Dyslexia question?

I saw something interesting with my son yesterday. Before vision therapy he could read but would miss small words. I guess some would say he was a “sloppy” reader.

He hasn’t had this problem for awhile.

One of the exercises requires he read with a negative and then positive lense. This forces a quick shift in focus. He has to strain to see with the negative lense.

When doing this he keeps missing the small words but is reading the multisyllable words fine.

I had always understood that missing small words was a sign of a vision problem but now know it to be true.

My son was dyslexic but isn’t anymore. It did take a long time to get him to this point and it certainly wasn’t easy. To me, a dyslexic is any person for whom reading is a bigger challenge based on specific underlying deficits that can range from anything to visual memory to phonological processing to sequencing to visual tracking etc etc. I think most people have at least one defict that they just compensate for. I haven’t met anyone with the perfect brain, yet. I think dyslexics have more than one deficit or a severe deficit.

The key is accurate diagnosis of and treatment for the specific deficits. If this is done, I do believe anyone can become a good reader. I am not saying this can be done easily.

So, is my son the good reader a dyslexic. I think he was dyslexic ( he certainly had specific underlying deficits that made reading difficult) but isn’t anymore. He is still dysgraphic.
If you can’t read well you are dyslexic. It is a very broad word that can mean many things to many people.

Talking about a dyslexic kid that was remediated to the point of being a good reader:
But then the dyslexia is, well I wouldn’t say “cured” but remediated to the point that he is a good reader. This was different (I think) than describing dyslexia as a language disorder not involving reading by using the roots of dyslexia.

BTW, “mom” you should pat yourself on the back. Not to be silly or anything but most dyslexics even those who end up reading fairly well never find it easy. Sounds like a combo of early and appropriate intervention.

—des

If I took him in to be diagnosed by a neuropsychologist today he would not be diagnosed dyslexic. It really is all semantics but how can someone be dyslexic if they like to read and can read better than most in their class.

I come from a medical background where once a problem no longer exists it is considered cured.

I know some would even say he never was dyslexic. I just roll my eyes to such comments because it really does negate all we have been through.

This is a tough issue for me because of all the nonsense I have had to go through with the school.

I had a nice man with a PHD tell me he was dyslexic and I can’t teach him to read because dyslexics never really learn to read well. There was a whole lot of other nonsense too.

I have a problem with that assumption because it takes the responsibility away from the educational system and the parents. I think the adults have to stop handing out labels and start removing the burdens these children carry.

Hi Linda,

<<I know some would even say he never was dyslexic. I just roll my eyes to such comments because it really does negate all we have been through. >>

Boy do I relate to this. Even though no one has said that I never had LD, I get comments that my problems must be minor because I compensate so well. Uh, I work my “you know what off” so my problems appear minor or that they don’t exist.

<<I had a nice man with a PHD tell me he was dyslexic and I can’t teach him to read because dyslexics never really learn to read well. There was a whole lot of other nonsense too. >>

Gosh, I didn’t realize this was still going on among people with Dyslexia since that is such a well known condition. So sad and I hear this all the time in the NLD Community. Well. Rourke said we can’t do such and such. My answer is always that is a bunch of BS.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t expect my LDs to disappear because that isn’t going to happen but I just refuse to accept the gloom and doom prognosis.

<<I think the adults have to stop handing out labels and start removing the burdens these children carry.>>

Linda, I had an interesting experience with this issue. On the one hand, I definitely agree with you as labels haven’t exactly served me very well as a person with various LDs.

But when I sensed on an email list I belong to that people were railing against labels because it depended on who did the evaluation, I started to rebel. Maybe it is because of my NLD but I feel labels for me at least serve as the overall picture that I need before I get into the details. I am barely NLD in my opinion but at least it gives me the framework and I can work from there.

PT

>If I took him in to be diagnosed by a neuropsychologist today he would not be diagnosed dyslexic. It really is all semantics but how can someone be dyslexic if they like to read and can read better than most in their class.

Yes, I am not sure either, I was sort of taking the middle ground that he was a treated or remediated dyslexic. He could be a “recovered” one as well but will he, say, have difficulty reading and learning a foriegn language? Or whate if he gets to more advanced content areas, as in college?

>I come from a medical background where once a problem no longer exists it is considered cured.

Well not entirely- take things like depression, epilepsy, etc. But they still connotate the need for treatment or at least attention, as I think maybe your son might, say in the above situation.

Not to be a naysayer or anything. I think if I were you I would be very proud of him and myself. You both worked hard.

>I know some would even say he never was dyslexic. I just roll my eyes to such comments because it really does negate all we have been through.

Fighting words!!!

—des

Both epilepsy and depression are conditions that are treated and there is no cure. They require medication or some other outside intervention like diet and exercise to keep the symptoms in check. The current treatment options only treat symptoms and do not cure. That is not really apples to apples. I think that is similar to a child that is medicated for adhd. They still have the condition but the symptoms are in check because of meds. Stop the meds and the condition comes back.

I think we have done more than treat my son’s symptoms. Honestly, that is what I think his school was trying to do. They addressed the symptoms which are the academic failings rather than the underlying memory, sequencing, phonemic awareness issues. They tried to move around his “problem” by giving him less challenging work.

It was more nursing home than hospital. At least that was my experience. Yes, in that environment dyslexia is incurable.

Neuroscience continues to prove that neural pathways can be changed.

I guess we won’t know what is permanent as he is very young. I know some of the deficits he previously had are gone for good. He can decode anything quickly. Will he one day lose his ability to decode anything quickly? I truely don’t see it. It is too early to tell if his vision issues might come back. Those skills are still rather new.

Dyslexia is just a word after all. In the end it means very little to me. I have already ridden the label rollercoaster. It doesn’t matter what you call it. Just treat specific underlying deficits and then maybe none of us will ever need labels.

Jami is a “remediating dyslexic”. SHe does, however, still have remnants of the dyslexia and, I believe, always will. I am reading Overcoming Dyslexia right now and could kick myself for missing so many of those early signs. Especially the speech.

Linda, Jami also reads well above grade level now, but still has many of the omissions and lack of speed that dyslexics are known for. She gets much of her comprehension from context. SHe has still says “bisgetti, yogret, etc., and probably always will.

So, yes, Jami is a certain case of a classic dyslexic who is now, b/c of early intervention and perserverance, reading better than many of her classmates in the area of comprehension.

Spelling is horrendous, and fluency is poor, but comprehension is excellent.

Leah,

The sloppy errors were taken care of through vision therapy. I know that your daughter is doing well and vision therapy is a lot of work so you may not want to go there.
I just would like people to know that those problems can be dealt with.

Leah,

I am reading Overcoming Dyslexia also. My son is 6 and I am amazed that so much of it describes him to a “T”. My view of Dyslexia has completely changed.

What type of remediations/intervention have you used to help your child. Since my son is repeating K. we are thankfully getting to it early but I still feel panicked by it all. We have started Phonographix with him over the summer. He is doing okay but his memory is so low that he has a hard time recalling what he learned from the previous lesson. He also only knows the numbers 0,5 from sight but can count to 10 consistenly but he really should be able to do more but his memory is holding him back.

Any suggetions that worked for your child would be so appreciated.

Blessings,
Diane

Jami received Sensory Integration Occupational Therapy for her visual processing deficit I guess we only remediated the auditory processing deficit through LIPS (part of the Lindamood Bell “package” that you hear so much about). Looking back, we might have tried Interactive Metronome b/c I hear it does wonders for APD, attention, etc.

I know Linda has had excellent results with the Vision therapy, and I might have done that, or things in general in a little different order, if I had to do it over again - or at least looked at the “research”. When Jami was evaluated, I was told, “Get LMB and SI OT” so I did.

So, Jami rec’d Lindamood Bell and SI OT. SHe is following up with Orton Gillingham currently (in retrospect, I MAY have tried OG to begin with b/c I think she would be a better speller if she had had that early on), but I can on guess at that. I like the fact that OG incorporates reading, writing AND spelling simultaneously. Of course, those certified OG tutors are few and far between and there’s only 1 practicing in my fair city currently. (Sometimes I thing I should go back to school and learn all this).

Wish I had done a speech and language evaluation on her early on b/c I see more and more articulation problems as she gets into the multisyllabic words. She holds her own, though.

As far as numbers and letters in K-5? SHe would tell me, “Well, YOUR numbers go 1, 2 3, 4, 5, but I have my OWN set of numbers and they go, 2, 5, 1, 3 14, 7”. Her 1st LMB tutor said she was TRYING to tell me she had a sequencing problem and I didn’t get it! Same “excuse” with the alphabet.

Even today at almost 11, she usually will miss September or October (or both) when doing the months of the year and can only do it if I say, “Okay, start with January”. (She never can remember the name of the 1st month of the year).

I tell her not to worry. SHe will have a planner or palm pilot and the months are always in the right order.!

You know, you do what you can to remediate, you teach them to compensate and you tell them they’re AWESOME no matter what!