Warning Signs of Dyslexia

---

If your child has three or more of the following warning signs, screening and an evaluation are strongly recommended. Reading instruction from a tutor who specializes in dyslexia will have a positive impact on your child's education and his or her confidence.

In Preschool

• Delayed speech
• Mixing up the sounds and syllables in long words
• 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
• Can't create words that rhyme
• 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:
  • 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) or homonyms (their, they're, and there)
• Difficulty telling time with a clock with hands
• Trouble with math
  • Memorizing multiplication tables
  • Memorizing a sequence of steps
  • Directionality
• When speaking, difficulty finding the correct word
  • Lots of "whatyamacallits" and "thingies"
  • Common sayings come out slightly twisted
• Extremely messy bedroom, backpack, and desk
• Dreads going to school
  • Complains of stomach aches or headaches
  • May have nightmares about school
     

In High School

All of the above symptoms plus:

• Limited vocabulary
• Extremely poor written expression
  • Large discrepancy between verbal skills and written compositions
• Unable to master a foreign language
• Difficulty reading printed music
• Poor grades in many classes
• May drop out of high school

In Adults

Education history similar to above, plus:

• Slow reader
• May have to read a page 2 or 3 times to understand it
• Terrible speller
• Difficulty putting thoughts onto paper
  • Dreads writing memos or letters
• Still has difficulty with right versus left
• Often gets lost, even in a familiar city
• Sometimes confuses b and d, especially when tired or sick

To see a video presentation by Susan Barton about the symptoms of dyslexia, click here.