My kinder girl has been struggling to learn her letters. She is doing pretty well on phonicitics (since we doubled down on effort) but for some reason is learning the names of the letters at half the rate. I do beleive she has ADD (i'm pretty well versed in Autism and ADHD) however if she is learning the name of the letters at half the speed of the phonics, given equal time...what could this be an indication of? Also, she has a track record of having difficulties with names of people and pets.
addtl info - she's had years of speech therapy her receptive langugage is amazing. no longer qualifies for speech but does still seem like there are some issue with word find (finding the right word and articulation - which I have been informed is developmentaly appropriate). I don't think she has dyslexia because she looks at the letter and can say the sound and writes her letters the right way.
She has ABC mouse on the computer but I prefer Starfall because on ABC mouse she likes to the do the "artsy" stuff. We've been struggling with her learning sometime. I had a teacher last year tell me that she never seen anything like it in a child as otherwise bright as her (speaking of her struggle with the alphabet names and forgetting things the teacher thought she had previously mastered). Any additional suggestions?
If you have a tablet or smartphone, you should try seeing if you can download ABC Mouse A-Z Music Videos. It has a song for each letter, and is FREE. my DD responded really well with it.
I wonder if she could possibly be dyslexic? My brother could tell you any sound to any letter, or identify he letter based on the sound, but had a very hard time identifying the letters and reading.
ETA per your SWH:
Have you had her tested for learning disabilities? Susan B has mentioned going to be tested at Scottish Rite Hospital. I'd do that if I were you. Best of luck~~
Original:
Does she have a speech/language pathologist working with her? These professionals are not just for kids with speech problems. They are also for children who struggle with other language issues. I urge you to get her evaluted. If you aren't already, get a fun computer program that teaches the alphabet. For my younger son, long ago, I used DK's "I Want to Read" with Bear and Penguin. He absolutely loved it and it was like a lightbulb turned on in his head, when nothing else clicked. He was a little younger than your daughter, but I still think it would help. And yes, he had lots of speech and language therapy.
I also had a handwriting specialist work with him using Handwriting Without Tears (Jan Olsen) method. It helped teach him the alphabet while he was learning to write it. Between this and the computer game and the speech therapist, when it came down to it, he had very little difficulty learning to read later. I urge you to pull out all the stops on this. It's the only way she will be able to keep up with much harder first grade.
Good luck.
well maybe try a different way of teaching her..maybe with a riddle to help her remember it..or do each letter in a different color. say A is RED and so on.
your daughter is capable and smart..every body learns at their own speed. if you need more ideas just send me a message. J.
You might get her tested at the Scottish Rite Hospital in Dallas. They have a huge center for dyslexia and other learning disorders. I believe you still need the referral of a Mason (which support the Scottish Rite Hospital) but you could check with them for their current requirements. It takes a while to get an appointment and you have to provide them with a parent evaluation and also teacher evaluations. At one time, there was no charge beyond what your insurance covered. There are a lot of different forms of dyslexia, not just switching letters or reading letters backwards. It is a brain processing issue. Please follow up so that you can get some answers-- the frustration is bad for her and also for you. They may have some resources that can help her. Years ago, a teacher at school suggested that my daughter might have dyslexia. I had her tested at school, but also wanted an independent confirmation of her learning issues. Scottish Rite made some excellent suggestions (beyond school recommendations) which the school did put into place for her. Good luck!
Hello
You could have her tested but she may also benefit from using multi sensory learning methods for writing and remembering letters. How is her drawing coloring?
I working with a lot of kids her age . With effort, time and patience she will get it.
Thanks
My daughter is a mirror reader/writer. She was struggling with reading and writing d/b's. She still regresses from time to time, but most often she is doing well.
We put her in Kumon and that has helped a lot. See what reading programs are available in your area. I believe it is the repetition of working on her skills every day that has helped.
Kumon has all levels of students. You cannot tell which students are autistic or ADD or no struggles. They all seem to do their work at their own pace and do just fine.
Your ins company should cover testing for learning disabilities. My daughter was struggling as well & we had her tested. It falls under behavioral health. Best thing we ever did. Turns out she is dyslexic. Never has had a problem with writing(no backward letters) or reading. Just with spelling. She has been in the dyslexia program in school & has done fabulously. We used Dr Rios in grapevine &really liked him. Good luck:)
