My daughter was reading, “The cat saw catnip,” and she read, “The cat was catpin.” She does this all the time, and she can’t tell the difference between “b” and “d” no matter how many times I teach her. What’s going on?
There could be many causes.
Vision problems. Some children have subtle vision problems not detected by distance charts. You might have her vision tested by an eye doctor.
Directional confusion. This is a particular vision problem. Can your child mimic your arm movements when she stands facing you? Does she mix up down and up, and top and bottom? Does she mirror write letters and numbers—writing a “b” for a “d”?
Sequencing problems. Does she say “felt” when she reads “left” or “form” when she means “from”? (I still do that when I am stressed.)
When a word ends with an “s,” does she say the word as if it begins with an “s,” such as saying “slow” when she reads “lows”? Does she move words around in sentences, changing the word order?
Mixing up little words. Does she stick in articles (a, an, and the) where they don’t belong, or omit them entirely? Does she substitute one small word for another, such as “and” for “a” or “for” for “from”?
Maturity. How old is your daughter? Every youngster I have taught reading to has had the problems you mention. I gently correct the child when she makes a mistake, or I say “d” or “b” before she can read a word to help her. Usually by the age of seven, these problems disappear. If your child is four or five, these reversals are probably developmental. However if your child is in first or second grade, you should ask to have your child tested for dyslexia. Most public schools have reading experts who are trained to deal with these problems.
comicphonics for early readers 