UPDATE: more questions.... DS "trying to read" - what should i be saying/doing?

[lmh2402]

UPDATE:
since my original post, DS is now reading off all letters in correct order every single time. however, he is reading all the letters in a row...so he would read "t-h-e-f-a-t-c-a-t-s-a-t" as one long "word" KWIM?

in addition, he then is making up what it says. for example, tonight he said, "g-o-r-i-l-l-a spells octopus." so he definitely isn't actually reading. but then he wants me to tell him what it says. he is reading off of truck signs as we drive by. magazine labels in waiting rooms. random tags on toys, etc. everything is an opportunity for him to "read." but he's not actually making the right connections, so i worry that by letting him continue doing that, i am actually furthering confusion?

in addition, he spends much of his day telling me what letter each random word starts with...so, "DS, time for snack." he says, "mama, snack starts with s. s starts snack. and snake. and sneaker. and spoon. and...and...and...and..." this literally happens all. day. long. so absolutely knows the starting sound of every word. and he also "knows" each individual letter's sound. but he seems to have no clue about the fact that the sounds have to go together to make a word.

and while he can tell me a million and one words that start with any random letter (without my asking or desiring him to tell me this), he will then look at the letters, in gorilla and tell me it spells octopus...so again, no connection. however, if i asked him what letter started the word gorilla (without him looking at a book or letters to throw him off) i guarantee he would tell me it's a "g." and same for octopus - he would know it's an "o."

i am turning here for advice b/c i really don't know what i should do. should i just let it go? not care that he is "reading" run-on letters? as i said before, i would really prefer that he not read yet. i think he's got plenty of time.

BUT...the "mistakes" drive me nuts to just sit there and not try to explain. so when he says, "g-o-r-i-l-l-a spells octopus." i am trying to not say, "no, that spells gorilla." b/c i don't want to push him. BUT...is it confusing and a mistake to let him make sound/word associations with the wrong letters?

if this was your kid, what would you do? thanks.

----------------------------------------------------



DS has known his letters and their sounds for a while. but in the last few weeks, he's driving me nuts. we can't get through a single page of a book without him stopping on at least one word and trying to "read" it.

he points to each of the letters. at least 60% of the time, his pointing is out of order. he rattles the letters off (again, out of order). and then says, "mama do it." and he wants me to then point to each letter and then sound out the word.

i'm trying to be patient. but frankly, i was not wanting or hoping for him to try to start reading. it seems really early and he gets insanely frustrated if i try to correct him.

when he starts pointing to the letters out of order, i had been trying to correct him...just saying, "letters go left to right." but he is clearly not picking up on this. so i've stopped saying it. i just let him go off in whatever order he picks.

but i don't know if that's a mistake. will that end up confusing him?

is this a common thing kids do, so i'm over-thinking it? it's just literally driving me nuts b/c it's taking 20 min to get through one book and i've not been feeling all that well the last few days, so my patience is thinner than usual. i want to snap, "you're 2. stop this and let me read." but i've managed to not do that yet. however, tonight DH came home early and i made him read with DS b/c i just couldn't take any more today. :bag

so...what should i be doing? should i be trying to correct him? should i be trying to distract his requests that we do this at all, and just try to read the d*mn book? if he is dead-set on doing it, how much should i be focusing on trying to show him how to do it properly?

thanks.

[Dr C]

That does sound frustrating, and I totally get the mix of emotions! I liked your idea of passing him off to DH for a night.
I guess I'd probably pick REALLY short books with very few words, and let him go at it! Alternatively, maybe look at some book with pictures and no words at all?
Maybe he'd like to play some early reading games online? I really like www.starfall.com.

[jjordan]

That sounds incredibly frustrating. Maybe try asking him, at the start of the book, "do you want to look at the letters or do you want me to read you the story?" And if he wants to do letters, then just forget about even trying for the story. Just follow his lead as far as picking out letters and sounding out words, etc.

Maybe other letter "games" would help him fulfill his desire to "read" as well - like drawing letters and short words on a magnadoodle and identifying the letters/sounding out the words together, or a hand-held alphabet game that he can do by himself, or something?

[JTsMom]

That does sound frustrating. I don't know if you're going to be able to discourage it, so I'd probably go with it in small doses. I like the idea of asking if he wants to hear the story or read it.

If you decide to go with it, you can help him learn the left to right thing using a technique from this book:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_42?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=ordinary+parents+guide+to+teaching+readin g&sprefix=ordinary+parents+guide+to+teaching+reading


I don't know how well I can describe this, so let me use cat as an example. Hold your finger over the letters, then slide it off one let at a time. Expose the "c", then the "a" "t", saying the sounds as you go. It's kind of like running your finger under the words, but it actually blocks the others, forcing the eye to go from left to right.
ETA: Just in case you fly through single sounds, if you hit blends/digraphs, like "sh" "ch", expose the group all at once.

I'd also pick up some of these:
http://www.amazon.com/Bob-Books-Set-Beginning-Readers/dp/0439845009/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1307410286&sr=8-1

And this:
http://www.amazon.com/Fridge-Words-Magnetic-Word-Builder/dp/B0002SC7CE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1307410320&sr=8-1

Are you familiar with the term hyperlexia?

[Gena]

Are you familiar with the term hyperlexia?

This was my though too, given some of your other developmental concerns. How is his verbal language?

My son has hyperlexia, so if you think this might be a possibility, feel free to contact me. My son starting reading at age 2. It was amazing, and frustrating, and a godsend. The written word is the most powerful teaching tool we have with him.

[larig]

get him this Steig book for those times when he's wanting to try it himself. It's great fun.
http://www.amazon.com/C-D-B-William-Steig/dp/0671666894

[daisymommy]

I hate to even go here...but my first thought was hyperlexia.
http://www.newsweek.com/2011/04/10/the-child-you-didn-t-dream-of.html

[StantonHyde]

I hate to even go here...but my first thought was hyperlexia.
http://www.newsweek.com/2011/04/10/the-child-you-didn-t-dream-of.html

Wow, that is such an awesome, powerful essay for ANY parent since children are such their own little people and so often become something outside of our dreams for them. It's a good wake up call to parent the child in front of you vs. the one you envisioned!!

[kristac]

He might enjoy a tag reader and tag jr books.

[goldenpig]

I agree with PP, sounds like maybe it is hyperlexia. Anyways, I would just follow his lead. My daughter was interested letters/phonics at age 2--she really liked Starfall.com (http://www.starfall.com), the Leapfrog Letter Factory videos (http://www.amazon.com/Leapfrog-Learning-Talking-Factory-Storybook/dp/B000EHQU1W/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1307454650&sr=8-2), and Fridge Phonics (http://www.amazon.com/LeapFrog-Fridge-Phonics-Magnetic-Alphabet/dp/B000096QNK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1307454728&sr=8-1). We read to her a lot as well. She started reading on her own at 3.5. It's good to let them explore their interests.

[lmh2402]

thank you, all

i had seen the term hyperlexia in posts, but had never bothered to look it up

(un)fortunately, the power of self-diagnosis via the web has reared its head - based on the reading i've been doing this morning, it seems that DS has a whole bunch of traits that might fall under the umbrella of one of the hyperlexia categories - "obsession" with letters & numbers, constant repetition of the same phrases and words out of context(school buses/octagons/"s-t-o-p spells stop"/spelling his name, etc) immensely picky eater (seemingly sensory-based), extensive vocab - able to name many things, but not apt to use his words/language to express a problem or ask for help (other than to scream "help you!" in a fit of rage, etc, etc, etc

gena, i will pm you later (after work) with some questions, if you don't mind

but in general, is this something worth contacting our developmental pedi about? we're scheduled to follow-up with her in Sept.

but i am not sure if/how it might play a role in the preschool he is supposed to begin in the fall. maybe we should be looking for a different school or at least alerting the current school of our suspicions/concerns?

or maybe it doesn't matter at all?

[JTsMom]

I don't think it would hurt to mention it to the dev. ped., just to keep her up to date. It may be another piece to your DS's puzzle, kwim? Have you talked with the school about some of the behavioral concerns you have? Some schools are able to deal with challenges better than others.

[brittone2]

I would jot down your observations and discuss w/ dev. pedi. If you have a followup you could bring it up then; if followup is not scheduled for a long time it may be worth discussing.

[toby]

I don't know anything about hyperlexia, but when I first read your post, no red flags went up for me (two year olds seem to have a lot of quirks, obsessions etc and their brains have such an overload of info coming in at them that you never know what is going to pop out of their mouth).

As you know, self-diagnosis on the web can create a lot of anxiety-- too much info and not all accurate. I don't think that I would go as far as to alert the school, but maybe make an appt with your pediatrician earlier than September and see what s/he thinks. Another option would be for you to talk to a child psychologist who would be able to tell you if there is a possibility of hyperlexia or if he is just a normal 2 year old who is interested in words.


thank you, all

i had seen the term hyperlexia in posts, but had never bothered to look it up

(un)fortunately, the power of self-diagnosis via the web has reared its head - based on the reading i've been doing this morning, it seems that DS has a whole bunch of traits that might fall under the umbrella of one of the hyperlexia categories - "obsession" with letters & numbers, constant repetition of the same phrases and words out of context(school buses/octagons/"s-t-o-p spells stop"/spelling his name, etc) immensely picky eater (seemingly sensory-based), extensive vocab - able to name many things, but not apt to use his words/language to express a problem or ask for help (other than to scream "help you!" in a fit of rage, etc, etc, etc

gena, i will pm you later (after work) with some questions, if you don't mind

but in general, is this something worth contacting our developmental pedi about? we're scheduled to follow-up with her in Sept.

but i am not sure if/how it might play a role in the preschool he is supposed to begin in the fall. maybe we should be looking for a different school or at least alerting the current school of our suspicions/concerns?

or maybe it doesn't matter at all?

[brittone2]

I don't know anything about hyperlexia, but when I first read your post, no red flags went up for me (two year olds seem to have a lot of quirks, obsessions etc and their brains have such an overload of info coming in at them that you never know what is going to pop out of their mouth).



OP has indicated a number of other developmental concerns with respect to her son in previous posts, which is why this serves as a possible red flag and something to discuss with her dev. pedi.

[lmh2402]

I don't think it would hurt to mention it to the dev. ped., just to keep her up to date. It may be another piece to your DS's puzzle, kwim? Have you talked with the school about some of the behavioral concerns you have? Some schools are able to deal with challenges better than others.

no, i haven't said anything to anyone about anything. how's that for avoidance

at the time that we were touring and apply, i wasn't really sure if there was anything to say. we had JUST started EI. and were being told that we were no longer qualifying for OT for sensory b/c they had decided he actually did not have sensory issues (of course, fast forward and we are now in private OT twice a week for sensory issues...and EI seems totally baffled)

anyway, at the time, i had asked EI's opinion about whether there was anything to mention to the schools. and i even asked the developmental pedi when we saw her in march. everyone told me, "no. there is nothing to say at this point."

and i guess i agree(d) in the sense that i didn't want to assign a label or expectation of "non-typical" behavior for my DS, unless i was 100% sure it applied

but now i'm getting more nervous

i think i will call the dev pedi tomorrow at least see if she thinks it's worth further discussion

in the meantime, earlier suggestions of letting him pick a book without words, etc... that's a good idea, but it won't work

he picks the books to read. he will not be easily redirected toward other books.

and he is not content with just "ignoring" the words and talking about the images, etc

yesterday, the book of choice for mama-torture was one of the 9 million "things that go" books that he loves so dearly. there isn't even a story in these books. it's just pictures with labels for each vehicle/machine.

i tried a few times to take short cuts of moving along, trying to ignore when he would get stuck. but he wouldn't have it. i would turn the page. he would turn it back. and continue "spelling" the word "truck" or "combine harvester" - mind you, none of it was actually spelled (truck was pretty close, but combine harvester was way off). it was just a jumble of the letters that appeared, but not in right order.

and this was for each image. painstaking. mind-numbing. i was ready to cry by page 3.

and then he would have to count the images on each page. four flying machines. five tough trucks, etc, etc.

i am feeling also very nervous and badly that i created this monster in the first place - the first time he did some of these things (a couple of weeks ago), i was so caught off guard (b/c he was right on number of objects - he would even flip between pages to tell me that in the whole book, there were three things labeled as a "mobile crane"... i was stunned. so i gave a very positive response, like, "WOW, buddy! what a good job remembering and counting!!")

anyway, now i feel like i gave him the praise, so now he's doing it for me b/c he likes me praising him. and/but, now it's driving me batty, but it's my fault in the first place. gah. nothing is easy, is it?

i would like to box up all books for the next week so i can get my patience in check.

anyway, thanks for the thoughts and suggestions.

[JTsMom]

I think you're better off talking to the school, even not having all of the answers. If nothing else, you know his behavior is challenging, and imo, you're better off finding out now how they're going to cope with that so that you can find a better fit if necessary. How well do think he'll be able to function in school?

One thing is for sure- you did not cause any of this, I promise you. You're a great mom, and you've been on top of all of this from the start. You're doing everything you can. It's totally normal to get frustrated with these types of quirks, and the best advice I can give you is to do what you have to do to just get through the day with everyone as happy as possible. Try to look at reading time as just having a good experience. If you spend 15 mins naming letters on the first 3 pages and don't make it to the end of the book, that's ok. It's also ok to put limits on it for you own sanity. Have you tried a visual timer yet?

http://www.amazon.com/Time-Timer-LLC-8%2522-Inch/dp/B000J5OFW0/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1307462641&sr=1-1

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31tzUUtE1tL._SS360_.jpg

Maybe try telling him that you can "read" for 15 mins, but then you'll be done. "Read" however he'd like for that amount of time, knowing that you only have to patient for so long, and there will be an end.

This will all get easier. It just takes a while to get your footing. :hug:

[brittone2]

nak but just wanted to echo that you did not cause your DS to be this way :hug5:

Has your DS ever been in a group setting? Have you talked to the OT seeing him for sensory issues how she thinks he will do in a classroom setting with a lot of other kids? That can be challenging for a child with sensory concerns, and it may be worthwhile discussing w/ the school and OT in advance. It may be helpful to be proactive and consider talking w/ the OTs\ about whether she can suggest some sensory diet stuff to scatter through his day at school, etc. Would the OT/therapists be willing to come in and observe him at school (and possibly make suggestions to the staff) if the sensory/social stuff proves to be a challenge? Just thinking out loud.

[egoldber]

One thing is for sure- you did not cause any of this, I promise you. You're a great mom, and you've been on top of all of this from the start. You're doing everything you can. It's totally normal to get frustrated with these types of quirks, and the best advice I can give you is to do what you have to do to just get through the day with everyone as happy as possible.

One hundred thousand times :yeahthat:

This is a journey every parent with a non typical child takes. You blame yourself. What could I have done? What could I / should I be doing differently? Your son is different. You are still learning the ways. The differences may change over time. There may or may not ever be a label. It can be a hard, frustrating journey.

If he really is compelled to read, I would not try to re-direct it. If anything, I would help him because it will make him less frustrated and it will make you less frustrated. It will give you another tool to communicate with him and it will give him an outlet he would not otherwise have.

I would talk to the school, because if they don't think they can accommodate him, then it is better to know that now than later.

Hang in there. :hug:

[JTsMom]

One other thought- I don't know if you've been keeping any type of journal over the past couple of years, but if not, consider pulling up your past posts about DS- everything from the feeding stuff, to the sleeping stuff, to the behavior stuff- and printing them for your developmental ped and/or OT. I think you've made some very important observations, and when you look at them all together, it could be very helpful in getting your DS the best help that you can. It's so hard to remember every little detail when your sitting there talking, and to have that kind of info to hand over would be great.

[daisymommy]

I absolutely think you need to bring this to the attention of the development pedi and therapist. I cannot tell you how many times experts thought there was nothing wrong with my son because he was "so smart" (I wanted to smack them...as if they didn't know that was often a symptom), or couldn't put their finger on a diagnosis, brushed things off, etc. until I brought all the information and cards to the table myself. Research articles, journals of my son's days and behaviors, video footage, etc. Then they sat up and took notice. But I did at least 50% of the leg work myself. I couldn't just trust that in a one hour visit they would "get it" like I did, after being with him 24/7. I had to spell it out for them sometimes, which was annoying.

And I really believe it would be a mistake to not give his new teacher a "heads-up" that he is currently in therapy and being evaluated. You know yourself the struggles you face with him on a daily basis. I can only imagine how caught of guard and concerned his teacher would be if she had no idea there was any background story with him. Filling her in on the basics should help give your son the care he deserves.

Take care!

[lmh2402]

bump for further questions. thanks

[ShanaMama]

He is very advanced to be sounding out words at age 2. I only skimmed the other posts & don't know anything about the conditions mentioned. All I can offer is what DD1's teacher told me. The educational approach they used in Primary (age 5) was basically praise everything. So if the teacher says cat & the kids write c or ct they would be praised & not corrected. It bothered me, but I didn't make an issue of it. The idea was that the kids are pre-reading, not reading.

[lmh2402]

He is very advanced to be sounding out words at age 2. I only skimmed the other posts & don't know anything about the conditions mentioned. All I can offer is what DD1's teacher told me. The educational approach they used in Primary (age 5) was basically praise everything. So if the teacher says cat & the kids write c or ct they would be praised & not corrected. It bothered me, but I didn't make an issue of it. The idea was that the kids are pre-reading, not reading.

thanks for the reply and thoughts

i think maybe i was not clear enough...he's not sounding anything out

he just reads off the letters. yes, it's now always in the correct order.

and independently, he knows all their sounds. and he knows the starting letter of pretty much any word that he can think of or that he hears.

but he doesn't seem to have any idea that he should be putting multiple letter sounds together.

it's very...confusing. i don't know if i should do nothing. if i should try and help him understand. i really don't know. i'm confused.

but from the gist of what you're saying, i should not correct him... right? just move on like what he said was correct...even if it's not...???

[sste]

LMH, I want to give it to you straight on the preschool stuff not be harsh but so you aren't caught off guard and crushed by possible difficulties down the line.

You need to research and apply to a range of preschools and have a frank discussion with them in advance about your son's quirks and OT. Private preschools have little incentive to keep kids with quirks, challenges, etc. and if it isn't an inclusion-friendly atmosphere better to find that out before your son experiences it as as "failure." My friend's daughter was kicked out of two preschools in a six-week period. :( My babysitter is getting her MA in preschool ed and she works at a chi-chi preschool and she says the "preschool interview" at this program and many programs is for the purpose of cherry-picking kids with no behavior problems and average or above-average social maturity.

Now, that being said, there are a minority of GREAT programs that pride themselves on inclusion. I am currently waitlisted for one of them in my area - - my son is typically developing but I have heard great things about this particular preschool and though we have had our ups and downs with inclusion classrooms it is something that I think is important. Anyway, the way this preschool operates is that the classes are small, around 14 kids with three teachers and one of the three teachers available to work 1:1 with any kids with developmental issues or quirks. IIRC you are in a metro area and there should be some good options for you. Start by networking with all the people in EI to find out about preschools that will be a good fit for your son.

Also, I know you are neck-deep in EI etc but we had a fascinating discussion with our friends who came over for brunch today. Their son is typical but shy and withdrawn and did not do well in a preschool that is part of an incredibly highly regarded school that they have access to because the dh is a faculty at the supporting university. Anyway, the classroom was too big for this little boy with 24 kids and he just hung back and was withdrawn and they were actually not sure if they needed to hold him back on kindy. To the school's credit the social worker directed them to a social skills group for preschoolers! I never knew social skills groups existed for pre-k. They said it was very helpful and I am just fascinated by this because it is kind of like a "social" early intervention. Our friends thought that ages 4-5 worked well for their kid, I would assume 3 at a min., so it is early for you but I just wanted to bring that up for the future.

Good luck. :)

ETA: I have no idea about the reading part of this but I agree with other posters that it is a part of a larger developmental picture of your child.

[Gena]

He sounds like a handful and a delight.

I still think hyperlexia is a strong possibility, especially after your recent post about his social skills in music class (I think it was a music class). I think you should talk to your son's dev ped about all of this - the sensory stuff, the social stuff, the pre-reading, and any other issues. See if you can get an appointment earlier than your follow up in Sept. I know it's hard to hear, but I think you need to press for a full eval for ASD. :hug:

Regarding the specific reading/pre-reading behaviors, it sounds to me like he is on his way to early reading.

When he reads "t-h-e-f-a-t-c-a-t-s-a-t" as one long "word", you could show him the spaces between the word. Take his finger and tap each letter/space as you spell it again as "t-h-e-space-f-a-t-space-cat-space-s-a-t." Emphasize the spaces. This can help him see realize that the blank space means something and is important.


in addition, he then is making up what it says. for example, tonight he said, "g-o-r-i-l-l-a spells octopus." so he definitely isn't actually reading. but then he wants me to tell him what it says. he is reading off of truck signs as we drive by. magazine labels in waiting rooms. random tags on toys, etc. everything is an opportunity for him to "read." but he's not actually making the right connections, so i worry that by letting him continue doing that, i am actually furthering confusion?

How do you react when he does this? How does he respond to your reaction? A lot of kids with hyperlexia do this sort of thing as an attempt at humor. (When my DS was 3, he thought the funniest joke on Earth was to tell people, "An octogon has six sides." He knew it didn't, but he thought it was just hilarious to insist that it did.)

I would suggest responding to these incorrect statements in a playful way. So when he says "g-o-r-i-l-l-a spells octopus" , keep your tone light and cheerful, and say something non-commital like, "Does it? Are you sure about that?" or "maybe it does". You could even ask him back, "What sound does a g-o-r-i-l-l-a make?" Pay attention to his responses to see if he is genuinely confused or if he is having fun with letters and words.

[daisymommy]

His doctors may feel that it is too early for this, but maybe in a few months you can push for a full ADOS test to be done. That is the gold standard for diagnosing ASD. I would specifically request a referall to someone who does the test.
http://portal.wpspublish.com/portal/page?_pageid=53,70384&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL

[brittone2]

He sounds like a handful and a delight.

I still think hyperlexia is a strong possibility, especially after your recent post about his social skills in music class (I think it was a music class). I think you should talk to your son's dev ped about all of this - the sensory stuff, the social stuff, the pre-reading, and any other issues. See if you can get an appointment earlier than your follow up in Sept. I know it's hard to hear, but I think you need to press for a full eval for ASD. :hug:

Regarding the specific reading/pre-reading behaviors, it sounds to me like he is on his way to early reading.

When he reads "t-h-e-f-a-t-c-a-t-s-a-t" as one long "word", you could show him the spaces between the word. Take his finger and tap each letter/space as you spell it again as "t-h-e-space-f-a-t-space-cat-space-s-a-t." Emphasize the spaces. This can help him see realize that the blank space means something and is important.



How do you react when he does this? How does he respond to your reaction? A lot of kids with hyperlexia do this sort of thing as an attempt at humor. (When my DS was 3, he thought the funniest joke on Earth was to tell people, "An octogon has six sides." He knew it didn't, but he thought it was just hilarious to insist that it did.)

I would suggest responding to these incorrect statements in a playful way. So when he says "g-o-r-i-l-l-a spells octopus" , keep your tone light and cheerful, and say something non-commital like, "Does it? Are you sure about that?" or "maybe it does". You could even ask him back, "What sound does a g-o-r-i-l-l-a make?" Pay attention to his responses to see if he is genuinely confused or if he is having fun with letters and words.
Great advice from Gena, IMO.

[lmh2402]

thanks, guys

gena, after my original post and the helpful responses, i called the dev pedi and talked to her assistant about my concerns. i explained that i was specifically wondering if hyperlexia might be part of our mix.

she said she would talk to the doc and get back to me

she called me back the same day and said the doctor said hyperlexia is "not a worry or a reason to come in." according to her, there is nothing to be done for it. it's just adding to the puzzle, but he's currently too little for any other forms of testing, etc.

i must admit that i was less than thrilled at the response. but i sort of understood...i mean, i guess there's no test. and there isn't any "treatment." right?

i'm actually filling out preschool pre-paperwork now. trying to fit into three lines my "thoughts i would like to share about my child, which would be important for the teachers to know." hah. i think i will end up typing something up and walking it over to the director later this week. i'm already having nightmares of him not fitting in. i just want him to be happy. :cry:

i will try the suggestions re: emphasizing spaces when he does run-on letters

however, when he says things like, "g-o-r-i-l-l-a spells octopus," he seems to really think that it does. i do keep my tone light. never, ever scolding. but i have been saying things like, "i think that spells GORILLA!!!" and then tickling him or something to shift gears

b/c honestly, i don't KNOW how to teach reading. and i don't really want to teach him to read, unless that is the best thing for him. i don't want to make a mistake and push him. i worry that maybe i've already done that inadvertently

for example, when he's "reading" off the letters, if he gets tripped up. or if he hesitates for even a second. he has to go back to the very beginning and start again. he cannot/will not tolerate a pause or a correction in the middle of his "reading."

i don't know if that's b/c when he had started rattling off letters a "long time ago," if he named one incorrectly, i would often, gently say, "actually that's an (right letter)."

so...maybe by my doing that, he's now unable to handle a mistake. like maybe i've already pushed him to think he isn't allowed to make mistakes

i don't know.

maybe i need a new dev pedi.

in the meantime, if he does seem genuinely unsure of how to actually read. what do you think i should do? like, if he legitimately thinks, "g-o-r-i-l-l-a spells octopus," should i correct him? should i correct him with or without explanation? should i figure out how to take next steps to help him read? if so...than i really do need help. b/c i have no idea what the next steps would be

thanks

[Gena]

she called me back the same day and said the doctor said hyperlexia is "not a worry or a reason to come in." according to her, there is nothing to be done for it. it's just adding to the puzzle, but he's currently too little for any other forms of testing, etc.

i must admit that i was less than thrilled at the response. but i sort of understood...i mean, i guess there's no test. and there isn't any "treatment." right?

It's true, there is no test for hyperlexia. But experienced dev peds, SLPs, and teachers know it when they see it and understand the significance of it. Hyperlexia is a specific learning style, so recognizing it can be very helpful for parents, therapists, and caregivers. So while there is not a specific "treatment" for hyperlexia, there are approaches and techniques that tend to be more effective than others.

Are there other dev peds in your area? It might be a good idea to see someone else.



i'm actually filling out preschool pre-paperwork now. trying to fit into three lines my "thoughts i would like to share about my child, which would be important for the teachers to know." hah. i think i will end up typing something up and walking it over to the director later this week. i'm already having nightmares of him not fitting in. i just want him to be happy. :cry:

I know what you mean. Why do they always give you only two or three lines to answer this when you need to write paragraphs? :hug:



in the meantime, if he does seem genuinely unsure of how to actually read. what do you think i should do? like, if he legitimately thinks, "g-o-r-i-l-l-a spells octopus," should i correct him? should i correct him with or without explanation? should i figure out how to take next steps to help him read? if so...than i really do need help. b/c i have no idea what the next steps would be

You did not do anything to cause this. Whether your son is a bright early reader or has hyperlexia or is just a little kid fascinated with letters, none of it is because of something you did.

IMO there is nothing wrong with gently correcting the types of errors you describe. This is a natural thing and part of how parents teach their kids. Just follow his lead and don't turn it into a battle. If he gets upset or persists with the incorrect statement, just drop it for the time being.

But the whole "g-o-r-i-l-l-a spells octopus" and then you correct him and tickle him sounds like he's invented a good game (assuming he likes being tickled). He may be enjoying your reaction after all.