Warning Signs of Dyslexia
If a child has 3 or more of the following warning signs, parents/teachers are encouraged to learn more.
In Preschool
– Delayed speech
– Mixing up the sounds and syllables in long words
– Chronic ear infections
– Severe reactions to childhood illnesses
– Constant confusion of left vs. right
– Late establishing a dominant hand
– Difficulty learning to tie shoes
– Trouble memorizing their address, phone or alphabet
– Can’t create words that rhyme
– Has a close relative with dyslexia
In Elementary School
– Dysgraphia (slow, non-automatic handwriting that is difficult to read)
– Letter or number reversals continuing past the end of first grade
– Extreme difficulty learning cursive
– Slow, choppy, inaccurate reading:
— skips or misreads prepositions (at, to, of)
— guesses based on shape or context
– Terrible spelling
– Often can’t remember sight words (they, were, does) or homonyms (their, they’re, and there)
– Trouble with math
— memorizing multiplication tables
– Dreads going to school
In High School
All of the Preschool and Elementary symptoms, plus:
– Limited vocabulary
– Extremely poor written expression
— large discrepancy between verbal skills and written compostions
– Unable to master a foreign language
– Difficulty reading printed music
– Poor grades in many classes
– May drop out of high school
In Adulthood
Education history similar to above, plus:
– Slow reader
– May have to read a page 2 or 3 times to understand it
– Terriblespeller
– Difficulty putting thoughts onto paper
— dreads writing memos or letters
– Still has difficulty with right vs. left
– Often gets lost, even in a familiar city
– Sometimes confuses b and d, especially when tired or sick
These warning signs reprinted with prior written permission from Susan Barton, Founder of Bright Solutions for Dyslexia.
