Common Signs and Challenges of Dyslexia

Signs and challenges can look different depending on multiple factors including age. Below we have broken down the most common signs and challenges based on age.

Signs of Dyslexia in Toddlers and Preschoolers:

May talk later than most children
May have difficulty pronouncing words such as busgetti for spaghetti, mawn lower for lawn mower, etc.
May be slow to add new vocabulary words
May be unable to recall the right word
May have difficulty with rhyming
May have trouble learning the alphabet, numbers, days of the week, months of the year, colors, shapes, how to spell and write his or her name
May have trouble interacting with peers
May be unable to follow multi-step directions or routines
Fine motor skills may develop more slowly than in other children
May have difficulty telling and/or retelling a story in the correct sequence
Often has difficulty separating sounds in words and blending sounds to make words

Signs of Dyslexia in Kindergarten through Grade 4:

Has difficulty decoding single words (reading single words in isolation)
May be slow to learn the connection between letters and sounds
May confuse small words: at – to, said-and, does-goes.
Makes consistent reading and spelling errors including:
- letter reversals – d for b as in dog for bog
- word reversals – tip for pit
- inversions – m and w for u and n
- transpositions – felt and left
- substitutions – house and home
May transpose number sequences and confuse arithmetic signs
May have trouble remembering facts
May be slow to learn new skills; relies heavily on memorizing without understanding
May be impulsive and prone to accidents
May have difficulty planning
Often uses an awkward pencil grip (fist, thumb hooked over fingers, etc.)
May have trouble learning to tell time
May have poor fine motor coordination

Signs of Dyslexia in Children in Grades 5-8:

Is usually reading below grade level
May reverse letter sequences – soiled for solid, left for felt
May be slow to discern and to learn prefixes, suffixes, root words, and other reading and spelling strategies
May have difficulty spelling; spells the same word differently on the same page
May avoid reading aloud
May have trouble with word problems in math
May write with difficulty with illegible handwriting; pencil grip is awkward, fist-like or tight
May avoid writing
May have slow or poor recall of facts
May have difficulty with comprehension
May have trouble with non-literal language (idioms, jokes, proverbs, slang)
May forget to hand in homework or to bring in homework
May have difficulty with planning and time management

Signs of Dyslexia in Teenagers (high school and college graduates but younger students also):

May read very slowly with many inaccuracies
Continues to spell incorrectly, frequently spells the same word differently in a single piece of writing
May procrastinate reading and writing tasks
May avoid writing
May have trouble summarizing and outlining
May have trouble answering open-ended questions on tests
May not adjust well to new setting or to change
May have difficulties with foreign languages
May work slowly
May have poor grasp of abstract concepts
May pay too little attention to details or focus too much on them
May misread information
May not complete assignments; may complete them and not hand them in
May have an inadequate vocabulary
May have an inadequate store of knowledge from previous reading
May have difficulty with planning and time management

Signs of Dyslexia in Adults:

May hide their reading problems; many subterfuges
May spell poorly; relies on others
Avoids writing; may not be able to write
Often very competent in oral language
Often has good “people” skills
Often is spatially talented: engineers, architects, designers, artists, and craftspeople, mathematicians, physicists, physicians, especially surgeons, dentists
May be very good at “reading” people (intuitive)
In jobs is often working well below their intellectual capacity
May have difficulty with planning and organization
May have difficulty with time; often too early, late, or forgets appointments.
Relies on digital watches; cannot tell time
Often entrepreneurs; may have lost one or more businesses they started

Common Signs and Challenges of Dyslexia

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