| Many times as parents we do not begin to see | | | | The sentence would sound something like, "I went |
| early dyslexia symptoms that our children have | | | | swimming tomorrow and had a lot of fun." I |
| been displaying. My child was diagnosed at the age | | | | thought this was cute and comment for a three |
| of six. This was when I began studying more | | | | year old. However, it was yet another red flag |
| about dyslexia. The more I read and researched | | | | that I messed. |
| the more I realized that the clues began at an | | | | * Sees Every Word for the First Time -- as my |
| early age. Although six is still considered early for | | | | son entered and progressed through kindergarten, |
| diagnosis, I couldn't help but to feel a little guilt at | | | | it is no surprise that reading became a frustrating |
| my ignorance. | | | | event in our house. Very often, my son would |
| Here are some of the signs I missed: | | | | come to a word in a book that he needed to |
| * Difficulty Retrieving Words -- my child would | | | | sound out. He could do this successfully, then turn |
| often say "have you seen my blue thing?" To | | | | the page and would run into the same word. |
| which I would always have to reply. "What thing?" | | | | However, instead of recognizing the word he just |
| What I didn't understand or know to pick up on | | | | read, it was as if he had never seen the work |
| was that my child was demonstrating the | | | | before. This is an extremely common trait among |
| difficulty that some dyslexics have with word | | | | children with dyslexia. |
| retrieval. Instead of having to come up with the | | | | * Sight Words -- "Sight words" are very |
| word he would use generic words such as "thing" | | | | important in today's curriculum. Sight words are |
| or "stuff". He would also have a tendency to | | | | small words that are often used in the written |
| describe an item in detail, without having to recall | | | | language. For example, be, what, are, with etc. |
| a specific word. For example, if he could not | | | | The idea is that reading will be much more fluent |
| come up with the word car. He would describe it | | | | if a student can glance at these words, and know |
| as "the thing with wheels, that we get into, and | | | | them by sight, rather than having to sound it out. |
| we go." | | | | These can be extremely difficult for the dyslexic |
| * Difficulty Rhyming Words -- around the age of | | | | student. Nightly homework in kindergarten |
| three many of my sons friends would happily play | | | | involved training, how fast my son could read a |
| around the playground, singing out rhyming words. | | | | list of 30 words. The goal is 30 words in 30 |
| Sometimes they were real words, and | | | | seconds. My son tended to average around a |
| sometimes they were nonsense words, but they | | | | minute and 30 seconds. |
| still rhymed nonetheless. Although my son would | | | | Every child at some point may display one or |
| say a few words here and there he didn't show | | | | more of these signs. It does not mean they are |
| the delight that the other children had in creating | | | | all dyslexic. However, if I had known what to look |
| these rhymes. Because the part of dyslexia can | | | | for, each of these signs should have been setting |
| include difficulty isolating the sounds of words, it is | | | | off a bell in my head along the way. In hindsight, |
| often hard for these children to isolate beginning | | | | by the end of kindergarten, I should have had |
| sound in order to change it to make the rhyming | | | | enough evidence to have my child tested. I |
| word. | | | | allowed myself to fall into the "give it a little more |
| * Directional Words -- directional words might | | | | time" excuse. If you suspect a child has dyslexia |
| include right, left, up, down, before, after, | | | | or any other type of learning disability, you should |
| yesterday, or today. I can remember at the age | | | | take action immediately. |
| of three, my son would tell me things that he did. | | | | |