Early learning disability in reading?

Question

My 5 year old son is smart as a wip. His vocabulary is amazing and he doesn't forget a thing. He sounds like an adult when he talks and knows things that amaze me. He also has alot of common sense. He loves putting things in categories and sort things out. However, we have a hard time teaching him how to recognize letters and thier sounds, which hasn't allowed us to be able to teach him to begin reading. We have been practicing for over a year and he still can not remember what some letters are much less how most of them sound. He hasn't started school yet because of his B'day. I used to think it was just immaturity and the lack of patience, but he is so smart other wise. How do I know whether its a problem or not. What is the best way to teach a child letters and sounds and eventually reading.

Answer 1

He could have a learning disability but he could also just be slow with it and eventually pick it up with lightening speed. Perhaps you can talk to the school that he will attend or his doctor and see if they can run some tests before he starts kindergarten. Then, he won't have to struggle so much when he gets there and you can get some good tools to help him better. You're probably already aware and careful but the important things are to make it fun for him and not make him feel like something is wrong (bad) with him.

Have you tried some pre-school learning software or a Leap Frog? Those are fun and may help him. Every child learns differently and it may take time to figure out how yours learns. I'm sure he'll advance in no time though. Good luck.

Answer 2

I would say don't worry abobut it...if he still has problems reading in a year or two, then it's time to worry...

Answer 3

My niece had the exact same problem. She was extremely bright, but could not for the life of her get the letters and sounds down right. My sister took her to one of those special schools for tutoring ( Sullivan or something like that?).

That didn't seem to help much. But one day she just picked it up. It was literally like something just snapped and she realized that it wasn't that hard.

I know this doesn't really offer advice. Just keep working I guess. Best of luck.

Answer 4

5 is getting up there, especially since you have been working with him.  Ignore advice to give him more time.  Consider getting him tested about this.

Any dyslexia in the family?  It runs in families.  One thing that is suggestive for dyslexia is whether your son can rhyme.  This is how you test for that:

One day say, Oh, here's a new game.  Listen to me.  (then you say, fun, sun, done, t__ and pause.)  See if he can fill in with ton.  Then if he can't, play this game for a week.  Just say very casually.  "Oh. let's play the rhyming game."  Do for instance, can, man, tan, g____.  See if he can say gan.  

It's just you want to hear if he can rhyme.  This is just an oral game.

do this at least a week and see if he catches  on, and starts to rhyme with your words.

If he cannot do this after a week or two, he may have dyslexia.  Then find some place that does intensive dyslexia training, because the earlier the better.

Do not let this go.  I cannot believe people think a kid who has been taught and isn't learning can "grow out of it".  that's pure stupidity.  Meanwhile, valuable time passes and your kid is getting farther behind.

Get a move on.  YOu have taught him the usual way.  He's not getting it.  Now you have to find out why and start teaching hm the way he can learn.

Best wishes.

Also, if it is dyslexia, he won't be able to learn thru sounding out.  

Get on the Internet, download the Dolch words, post "up" way up in the air on the wall, and "down" way down on the wall.  Just tape these words on the wall.  Then casually say, Oh, let's read our words, do this each day CASUALLY and say oh, u---p--  that spells "up", and repeat for d   o   w   n .  

He has the positions on the wall, so that will help him learn these 2 words.

Do the green word by putting on green paper and post on front door.  As you leave, put your finger under each letter, say g    then r,  etc. etc.  and then run your finger under entire word and say "green".  Then leave.

Do this everytime.  After he does this 30 times, he will know the word "green".

Repeat for red, yellow, etc.   Then do   one  and put numeral 1 on the index card too.  Post on front door.  Run finger under each letter as say letter, then run entire finger under whole word as you say "this spells one".  Repeat 30 times (over 30 times walking out door on way somewhere).  

He should then know one   anywhere.  Repeat for two, three, etc.

But find out if he is dyslexic immediately, or what the problem is. THERE IS A PROBLEM.

People mean well, but at 5 this is not immaturity.  He's getting older, get him help before he starts to get teased about his poor reading!!!

Answer 5

There's a great book out there called Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. A friend of mine tried it with her sons and they were both reading by age 3. By age 4, they were reading full fledged chapter books (Harry Potter). When I heard it I didn't believe it, but after babysitting for them one evening and I heard the 4 year old reading (really reading and reading well), I was astonished. The father taught both boys to read and did it using puppets to make the lessons interesting and interactive. He is only five and does not need to be reading at this point, so I wouldn't worry. It sounds like your son doesn't see any motivation in reading. We spelled all words around my nephew so that he couldn't understand them (like, should we take him to the p-a-r-k). He, like your son, was extremely bright and knew a ton of random information but was really stubborn. However, he had a real desire to be in the know, so to speak, and started learning to spell because we were spelling and he wanted to know what we were doing. Maybe this could motivate him. Good luck!