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Post by jenmoher on Jun 28, 2004 16:51:08 GMT -5
Hello! My son is 3 1/2 and is extremely fluent. He seems to be expressing an interest in learning to read ("what does that say mommy?" is his favorite question these days). Developmentally, of course, all kids are different, but any thoughts as to whether, in general, he would be developmentally ready. Of note, he does have some fine motor issues for which he sees an OT. He really can't do much more writing wise than a redundant circle. I noted in one of the lessons that kids should be writing the letters while learning. Should I wait until he is at that point?
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Post by Michael Levin M.D. on Jun 28, 2004 20:35:35 GMT -5
I don't think you should wait too long, that does not mean going at the same pace as older children. We had several four year olds and even one three y.o. who learned to read with the Reading Lesson or other, similar program. In fact, the abovementioned 3 y.o. learned to read on his own with parents reading to him and explaining some basic rules.
There were a few anecdotal reports about hyperlexia (early fluent reading) and autism but it is not true for overwhelming majority of children who learn to read early.
You must not worry about your child's fine motor skills. No matter what you do they'll get better. Let him do the best he can and if he can't, teach to recognize letters on keyboards. A word of caution: keyboard letters are all caps while 95% of letters in printed language are lower-case.
In any event, start slowly, in form of a game, and if your child remains enthusiastic let him guide your pace.
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