Signs of Dyslexia in the Students
It is important for teachers and educators to be able to identify the signs of dyslexia in the classroom since it is such a common learning difficulty. Their identification could support the child during early ages and benefit them by receiving help as early as possible. Below you will find common signs and symptoms of dyslexia at different stages of schooling.
Signs of Dyslexia in Preschool or Kindergarten
It can be more difficult to diagnose dyslexia in children before they reach Grade 1 mainly because they have not been formally introduced to the concept of reading yet. Still, there are some signs you can look out for:
- Difficulty learning the alphabet, counting from 1-10, identifying colors and shapes, or even writing their name.
- Finds it hard to learn nursery rhymes.
- Uses “baby talk”.
- Mispronunciation of common everyday words. Does not speak clearly and may mumble or blend words.
- Trouble interacting with children of the same age.
- Difficulty telling a story or relating a sequence of events in the correct order.
At such a young age, it can be difficult to get a formal diagnosis of dyslexia because all of these signs may be a symptom of something else. Your child may simply be a slow learner or may have a speech disorder instead. The above signs may also indicate autism or ADHD instead.
Signs of Dyslexia in Primary and Middle School (Class 1-7)
It becomes easier to identify dyslexia at this stage since children have now entered a more formal system of schooling. It is also easier to be able to identify if your child is “behind” their peers and not able to quite keep up. Some signs to look out for:
- Struggles to read words if they are in isolation (i.e. a word or two that is not in a passage of text).
- Reads very slowly, with frequent pauses.
- Confuses small commonly used words (at/to, said/and, does/goes).
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Makes consistent reading and spelling errors:
- Letter reversals – b for d as in, bog for dog
- Word reversals – tip for pit
- Inversions – m and w, u and n
- Transpositions – felt and left
- Substitutions – house and home
- Slow to learn new skills, mostly learns by rote memorization instead of understanding.
- Difficulty learning to plan and organize.
- Difficulty telling the time.
- Poor fine motor coordination (i.e. skills that require fine movements of the hand and fingers, like writing or painting). May hold pencils in an awkward grip.
- May confuse Mathematical signs and symbols (+ - x / =).
- Trouble learning multiplication tables.
- Possibly clumsy and frequently getting into accidents.
- Poor behavior when it is time to read. Your child may be trying to avoid reading or may constantly put off tasks that require a lot of reading because they find it too challenging.
Signs of Dyslexia in Secondary School (O Level/FSc)
Dyslexia is commonly identified at the primary school age, however, sometimes it is missed and not detected until later in school life. Sometimes, the symptoms may also change as the child grows older. In addition to the signs you may notice in the primary school years, keep an eye out for:
- Continuously poor spelling and handwriting.
- Difficulty summarizing or even comprehending large chunks of text.
- An extremely slow reading pace, usually filled with many reading errors.
- Better at subjects that are not language-oriented, like mathematics and the sciences, or even art (instead of English, Urdu, or History).
- Has a very specialized intelligence in certain subjects or areas.
- Their reading ability is far below their overall intelligence.
Dyslexia does not affect a person’s intelligence, and many individuals with dyslexia may excel in other subjects.
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