I think my son (8) is Dyslexic - how do I talk to him about this?

zippybungle

Mojisola wrote: »

It sounds as if you're doing well explaining things.

If he is dyslexic, talk about it with him so he knows the word and what it means. He will feel much better knowing why he struggles rather than just that he does struggle.

We talked to our son about how humans developed and, in earlier times, people in a group would have had a range of skills which would have meant they were good at different things - all things necessary to the success of the group.

Because our world now is so literacy-focused, reading and writing skills have become dominant. People whose brains are wired differently are very important because they see things in a different way. My son has creative problem solving skills, amazing spatial awareness and a very good memory (because it's not so easy to make notes to remember things) as well as other skills.

He went to out-of-school lessons run by the Dyslexia Institute and, as he said, learnt more in an hour than he did all week at school. He was tested by our optician with coloured overlays and then had glasses made with lenses in the colour that helped him.

His reading also improved a lot when he got a Kindle - he followed the words while they were being read out which meant he didn't lose the meaning of the text struggling with difficult words. Reading became more enjoyable and he seems to be able to remember the words better than before.

He still writes phonetically - as long as you sound everything out as it is written, his notes are quite clear but they don't look like English spellings.

Thanks for your helpful reply. My son also writes phonetically eg. fink (think), sum (some) waz (was)

Mojisola

meritaten wrote: »

honesty. complete honesty and explain in simple terms what you are worried about and WHY he is seeing the doctor. and lots of reassurance that this doesn't affect your relationship or that he isn't seen as 'stupid'. more a case of finding the 'problem' and 'fixing' it.

Also finding out what he's good at.

We paid for a private test because the school was hopeless dealing with his problems. This not only showed exactly where he was having difficulties but showed what he was good at. He came out several years above his age group in comprehension and memory.

The Ed Psych eventually did a range of tests, including an IQ test, and found "his IQ was higher than the teachers in the school" - a nice morale boost for someone who was being turned off school at the time.

zippybungle

Mojisola wrote: »

Also finding out what he's good at.

We paid for a private test because the school was hopeless dealing with his problems. This not only showed exactly where he was having difficulties but showed what he was good at. He came out several years above his age group in comprehension and memory.

The Ed Psych eventually did a range of tests, including an IQ test, and found "his IQ was higher than the teachers in the school" - a nice morale boost for someone who was being turned off school at the time.

How can I find out about out-of-school lessons run by the Dyslexia Institute ?

BobQ

zippybungle wrote: »

Thanks for your helpful reply. My son also writes phonetically eg. fink (think), sum (some) waz (was)

This may be an indication, but it could just be that he is using informal text speak without realising it.

choccymoose

Have you also considered Scotopic Sensitivty, ( Meares Irlen/ visual stress) you could be describing my son. He has Scotopic sensitivity and dyslexia in addition to an audio processing disorder. His eyes sight tests and hearing tests all come back fine but its how his brain processes the information. He now wears special glasses that are tinted to a specific shade or uses an overlay or writes on green paper, a computer/ipad or uses dragin dictator. He is aware he is different and learns differently but with the right support they can thrive. What really helps my son is that is teacher at the moment has scotooic sensitivity too so gives him hints and tips and knows how best to support him

sooty&sweep

Hi
My son was diagnosed in primary school as having specific learning difficulties with dyslexic tendancies.
The diagnosis helped my son alot because before he had real confidence issues. The diagnosis helped him because it confirmed to him that he was a bright little boy but who had a problem with reading & writing. It also helped because his teachers realised he had a learning difficulty.
I would advise be honest with him. If he's anything like my son he will have his own thoughts on the matter and if you're not careful it will be 2 + 2 = 5 if you know what I mean.
Jen

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

If anybody is worried about a 'label' being applied to their child, I'd like to point out that a diagnosis is the best way to protect them; it opens doors to additional help or even just acknowledgement that their learning needs have to be taken into consideration. And the earlier that comes, the better.


If I were in the situation, I think I would scrape together every penny to get that assessment/diagnosis sooner, rather than wait for my kid to be left behind because other kids have additional behavioural issues making them stay most prominent in the staff's minds.

Frugalbride

Hi,
I work with children at school action plus. Extra teaching from an external agency and support is available for children at this stage. To be on School action plus children need to have been at school action for at least two terms, have been supported and their progress evaluated. There is then an assessment/ discussion about moving to school action plus. The plus part really describes support from the school 'plus' support from another agency egg learning support, speech therapy etc.
I would talk to the school senco. If he is on the SEN register you should be having meetings, copies of his targets and discussion about progress and interventions. That would at least help you feel that you knew what was going on and what exactly was being done by school.
It is a wait to be seen by psychologist as they are not allocated much time in each school.
Even if your son does not have a diagnosis, school could be teaching him in dyslexia friendly ways.

Mojisola

zippybungle wrote: »

How can I find out about out-of-school lessons run by the Dyslexia Institute ?

Try https://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/ or http://dyslexiaaction.org.uk/ or search for your local area and dyslexia groups.

pollypenny

Mojisola wrote: »

Also finding out what he's good at.

We paid for a private test because the school was hopeless dealing with his problems. This not only showed exactly where he was having difficulties but showed what he was good at. He came out several years above his age group in comprehension and memory.

The Ed Psych eventually did a range of tests, including an IQ test, and found "his IQ was higher than the teachers in the school" - a nice morale boost for someone who was being turned off school at the time.

So the Ed Psych has also run an IQ test on all the teachers in the school? :cool:

I'm pleased that your son was diagnosed, but that's a sweeping statement and unlikely.