What is Dyslexia?

Dyslexia is a language-based learning difference. It affects the organization in the brain that controls the ability to process the way language is heard, spoken, read, or spelled. Dyslexia can also manifest in difficulties with working memory, attention, and organization. Dyslexia can be genetic, and ranges on a continuum of mild to severe. It is important to keep in mind that people with dyslexia are not lacking in motivation or intelligence. In fact, they are typically average to above average in intelligence. Furthermore, dyslexia is fairly common. Diagnosis needs to be made by competent psychologists who understand the processing deficits that are linked with the struggles associated with dyslexia.

Symptoms and Signs of Dyslexia: Characteristics of Dyslexia in Various Areas Related to Reading Instruction

Difficulty with Oral Language:

Late learning to talk
Difficulty pronouncing words
Trouble acquiring vocabulary and grammar
Trouble following directions
Confusion with concepts
Difficulty learning the alphabet and rhyming

Reading Challenges:

Trouble learning letters and sounds – poor phonological awareness
Trouble with reversals and order of letters
Omits or misreads little words
Trouble decoding longer words
Difficulty with oral or silent reading
Slow reading rate

Reading Challenges:

Trouble learning letters and sounds – poor phonological awareness
Trouble with reversals and order of letters
Omits or misreads little words
Trouble decoding longer words
Difficulty with oral or silent reading
Slow reading rate

Difficulty with Written Language:

Trouble putting ideas on paper
Uncertainty with concepts of right or left
Handwriting struggles
Difficulty with organizing written language
Trouble copying
Spelling errors
Trouble applying rules in daily work
Poor proofreading ability

Other Characteristics of Dyslexia:

Poor sense of time
Downward trend in test scores
Inconsistent school work
“Lazy” syndrome
Appears inattentive only during academic tasks
Difficulty putting thoughts into words or finding the right word
Difficulty with foreign language

Other Characteristics of Dyslexia:

Poor sense of time
Downward trend in test scores
Inconsistent school work
“Lazy” syndrome
Appears inattentive only during academic tasks
Difficulty putting thoughts into words or finding the right word
Difficulty with foreign language

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

The Dyslexic Brain

The human brain was not designed to read; it was built for oral communication. Therefore, speaking comes naturally but reading must be explicitly taught. While some learn to read with ease, for others, it is much more difficult.

Brain Processing Explained

Reading is a complex process. It requires the rapid visual processing of symbols, retrieving the related sound for each symbol, and fluently blending those sounds together. But this is just step one. The brain must also associate meaning, or multiple meanings, with each word, decipher what the author’s intended purpose is, and be able to generate the appropriate response.

That response may be given orally, or it might have to be written down, which in turn, reverses the process in the brain. One must think of what to say, choose the correct words to relay meaning, break those words down to sounds, and retrieve the correct letters to spell each sound.

In addition, English is a layered language with influences from many other languages like German, Norse, French, Latin, Greek, and many others. These added elements provide more sounds and more spellings of those sounds, which some say makes English a crazy language. It isn’t that English is crazy; it is multifaceted.

When children struggle with this process, their brains are not broken and they are not stupid. Children need to know this. They need to know that they can be taught to read and spell, and it doesn’t mean they will struggle with everything. In fact, dyslexics often think of creative and unexpected ways to solve problems and challenges.