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Momsdream,
Sorry I have not taken the time to read every post. So, apologize for any redundancy. I will share some personal experience with you, and then professional expertise.
Personal experience- son #1 read fluently at age 3 1/2 but wasn't much of a talker! Son #2 comes along, great conversationalist, not reading in first grade- trouble in particular with short vowel sounds- minimal b/d confusion- absolutely couldn't spell- everything was inventive...by the end of 1st grade (after some help with phonological processing) he was squeaking to grade level in reading. 2nd grade gradual gains in reading, nothing coming along in spelling. 3rd grade reading definitely coming- spelling horrible and now he did not want to write because of this. I had him tested by the school psychologist who confirmed- very bright, exceptional verbal skills, weak decoding and encoding, poor ability to syllabicate and blend mostly impacting spelling. Diagnosis- mild dyslexia. He is now in 12th grade and reads prolifically but cannot spell in any language.
Now the professional input. The single best book on Dyslexia is "Overcoming Dyslexia" by Sally Shaywitz. Her study at Yale several years ago demonstrated convincingly that reading acquisition, like every other skill, takes place on a continuum. Dyslexia is not some "malfunction", it is a rather extreme presentation of acquisition of a developmental skill that is easy for some, mildly problematic for others and downright difficult without appropriate instruction for the dyslexic.
The problem with dyslexia is a problem of reading/writing/spelling- everything that has to do with letters and their sounds. the core issue is that of a disruption in the sound/symbol system. for most dyslexics the issue is in the sound end(rapid processing of sounds)...this is the classic dyslexic pattern. Some kids have an "orthographic" dyslexia in which the visual elements are more problematic- this is rarer. Decoding, encoding and rapid naming all are issues.
All the other "symptoms" that people talk about when they describe the pattern of dyslexia are irrelevant. They are interesting associated findings, but they are not dyslexia...including problems with attention. The only thing you need to look at is the efficacy with which the child applies the sound/symbol system in reading and writing. You can't really diagnose dyslexia until a child has had ample exposure in formal program-- end of first grade is about the earliest you can make a formal diagnosis.
The most effective approaches for teaching kids who are dyslexic to read have at their core a systematic, sequential, multisensory approach. Hooked on PHonics is not a multisensory program such as dyslexic kids need. There are approaches now that are effective at the auditory level as well (fast forword) in the "restructuring" of the processing of sound- but many kids these programs are used for are "pre-readers" for developmental reasons other than dyslexia.
The field of dyslexia (and not everyone in the field even uses the label) like all other fields related to child development and education is FILLED with cures and fixes that have no scientific, empirically based proof. Vision therapy, for example, does not have proof in the peer literature...nor do Irlen lenses, OT, or a variety of other interventions. This does not mean they do not help a few kids, this just means that no rigorous studies have been done to show them to be broadly and consistently effective. Well meaning, concerned parents such as yourself need to educate themselves and become critical consumers of the myriad of approaches that are out there. Multisensory phonics approaches applied for a sustained period of time (2 years or so) are effective in most cases. Some kids, no matter how well they read, are always lousy spellers.
A range of professionals are trained to assess for dyslexia as well as other learning variations in children. In addition to neuropsychologists, developmental pediatricians, educational psychologists, etc also work in assessment.
For more information about the scientific information about dyslexia find writings by Reid Lyon, Sally Shaywitz or Louisa Moats...among others. These are highly thought of specialists representing a range of professional approaches.
I have no idea if your daughter is dyslexic or not. It sounds possible. A comprehensive assessment would be useful (but it might be a bit early, truth be told..I might get on a waiting list now for a May-June evaluation...)..In the meantime, if you can find someone with Reading REcovery training, this is the 1:1 preventative approach developed in NZ which is helpful in assising NON-dyslexics develop as readers. It is intensive and short term-- and in a sense diagnostic. If a child doesn't improve with RR, then more testing is usually indicated. While they are engaged in the RR process, kids are maintining a positive attitude about reading and themselves as readers.
AS for the teacher...she should be asked to be sensitive to your daughter, to draw attention to her strengths, not her weaknesses, and to above all-- do no harm.
If the teacher can't abide by this, if your daughter is stressed to the point of somatic symptoms or wanting to skip school-- then I would consider a class change, school change or whatever. Does the school have any remedial services? Do they have an inclusive attitude which supports teachers who differentiate? If not, whether your daughter has dylexia or not, she may be a kid with developmental unevenness who may find a different school more supportive. I wouldn't go in the Waldorf direction, yet...but maybe something in between??
By the way, when my son finished 3rd grade he was still a bit discouraged, even though we had emphasized to him that spelling was really not that important..etc.. AT the end of the year the best speller in the class was retained, and my son came home and said, "I guess you were right all along!!"
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