But it’s good that you are looking further into this.
Your pediatrician is a good place to go for a recommendation. Testing definitely does seem in order, but fyi, many children with ADHD also have handwriting and reading issues that don’t quite fit into the dyslexia box (or umbrella). Is your son having difficulty with reading comprehension, especially answering “why” or “what if” type questions? If so, addressing the problem, even at this age, could make a big difference.