Dear Dr. Sylvia

Mother Suspects Dyslexia

January/February 2012

Our 7-year-old daughter is in second grade and frequently writes some of her letters and numbers backward. She has always read above her grade level, but has had difficulty with spelling. Last year she started complaining that her eyes “go blurry,” so we scheduled an optical appointment. The doctor said at the time she didn’t need glasses.

We’re concerned because when my husband was younger, he had difficulty with reading and spelling. He had a problem where his eyes didn’t work together. He had to do special exercises to train his eyes to work together and eventually needed glasses. How do we determine if our daughter’s inherited the same problem that my husband had?

Writing numbers and letters backward is a symptom of dyslexia. The diagnosis dyslexia doesn’t mean that a child can’t read, but only that the child has a reading and/or spelling disability and finds those subjects much more difficult. On the other hand, many young children write letters and numbers backward, but that problem usually disappears at about your daughter’s age. It’s possible that the problem will be resolved for her as well. If she’s doing it less frequently, then it could mean that she’s outgrowing the problem.

It would be good to get further information about your daughter’s reading. While she may be reading above grade level, it’s possible she’s not reading up to her ability, depending on what that measured ability is. For example, if her IQ tests suggested that she’s in the 90th percentile in verbal ability, and her reading is in the 70th percentile, your daughter could be reading above grade level, but not up to her abilities. Teachers might not even note this as a problem with reading. Your daughter could, nevertheless, have a reading disability.
The fact that you had an optical appointment and the doctor found nothing wrong suggests your daughter doesn’t have the same problem your husband did. Having two eyes that aren’t working together would have been obvious to an optometrist or ophthalmologist. That doesn’t mean that your daughter won’t require glasses in the future, only that the particular problem your husband had can usually be discovered early and easily. You would be wise to take your daughter for eye examinations yearly based on her complaints of blurry vision. Sometimes vision problems come and go, and other times children complain about blurry vision just about at the time a friend gets “cool” eye glasses.

If your daughter’s problem with letter reversals doesn’t disappear in the next six months, I would suggest a complete psycho-educational evaluation to determine if she has a reading and/or spelling disability requiring additional help from the school district. For now, I’d recommend patiently correcting her backward letters and studying her spelling in writing rather than orally. That diligence, in combination with maturity, may help your daughter correct her problem.

Dr. Sylvia Rimm is a child psychologist and clinical professor at Case University School of Medicine, author, newspaper and magazine columnist, and radio/TV personality. For free newsletters about “Why Bright Kids Get Poor Grades” or learning disabilities, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to P.O. Box 32, Watertown, WI, 53094. Read Dr. Rimm’s “Articles for Parents and Teachers” and submit family questions online at www.sylviarimm.com. All questions are answered.