Signs and symptoms of dyslexia
Dyslexia has several symptoms and signs, but not every dyslexic has them all. In fact, most have only a few of them, and not everyone has the same ones or in the same degree. Therefore, each dyslexic is different.
The signs/symptoms are listed by age, however some stay throughout life. It just happens that some learn to camouflage them.
- Clumsy in some respect but surprisingly good at manipulating certain things like Lego, etc
- Aptitude for constructional or technical toys, e.g. bricks, puzzles, remote control, keyboards, ...
- Still having difficulty in dressing, e.g. clothes in the wrong order
- Uncertain of which hand to use for eating
- Late in crawling or did not crawl, was a 'bottom shuffler' and/or late in walking
- Excessive tripping, bumping and falling over nothing
- Obvious 'good' and 'bad' days for no apparent reason
- Quick 'thinker' and 'doer
- Difficulty with 'sequence'
- Unable to remember or carrying out two or more instructions in sequence
- Confused letter order of words such as 'Par Cark' for car park, cobbler's club' for 'toddler's club', 'teddy-dare' for 'teddy-bear'
- Finds difficulty with rhyming words, e.g. 'cat mat fat', to remember nursery rhymes, and having difficulty in clapping or moving rhythm
- Late in learning to talk or speak clearly
- A lisp - 'duckth' for 'ducks'
- Inability to remember names of objects, mislabel them, and confusing names of objects or make use of substitute words
- Confused directional words, e.g. 'up/down' or 'in/out'
- Finds difficulty with odd-one-out, e.g. 'cat mat pig fat'
- Enhanced creativity - often good at drawing - good sense of color - seeks solutions – try to use or do things different
- Enjoys being read to but shows no interest in letters or words
- Appears 'bright' - seems an enigma
- Anyone else in the family with similar difficulties and/or family history of dyslexia problems.
Ages 7 - 11
- Some difficulties with reading or spelling
- Put figures or letters the wrong way e.g. 15 for 51, 6 for 9, b for d
- Read a word then fail to recognize it further down the page
- Difficulty learning the alphabet and multiplication tables
- Remembering sequences such as the days of the week and months of the year
- Spell a word several different ways without recognizing the correct version
- Have a poor concentration span for reading and writing
- Have difficulty understanding time and tense
- Continued difficulty with shoelaces, and ball catching, skipping
- Answer questions orally but have difficulty writing the answer
- Unusually clumsy
- Have trouble with sounds in words, e.g. poor sense of rhyme
- Inattention and poor concentration
- Confuse left and right
- Frustration, possibly leading to behavioral problems
Age 9 - 12
- Continued mistakes in reading, or a lack of reading comprehension
- Strange spelling, e.g. letters missed out or in the wrong order
- Taking an above average time over written work
- Disorganization at home and at school
- Difficulty copying accurately from blackboard or textbook
- Difficulty taking down oral instructions
- Growing lack of self-confidence and increasing frustration.
Ages 12 and adult
- Have difficulty taking notes or copying
- Difficulty with planning and writing essays, letters, and reports
- Tendency to read inaccurately, or without comprehension
- Inconsistent spelling
- Tendency to confuse verbal instructions
- Confuse phone numbers
- Severe difficulty with learning a foreign language
- Difficulty with perception of spoken language, e.g. following instructions, listening comprehension
- Low self-esteem.