Scott is my younger son. He is now 7 1/2. He turns 8 on April 21st. He should have been identified when he was 5 1/2. Instead, when I asked the doctor about his cute stuttering at age 4-5 she told me lots of children do that and if he doesn't grow out of it by the time he's 6-7 then we can start looking into "things". The stuttering very slowly went away so I stopped worrying.

Besides Scott's stuttering I noticed it took him a much longer time to choose a dominant hand compared with his brother. I went to his pre-school to read to his class and noticed him eating with his left hand. I started watching closer and the reason I didn't realize that he was left - handed was because the ONLY things he does left handed are eat and write. Everything else he does with his right hand. It is still this way at age 8 and hasn't changed. This was another thing the teachers and pediatricians told me was normal and to just wait out. It just so happens to be one of the biggest hallmarks of dyslexia!!!!!!!

I thought Scott was being lazy and in fact he is one of the most hard working little boys I know. He is talking a lot in class which I thought was the reason he started to have so many problems in 1st and 2nd grade. Instead, I have learned that his talking is very comforting to him when he can't auditorily process and visually process what the teacher is saying. There is a word for him not being able to copy what is on the board to his paper. It's called dysgraphia. I thought it was his vision and although he DID wind up with glasses, the problem did not disappear.

He was and always has been senstitive to light. He would wine in the car on even short car trips that the sunlight was bothering him while my other son seemed unphased. This sensitivity to light is also a reason why it is hard for him to read. Black text on white paper seems to shimmer and move and the white background sticks out more than the black text. It is the opposite for those of us who do NOT have dyslexia.

The reason he is just now on a 1st grade reading level in 2nd grade...half way through the school year, is not because he can't read! He can read. He can read pretty darn well. He can answer multiply choice questions about reading comprehension. He can NOT write his own answers for those reading comprehension questions though. So they think he is not understanding what he is reading when if fact he understands every word!

Schools are not required to test for dyslexia. They have a school psychologist test for a child's eligibility for special education services. Dyslexics do not always need those kinds of services unless they have severe dyslexia. Even then, if there are no other abnormalities, they usually do not qualify for any services through a school system.

As parents the burden rests with us to have an individual who is trained in this specialized testing GIVE our child the corrects tests. There are up to 12 different tests that can be administered. You do NOT want a school psychologist to give these tests. Their training does not include the necessary skills to be able to interpret the answers and the child's performance correctly. It is vital that you have your child tested and that it be by someone who is trained in this area.

After the testing you will get a print out of the results and it will be in legal terms that you will need to give to the school so that you can get your child a 504 accomadation. This means that even though your child will have to take standardized tests the same way other children do, he can have materials in the classroom to help him. For example, green or red transparencies to look through while reading. He can NOT be retained in a grade for failing certain things. He may be able to recieve certain remedial help that he otherwise would not be able to recieve without the 504 in place.

I am about to spend a HUGE chunk of money getting Scott squared away but I'm doing it if it kills me. I feel robbed of time by everyone who told me to wait. The sooner your child is identified and helped, the better chance the brain has of rewiring itself. Dyslexia does not go away but with intense remediation and therapy they can learn how to LEARN EASIER. Dyslexics use 90% more of their brain to do tasks that the rest of us only have to use about 25% to do. It is tiresom, stressful, and if left untreated.....leads to a child who drops out.

These children have gifts. They are able to visualize 3D concepts better, are more musically inclined, tend to be athletic, and are good at constructing and are more intuitive about other's feelings. This makes them good architects, chefs, musicians, psychologists, etc when they grow up.

You better believe I educated myself on all the ins and outs of this learning disability as soon as I had confirmation. The best thing you can do as a parent is listen to your gut! If you don't test, you don't know and then by the time it shows up in the classroom, you've lost 2-3 PRIME years for correcting the problem!!! Don't wait. Don't wait. Don't wait.

Here is the most awesome link in the world for anyone who is even a little worried about their child:

http://www.dys-add.com/dyslexia.html#anchorSymptomsWa

Love and light,

S. /|\