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Originally Posted by SundayCrepes  At this time I don't have any specific concerns for my kids, especially not my 4.5 year old. My 2 year old is adopted and we have spotty family history. I just want to know how to go about testing if it seems like a path we might want to take.
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You asked specifically about reading, so I didn't respond as my DD's sn are not related to reading. She has autism. The evaluation for autism is called "
A full neuro psychological evaluation." It is a battery of tests, the exact ones being determined by the doctor doing the eval based on the child's age, approximate mental capabilities, ability to corporate, etc. It is also used for a variety of other issues besides autism.
If you suspect problems, the first person to check in with is a developmental pediatrician, who can help figure out what sort of specialists your child needs and what tests and evaluations are the most appropriate.
This is a VERY long process and can easily take a year or more.
If you are homeschooling a child and suspect special needs, I highly recommend getting evals and documenting exactly what is going on, because without a solid paper trail, should your life circumstances dictate putting your child in school, they school cannot do anything to accommodate your child's differences without a proper diagnoses, and it takes far longer to get a proper diagnoses than most people realize (who haven't gone through the process).
Having more information about what is really going on with your child *could* help you homeschool them in ways that are more appropriate to them, as well as communicate more fully with other adults who interact with your child, even if they never go to school.
Because of our experiences, I believe that ignoring a child missing common development milestones, including those related to reading, writing, and math is a gamble. There is a huge push for early academics right now, and for many kids it isn't helpful or appropriate. But based on my reading and experiences, and I think that if a child isn't catching on to the 3 Rs in a reasonable way by they time they are 7 or 8, it's a red flag. It might not mean anything, but it might.
(My DD caught on to reading in age appropriate ways, but her fine motor skills are such that she still struggles with writing. Math never made much sense to her. She didn't start really getting it until she started school and had a teacher with expertise teaching math to kids with special needs. Her other red flags are sensory issues and social development.)
I deeply wish that I had done things differently, and believe that if I had, they would have gone better for my daughter. I'm posting this in hopes that it can help another family avoid some of the pain that we've been through.
Everyone's situation is different. What it means to homeschool in different places in different, public schools are different everywhere, and other options such as charters, private schools etc are different. Every child is different. I'm not trying to tell anyone what is right for
their child.
But everything I've put in this post no one told me when my child was small, and I read all the right books, went to the conferences, hung out on the message boards. There were some huge chunks of information that if I had had, I might have made better choices. This biggest one is this:
If you suspect problems, start the evaluation process sooner rather than later, because it can be a VERY long process, and there really isn't much anyone can to do help your child until it is complete.
This is a very honest post, written from my heart, about a subject that is difficult for me. I would prefer to not get beaten up over it.
I contacted all sorts of clinics, colleges, traveled all over the state. FINALLY got into a clinic 400 miles away that could test a child that young. Two weeks before she turned 6, she received her first dyslexia dx.
I'm really glad you found what works for her! And at such a young age! 
