Never Give Up On Your Children
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Re: Never Give Up On Your Children
Hi mystery
My husband would definitely have been diagnosed as dyslexic at school.
He cannot spell anything. He can read - reads broadsheets - doesn't often read books but can read - he scraped English O level 3rd time - and for his dissertation, he got his father to type it.
I do not understand why he cannot spell. Words I've just typed like ... diagnosed ... anything ... broadsheets ... scraped ... dissertation ..
He is embarrassed so avoids writing, the people he work with are just used to it and laugh. He says he doesn't mind, but he has problems.
We have four children. DD no. 1 (of 2) has similar problems. They weren't picked up until her CAT test year 7, by which time it seemed a little late. She has just finished year 8.
She did not even sit the 11+ but has gone from a level 3 (yes, just 3) in year 6, Key Stage 2 SATS, to a level 5 end year 8 ... other subjects she's on levels 6/7. It's literacy. And she just cannot spell "literacy", after years of writing it on books. I think she is dyslexic too. She just cannot spell. It is interesting.
My husband would definitely have been diagnosed as dyslexic at school.
He cannot spell anything. He can read - reads broadsheets - doesn't often read books but can read - he scraped English O level 3rd time - and for his dissertation, he got his father to type it.
I do not understand why he cannot spell. Words I've just typed like ... diagnosed ... anything ... broadsheets ... scraped ... dissertation ..
He is embarrassed so avoids writing, the people he work with are just used to it and laugh. He says he doesn't mind, but he has problems.
We have four children. DD no. 1 (of 2) has similar problems. They weren't picked up until her CAT test year 7, by which time it seemed a little late. She has just finished year 8.
She did not even sit the 11+ but has gone from a level 3 (yes, just 3) in year 6, Key Stage 2 SATS, to a level 5 end year 8 ... other subjects she's on levels 6/7. It's literacy. And she just cannot spell "literacy", after years of writing it on books. I think she is dyslexic too. She just cannot spell. It is interesting.
Last edited by ginx on Sun Oct 06, 2013 5:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Never Give Up On Your Children
It is interesting - but dyslexia has so many different definitions and I'm not sure that just having difficulties spellings would be diagnosed as dyslexia by many EPs these days.
Your DH must be a pretty accurate reader of some pretty complex words - being a pharmacist could be a bit disastrous otherwise!!
What form do their spelling errors take? This will give you some clues as to the cause and to the possible remedies.
One of my children has some strange spelling tendencies which I'm hoping to do something about some point if they don't straighten out. She has learned to spell phonically at school - i.e. to listen to the word in her head and write down graphemes which could represent those sounds. Clearly that means that if she doesn't know which spelling to put for a sound in a particular word - e.g. ph or f, it will be spelt "wrong" - but it is partially right and I think this clearly shows that she doesn't have dyslexic tendencies (whatever they are) as as she has this phonological awareness.
The frustrating thing is that she still spells this way even if the word is right in front of her. So if she had a comprehension question which said "do you enjoy literacy lessons?" she would read the question easily and then write "No I do not like liturussy lessuns because ........ " - she would write down some words incorrectly but as they sound even though they were there for her in the question.
I don't remember anyone doing this at my very fussy prep school. We spent (rightly or wrongly) time most lessons copying something off the board into our exercise books. We would have been expected to copy accurately. I think this might have developed a good "eye" for spellings as looking up and down to the board was a chore so you tried to remember how a few words were spelt and then looked down to write them.
Some schools / teachers teach spelling better than others. Some people find it easier than others too. But there are ways to become more accurate - it's easier as a child than as an adult. Also, poor spelling in itself is no longer a hindrance long term -even to being an author or journalist.
Your DH must be a pretty accurate reader of some pretty complex words - being a pharmacist could be a bit disastrous otherwise!!
What form do their spelling errors take? This will give you some clues as to the cause and to the possible remedies.
One of my children has some strange spelling tendencies which I'm hoping to do something about some point if they don't straighten out. She has learned to spell phonically at school - i.e. to listen to the word in her head and write down graphemes which could represent those sounds. Clearly that means that if she doesn't know which spelling to put for a sound in a particular word - e.g. ph or f, it will be spelt "wrong" - but it is partially right and I think this clearly shows that she doesn't have dyslexic tendencies (whatever they are) as as she has this phonological awareness.
The frustrating thing is that she still spells this way even if the word is right in front of her. So if she had a comprehension question which said "do you enjoy literacy lessons?" she would read the question easily and then write "No I do not like liturussy lessuns because ........ " - she would write down some words incorrectly but as they sound even though they were there for her in the question.
I don't remember anyone doing this at my very fussy prep school. We spent (rightly or wrongly) time most lessons copying something off the board into our exercise books. We would have been expected to copy accurately. I think this might have developed a good "eye" for spellings as looking up and down to the board was a chore so you tried to remember how a few words were spelt and then looked down to write them.
Some schools / teachers teach spelling better than others. Some people find it easier than others too. But there are ways to become more accurate - it's easier as a child than as an adult. Also, poor spelling in itself is no longer a hindrance long term -even to being an author or journalist.
Re: Never Give Up On Your Children
Hi Mystery, find some of your thoughts above very interesting.
I too remember copying from the board and just "remembering" how to spell some words because it made the whole process quicker. When we got a spelling wrong in a written piece we had to write it out 10 times at the end of the piece and I don't think they do that now. Doing this just embedded things deep into your head and when we couldn't spell something we had to look it up in a dictionary again it embedded it in your sub-conscience. Also I enjoyed spelling lessons because I was good at them, and because I was good at it I tried harder - a real case of the chicken and the egg.
I really do believe that there are "natural" spellers amongst us, some people who just find it easier than others, and that it has very little to do with "intelligence".
Sorry this is rather OP but as I said I just find the whole subject fascinating.
I too remember copying from the board and just "remembering" how to spell some words because it made the whole process quicker. When we got a spelling wrong in a written piece we had to write it out 10 times at the end of the piece and I don't think they do that now. Doing this just embedded things deep into your head and when we couldn't spell something we had to look it up in a dictionary again it embedded it in your sub-conscience. Also I enjoyed spelling lessons because I was good at them, and because I was good at it I tried harder - a real case of the chicken and the egg.
I really do believe that there are "natural" spellers amongst us, some people who just find it easier than others, and that it has very little to do with "intelligence".
Sorry this is rather OP but as I said I just find the whole subject fascinating.
