Preschoolers’ Reading Delay: Hyperlexia, Dyslexia and More

1. My son’s vocabulary is quite extensive for a 4-year-old, but he has a hard time speaking and putting sentences together. Also, he can’t seem to answer simple questions. Is there something wrong with my child?

There is a possibility that your child may be hyperlexic. Hyperlexia is the ability to read words beyond the normal expectation of a certain age, even if hyperlexic children are very fascinated with letters and numbers. But while this may be considered as a superability, hyperlexics have difficulties of their own. Your child may have a difficult time understanding verbal language, and answering who, what, when, where, why, and how questions. Hyperlexics need intensive therapy sessions because of their struggle to communicate. If you think your child may have this difficulty,
then you should bring him to a professional for immediate evaluation. The sooner you do this,
the better, so that you can avoid further problems such as your child’s inability to conduct himself well socially.

2. What is my dyslexic 6-year-old going through, and why does she get so easily frustrated during her therapy sessions?

Dyslexia, in its simplest definition, is a learning disability, which is most evident in your child’s reading skills. The most common symptoms of dyslexia are confusing and transposing letters, and misspelling words. Know also that because reading is a struggle for dyslexics, these individuals often exhibit talent in other areas such as in math or in the arts. What makes your daughter’s therapy sessions frustrating for her is the fact that most dyslexics also have poor memory skills, which make the disability even more difficult to overcome. There is no known cure for dyslexia, but continuous therapy sessions will definitely make reading less of a challenge for her.

3. My 5-yearold writes words with some letters, particularly the consonants, missing. Should this be a cause for concern?

This could be indicative of a reading delay or problem, if she is unable to copy words the right way. Observe how she pronounces and remembers words, if she struggles at recognizing words that rhyme or have similar sounds, or in recalling the sounds of letters. Discuss your observations with your child’s teacher and ask for an evaluation and suggested intervention.

Click here to read on about parents' questions on their kid's reading delay problems.

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Read on about parents' questions on their kid's reading delay problems.

 

4.  My 4-yearold enjoys going to school, but I worry every time that she may not be at the same reading level as her classmates. What can I do to help her out?

To get her interested in reading, choose books with lots of colorful pictures and big print. Read to her as often as you can, and make sure that the story you select is easy to follow. At this age, children like hearing about characters who go through scary situations but end up succeeding, or animals with traits similar to humans. Fairy tales are other favorites of children age 4 to 6. You may introduce your child to such material, but don’t be alarmed if she hasn’t caught the reading bug just yet. Reading is taught to a child, but the development of this skill is not the same in all kids. Just keep on encouraging your little one and allow her to discover the exciting worlds that reading has to offer.

SOURCES:
• Landa Bautista, curriculum director, The Learning Center, Inc., Parañaque City
• Websites: speechdelay.com; howkidsdevelop.com; kidshealth.org

 

Photography by Ocs Alvarez