Early Signs of Dyslexia

If you have noticed that your child is struggling, event at the preschool level, don't ignore it. As early as preschool, the signs of dyslexia can be present. 

Preschoolers or Kindergarten age children with dyslexia may:

• Have trouble learning nursery rhymes.
• Show difficulty learning the alphabet.
• Mispronounce familiar words.
• Have trouble recognizing rhyming patterns.
• Have a family history of dyslexia.

Many times, school encourage the wait and see method, their a boy/girl, the need time to mature, things just haven't clicked. These are all stall tactics and are a waste of your son's or daughters precious time. The earlier you find out what is happening the better off your child will be in the long run. 

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What can you do if you suspect your child is having difficulty?
If you follow the steps below, you can get the ball rolling by requesting the school conduct an evaluations. You need to understand what is happening, why, and what can be done to help. 

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1. Write a letter.
You have to make a request to the school to conduct an evaluations. At the preschool level, school will often use observations to vs. actual testing. To avoid this, we've created a sample letter to show you what you may want to include in your request. 
Click Here to Take a Look. 

2. We didn't understand what you were asking. 
You aren't writing to a friend, you should think like about your letter falling into the hands of a complete stranger. If someone who knows nothing about you or your child were to find this letter, would they understand what it is asking?

3. We'd like to have a meeting to discuss your concerns. 
Here is a little trick that schools like to play. You send in your letter, they send one back asking to have a meeting. What the trick? It eats up time. Considering most schools have 30 school days (no weekends, holidays, etc.) Having a meeting lets them eat up time. When you write your letter, state  that you are giving consent for your child to be evaluated. Also, request they send a completed  “Consent to Evaluate” ready to be signed. 

4. We never got your letter. 
Schools have been known to help letters from parents make their way to the circular file. If you don't know what that is, its the trash. To avoid this, we suggest either making an in-person visit to the principal's office and request that the school provides a date-stamped copy for you. We also recommend sending a copy it via return receipt requested. It is harder to say, "We didn't get it." When you've handed it to someone and you have the card from the post office showing who signed for the envelope.  

5. We are working on it.
After five days, if you haven’t heard anything, check in with the school. You can do this by phone, but send an email or letter to confirm the next steps that were agreed upon in that conversation.

What happens now?
After you've signed the consent, the initial evaluation must be completed within thirty school days. Another fifteen days is added to the clock totally forty-five school days. Within that fifteen days, the school must have a meeting to review the findings. Prior to the meeting, two days prior, written reports of the evaluations must be made available to you. Here is the catch, you have to ask in writing.
Click here to take a look at a letter. 

If you aren't 100% sure that what you have written is accurate or appropriate, please learn more about how we can help you craft your request. Visit our services and coaching page for more information.

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