ground rules for this post…
Okay before I get to the point, the ground rules are….
humour me, I’m pre-menstrual and therefore even more irrational than normal
humour me, I’ve probably spent too long reading "how to spot ….. in your child" type internet articles and therefore am perfectly capable of diagnosing next door’s dog with some behavioural or learning issue if I put my mind to it.
The correct response to this post is to roll your eyes in a "here she goes again" sort of way and tell me to get a grip. Okay?
Aprilia likes to use a couple of scraps of paper to mask out words above and below the line she is trying to read, 6 lines of text is just too scarey so she just lookes at one at a time. Obviously this is a faff as the slips of paper slide about. I have a blue "reading ruler" that I use when I lose my specs (so that’s about twice a week then…) and she liked using that in stead when she tried it. So i ordered a mixed pack of the reading rulers so she could have a bit of variety in what colour she’d like her book to be that day (variety being the spice of life adn all that!) They arrived today adn she tried them all out to see what she liked.
predicably she tried the rose one first and declared that it was pretty good. Then she tried the blue like I use and said it was okay, likewise the paler blue. The green she got a bit excited about saying the words looked better with it, relegating the 3 previous colours to looking good but not liking them as much any more. She doesn’t like green as a rule incidentally. Then she tried the yellow. There was a little gasp and she said she *really* liked that one, the words were really clear and easy to read.
"Visual stress" (finding it easier to see text if it’s on a specific coloured background) is very common in dyslexia although it can be present without dyslexia and not all Dyxies suffer with it. Dyslexia has strong hereditary tendancies. You can sort of see where I’m going here can’t you? 
It’s not like it *matters* or anything, she’s at home so she’s not going to get singled out for using overlays etc if that’s what suits her (although of course mum will have something spiteful to say no doubt) But somehow I feel like I’ve given it to her, like I’m responsible. Which is just damned stupid. But I do anyway.
hugs.
Comment by jax — July 14, 2007 @ 3:12 pm
Actually, I think she is really lucky, if she does have it, that because you have found out what works well, she can just start using it from the beginning. and no, I don’t think it makes a diagnosis as it stands. ANd as for feeling bad because you’ve given it to her - well there are lots of things to pass on to children that you would rather not - I certainly can think of a few for us - but having an answer ready seems to be the ultimate of good parenting.
Comment by HelenHaricot — July 14, 2007 @ 10:20 pm
What Helen said, and it seems to me that (for the most part) it is not the dyslexia that is the real problem. The real problem is the failure to diagnose early, failure to provide timely help and support and the stigma, teasing and bullying that children experience in schools and the inability of mass education to adapt to individual needs. Take all those away and the small problem would never get to be turned into a big problem.
Comment by Tim — July 14, 2007 @ 10:50 pm
What the others said
And perhaps if she uses them for a while, she’ll learn to correct her own reading behaviours to such an extent that the “problem” will never really materialise.
PS, i owe you money!
Comment by Merry — July 15, 2007 @ 6:37 pm