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Question from: christina

Q My son is 3 yrs old and has severe language problems. He has been diagnosed with dyspraxia. Can you let me know about it and also explain whether this has any link to dyslexia. Thanks

A: Dear Christina, Thanks for your enquiry. Syndromes like Dyspraxia and Dyslexia are not often mutually exclusive. Furthermore, Dyspraxia affects each person in a different way. The last dyspraxic pupil I supported experienced no difficuties with languaage, few difficulties with reading, moderate difficulties with spelling but extreme difficulties with spacial awareness and getting dressed. She would get lost when a few yards from her own house and had to be led everywhere at her school, even after being there for several years. Some chcildren with Dyspraxia experience difficulty in 'filterin out' irrelevant stimuli so, for example, a child whispering at the back of the class, or traffic passing in the road, would hold the same significance as the teacher talking. Similarly, tactile stimuli may not be filtered and some Dyspraxic children seem to be fidgety because the sensation of the clothing rubbing against the skin is extremely irritating while the average person ignores this. There are a significant percentage of Dyspraxic children where, like your son, the main difficulty relates to spoken language. I would like to know what stage of speech your son is at before commenting further. There are books covering this particular aspect of Dyspraxia and I would like a couple of days to research current thinking. From what i recal, the Dyspraxic child can experience severe difficulties in processing language internally even though there is good comprehension of what is heard. I realise that this reply will be of limited help. I would like to be of more help and would be quite happy to receive a telephone call from you at your convenience. I would be quite happy to discuss your son in the evening if this is the most convenient time for you. The telephone number is on the web site. The link to Better Books is also on the site. It may be worth browsing through the list of book titles covering Dyspraxia and requesting a catalogue.

Question from: Mary

Q My son can hardly spell any words and it is very difficult to read any of his writing. How can I help him at home.

A: It is difficult to provide a full answer specifically for your son without knowing his age. As he has severe difficulties with spelling I assume he has difficulties with spelling commonly used words like 'there', where' etc. I have compiled a list of words which identify the most commonly written words and I suggest you use this list as a basis for any spelling prograamme you use. The list identifies 30 words which form 30% of childrens' writing, and 100 words which form 50% of childrens' writing. This list forms the basis of the Kickstart spelling resource 'Take off With Spelling'. I will send you a copy of the word list free of charge if you send me your details. I would suggest that you discuss your son's difficulties with his class teacher and the school SENCO so that they are aware of your concerns and so that any help you give at home fits in with any programme in place at school. Please e-mail again if you need suggestions for starting a programme but please include some details of your son, chronological age, reading skills etc. I suggest you also look at the 'Better Books' web site which is linked to this site. Better Books have an extensive range of reference books manu of which are very suitable for parents.

Question from: Matthew Wilkes

Q Is there a simple way to test if a child is dyslexic, and if so, how early can you do it?

A: It is common for signs of dyslexia to become evident during early years at school. Common symptoms include reversal of letters and numbers and a discrepancy between performance in different subject areas. Typically, a child will attain higher levels in Maths and non-language areas than in English. As a child gets older, the differences will be more significant and it will become evident that the child is experiencing difficulties in specific skills e.g. spelling or reading. A reading test with an oral comprehension element often produces a discrepancy between reading accuracy and comprehension with the child scoring higher in the comprehension element. It is quite common for tests for dyslexia to be administered at the age of 6-7 years old. It is now widely accepted that early identification is beneficial and that an investigation should be sought as soon as a teacher or parent has evidence of specific difficulties. There are a number of tests available which claim to identify dyslexia by providing a profile of cognitive abilities. Most notable is the closed test WISC (available only to Educational Psychologists)and the open test 'The Bangor Dyslexia Test'. Many LEA support services have devised their own tests which are used by support teachers. Parents may notice the reversals of some letters e.g. 'b' and 'd' and may find that the child seems to be slow in developing organisational skills concerned with time and dates.Dyslexia often 'runs in the family' and previous incidents of dyslexia in the family would tend to strengthen the possibility of a child being dyslexic. For further help, advice or information please e-mail pete@kickstartpublications.com or telephone 01384 258535 at any time.