In the book Overcoming Dyslexia, by Dr. Sally Shaywitz, there was a section about a study that showed a correlation between kids not "hearing" nursery rhymes being at a much greater risk for reading issues than those who could hear the rhymes.  I did not realize at the time there were any concrete signs of dyslexia in kids not yet reading.  I think my exact thoughts upon reading this went something like, " %^&$ if I had known that, I would have had him tested at four!"

Most kids don't get tested until around age nine or ten.  They are often considered "late readers" and parents are told to give them more time.  Children with dyslexia often have very high IQ's so they find ways to stay under the radar and to compensate for their weaknesses.  This falls apart for them about the end of 3rd grade and into 4th grade when they are expected to read independently for information and their coping strategies crumble.

Ryan had no phonological awareness.  We thought he was just super adorable the way he would mess up nursery rhymes and Jack and Jill was the worst.   Jack and Jill went up the mountain to..... get water.   Jack fell down and bonked his head....until he was about nine, you could ask him what 2 words rhymed from a list and he couldn't do it.  I spent a lot of time reading poems and rhymes while teaching pre-k, kindergarten and first grade.  I wish I had known what to look for or more importantly, WHY it was important to be doing it.  Here is the list of the earliest big red flags...

The Preschool Years

• Trouble learning common nursery rhymes, such as “Jack and Jill”
• Difficulty learning (and remembering) the names of letters in the alphabet
• Seems to be unable to recognize letters in his/her own name
• Mispronounces familiar words; persistent “baby talk”
• Doesn’t recognize rhyming patterns like cat, bat, rat
• A family history of reading and/or spelling difficulties

Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity is an excellent website ( and from where I pasted the list).
  Pages of great, easy to read information and news.  You job is to spend 10 minutes exploring it and report back to me what you have learned! 

Ryan's video pick of the day.....

 When Daniel was a cub scout, he developed an irrational fear of black bears mauling him while camping. I showed him the statistic that stated his chances of being mauled by a bear were less than being struck by lightning.  I waited for the "Thanks, mom, you are right, I now clearly see that I WON'T get mauled by a bear this weekend."   What I got was, "Great, now I have 2 things to worry about."  In the end, he kept camping and eventually stopped worrying about bears.

I have 2 kids with learning issues.  I worry.  There are a lot of rather depressing statistics, some true, some false.  As Daniel pointed out during his bear-phobia phase, if something is one in a million, someone has got to be "one"...  and as a mother, I tend to think,  "WHAT IF MY KID IS THAT ONE!"  And yes, I do think that in caps.

So I am not going to dwell on statistics this month.

I let Ryan pick out the video clip for today.  He is a lot like our friend Tom, especially the part about playing sick to get out of work!  He smiles and nods as it plays, LOL.  He also says I am a lot like the mom, not caring unless there is a fever involved.....

Ryan's pick of the day....

I am so incredibly humbled to sit on the board of the Tennessee Branch of the International Dyslexia Association.  I honestly can't believe that they let me come, the other members are such interesting, knowledgeable people with years of experience in education, law, business and advocacy, and I am just plain old me.  Not that there is anything particularly wrong with me, I am really honored to be a part of something so much bigger than just my small corner of the world!

That being said, October is Dyslexia Awareness Month.  My little outreach is going to be Facebook and blog posts!  As an advocate for people with dyslexia, it is frustrating to listen to the mis-information that is often passed around and by those in the field of education.  Teachers are not taught to teach reading at the University level.  Schools and school boards are fascinated by new educational theories and buzzwords, many of which are actually detrimental to students, particularly in the area of literacy.  Parents look to teachers as guides to help them advocate to their children and often times they get misinformation.  It takes an average of 18 months for a child to start remediation after a diagnosis of dyslexia - and not even necessarily the correct help.  This must change.

Every day I will post a little something.  Share it with your friends on your FB pages and blogs.  Help me spread good information.  If a teacher's little warning bell goes off about a student, if a parent wonders uncomfortably about a child and seeks more information, I will be happy!  For those that know me well, I am without my NHL this year, and I need a little extra HAPPY! Make me happy and talk dyslexia with me.

Fact: Gordie Howe was dyslexic.....like that segue?

Here is our TN IDA website.  Check it out even if you are not in Tennessee!
www.tnida.org

Pam

Wow, I am a Blog-meister now!

I admit, I love diaries and letters.  I received a cool pink diary (with a lock no less!) when I was about 7.  I used to write things like, "Tonight, I slept over my grandmother's house - Lillian D." and we talked to her neighbor, Mrs. G about my brother, Jeffrey - to ensure when my biography was written, the author would get it all right!  As a teenager, I would write down the lyrics of any song that spoke to me like a secret code of what I was feeling.  I don't keep a diary any more and journal sporadically.  I find my journals become the trash can for all my hateful feelings - I would never want anyone to find them if I died, it would be horrifying for the reader! 


 I just re-read The Diary of Anne Frank with my 8th grader. He said what really struck him was that she was so much like him.  Her mother and siblings annoyed her, she liked to write, she seemed happy one minute and sad the next, a lot like him at this stage of his life.  Sometimes it is easy to forget that love, sacrifice and struggle are felt by everyone, everywhere in every circumstance imaginable.  Blogs and diaries are reminders of that.