Homeschool Questions and Answers: Reversing Letters

by Andrea Hermitt | More from this Blogger

07 Oct 2008 09:17 PM

Question: My son still reverses letters. . .sequences of things etc. I'm fairly confident at this point that he has issues with letter reversals. In looking for resources but what I'm finding is stuff for kids who are behind--which my son is not. He is about to start 4th grade math (just started 2nd grade) and I fully anticipate that he'll get at least half way through 5th grade. . .and he reads at a solid 2nd grade level. So why worry about a bunch of backwards numbers and letters? I'm not worried but I sense that at this point, his inability to see things and thus write them correctly is holding him back.

So in looking for stuff to address this--I'm only finding stuff to help kids catch up. Any suggestions? I need something that kind of gives a method (like specifically for handwriting/spelling etc.) without pigeon holing a kid as behind. Does that make sense?

Answer: I also struggle with the labeling of children and hence have a hard time saying that your child has some dyslexic qualities that should be treated in the same way that you treat a dyslexic.

I also personally believe that each child has some level of genius at different levels and children with extreme genius will also have educational "problems". Because of how far ahead your child is, his genius cannot be denied. I found the following statement on dyslexia.com. "Having dyslexia won't make every dyslexic a genius, but it is good for the self-esteem of all dyslexics to know their minds work in exactly the same way as the minds of great geniuses. It is also important for them to know that having a problem with reading, writing, spelling, or math doesn't mean they are dumb or stupid. The same mental function that produces a genius can also produce those problems." A book you might want to read is "The Gift of Dyslexia: by Ronald D. Davis and Eldon M. Braun.

I think you should start by studying dyslexia and what it means, and how to work with it and not worry so much about the label. I also think that while you educate yourself about it that you should not act right away, but wait. The best news is that there are several symptoms of dyslexia and reversing letters is only one of them.

I distinctly remember reversing letters well into grammar school and my daughter did the same. We both have hyperactive tendencies and over active minds. I think we just don't care about details the direction a letter should face was just a minor detail. These issue straightened themselves out by fifth grade.

If by fifth grade your homeschooler is still writing letters and numbers backward, then they will be at an age to handle therapies that will reverse the letter reversals and improve his writing skills.

If you feel and urge to start working on the problem now, check out the workbook, A Workbook for Dyslexics by Cheryl Orlassino

Read about the other symptoms of dyslexia here

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Learn more about Andrea Hermitt

Andrea Hermitt is a native New Yorker currently residing in GA. She has been married for over 16 years and has two teenage children.

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Julie Gentry (5915) 09 Oct 2008 11:17 AM

My eldest son was similar. He's "math-minded". I didn't push him too much. Just before puberty, he 'discovered' reading. It took less than 4 months to catch up to grade level. He still reverses his letters sometimes, but a lot less often. One thing we taught him was to make a sort of football goal with his thumb and forefingers. It's supposed to be a BED. He can spell bed :-). Tracing the small 'b' on his left hand, and the small 'd' on his right helps him remember which way it goes.