Warning Signs of Dyslexia
If a child has three or more of the following warning signs, encourage that child’s parents and teachers to learn more about dyslexia.
In Preschool
In Elementary School
In High School
In Adults
(Information compiled from The International Dyslexia Association, Susan Barton of the Barton Reading and Spelling System, The Dyslexia Training Institute, Davis Dyslexia Association, WebMD).
In Preschool
- Delayed in learning to speak
- Difficulty learning letters and their sound
- Trouble memorizing the order of the alphabet
- Mixes up sounds and syllables in long words
- Difficulty putting thoughts into words
- Trouble memorizing their address or phone number
- Can’t create words that rhyme
- Chronic ear infections
- Severe reactions to childhood illnesses
- Sensitive to foods, additives or chemicals
- Bedwetting beyond an appropriate age.
- Emotionally sensitive
- Difficulty sustaining attention
- Constant confusion of left versus right
- Late establishing a dominant hand - may be ambidextrous
- Difficulty learning to tie shoes
- Clumsy or uncoordinated
- Family members with dyslexia (perhaps unidentified)
In Elementary School
- Dysgraphia (slow, non-automatic handwriting that is difficult to read)
- Letter or number reversals continuing past the end of first grade
- Extreme difficulty learning cursive
- Slow, choppy, inaccurate reading
- Guesses what a word is based on shape or context
- Skips or misreads prepositions (at, to, of)
- Ignores suffixes
- Inability to sound out unknown words
- Confuses b, d, p, q
- Comprehension limitations
- Creative spelling
- Difficulty remembering how to spell sight words (they, were, does)
- Confusion with homonym spelling (their, they’re, and there)
- Difficulty telling time on an analog clock
- Trouble with math computations
- Unable to memorize multiplication/division tables
- Difficulty remember a sequence of steps
- Directional issues
- Trouble finding the correct word when speaking
- Common sayings come out slightly twisted
- Discrepancy between verbal and performance skills
- Organizational difficulties
- Extremely messy bedroom, backpack, and desk
- Dreads going to school
- Complains of dizziness, stomachaches or headaches
- Symptoms of stress and anxiety
- Superior oral vocabulary
- Advanced ideas and opinions
- High levels of creativity and problem solving ability
- Extremely curious, imaginative, and questioning
- Clear peaks and valleys in cognitive test profile (should testing have been administered)
- Wide range of interests not related to school
- Specific talent in interest area
- Gifted in athletics
- Sophisticated sense of humor
In High School
- All of the above symptoms plus:
- Limited vocabulary
- Extremely poor written expression
- Large discrepancy between verbal skills and written compositions
- Unable to master a foreign language
- Unable to correctly do math calculations
- Difficulty reading printed music
- Poor grades in many classes in spite of effort
- Symptoms of depression and low self esteem/self confidence
- May drop out of high school
In Adults
- Education history similar to above, plus:
- Slow, laborious reader
- May have to read a page 2 or 3 times to understand it
- Creative speller
- Difficulty putting thoughts onto paper
- Dreads writing memos or letters
- Still has difficulty with right versus left
- Often gets lost, even in a familiar city
(Information compiled from The International Dyslexia Association, Susan Barton of the Barton Reading and Spelling System, The Dyslexia Training Institute, Davis Dyslexia Association, WebMD).