Classic Signs of Dyslexia
Birth to Kindergarten
- delayed speech
- mixing up the sounds and syllables in long words
- chronic ear infections
- articulation difficulties or has needed speech therapy
- constant confusion of left versus right
- late establishing a dominant hand
- difficulty learning to tie shoes
- trouble memorizing their address, phone number, or the alphabet
- difficulty creating/identifying words that rhyme
- a close relative with dyslexia
Elementary Age
- very messy handwriting, strange pencil grip, or difficulty copying
- letter or number reversals continuing past the end of first grade
- slow, choppy, inaccurate reading: guesses based on shape or context, skips or misreads prepositions (at, to, of), ignores suffixes, can’t sound out unknown words
- terrible spelling
- often can’t remember sight words (they, were, does)
- difficulty telling time with a clock with hands
- trouble memorizing a sequence of steps,
- trouble with directionality
- when speaking, has difficulty finding the correct words, "I'm thinking", "...the thingies"
- limited vocabulary
- extremely poor written expression
- extremely messy bedroom, backpack, and desk
- dreads going to school - complains of stomach aches or headaches - may have nightmares about school