Testing for dyslexia?

[EnglishRose]

Are there any tests for dyslexia? My eldest son was showing me an Algebra problem the other night, and said something about always mixing up p's and q's, and how hard it was for him to do Algebra problems with p's and q's or b's and d's. He's also a terrible speller and a realllllly slow reader, even though he has a good spoken vocabulary.

His father had dyslexia when he was a boy, should my son have been tested already? (And, how have I not noticed this before???)

If he is dyslexic, what can we do about it now? (He's 14 - starting prep in the fall.)

Any help would be really appreciated.

[greenjenny]

I am under the impression that testing can be done by the family doctor. I was told (about my first grader) that reversals are very normal. My son can write entire sentences backward right to left, the school is telling me to wait until 4th grade, I hve not yet talked to the ped. I am waiting till summer. At 8th grade though, I would contact your district and find out their policies, if the case is the same call your family doc and see what they reccomend. Good luck!

[LindaCl]

Letter reversal isn't really considered a very significant indicator for dyslexia anymore. Dyslexia now considered more of an auditory processing disorder relating to sounds within words and cognitive ability to associate letters to sounds or sound patterns.

Crazy as it sounds not all public school districts will even give assessment tests for dyslexia. Susan Barton, who offers products and trainings for tutoring students with dyslexia, also has a lot of good information available free on the website. Symptoms , Testing advice

[writermommy]

We are going through this with my dd now. She is in third grade and has been showing many indicators for years. I knew in 1st grade that dyslexia is the problem, but the school kept telling me her reversals, etc were normal. She is going through some testing at school, but they told me that I would have to hire a psychologist to do the testing. They recommended doing all the other testing first because the psychologist will want to see the results to rule out any other issue, such as auditory processing, LD, etc.

[bobandjess99]

Please do pursue this. I was a great student until algebra/geomotry/trig/calc......when they started putting numbers in with the math, LOL! I *know* i have some processing/dyslexia issues, and would constantly mix up certain combos, especially anything with a A in it, and 4's with 5's....it REALLY made life suck.

[brightonwoman]

get your hands on the book 'the gift of dyslexia' I'm sorry I dont' remember who it's by, but it should answer your questions about your son's struggles, and ALSO give you LOTS of ideas about how to help him.
There is another name (I dont' remember it) for dyslexia with numbers...some people get it with letters, others with numbers, and others with both...my little sister falls into that last category.
While I do think the labels can be harmful (and lead kids to feel like there's no point in trying), being aware of something like dyslexia can help you to help them...and that can ease a LOT of frustration.

[Gendenwitha]

I had my son's eyes tested by an optometrist, then tested by the school and they reccomended another optometrist that did a more thorough exam. I'm sure if I knew what to call the type of testing I could find an online list or something, I'll see what I can find out.