Is my children dyslexic?
All dyslexic children have some difficulty in reading and writing but many dyslexics have other difficulties such as poor organisation or short-term memory problems.
If the way in which your child works and behaves suggests that your child has some of the difficulties often linked with dyslexia it is advisable to seek a psychological assessment.
The psychological assessment measures the child's profile of abilities to give a more objective way of judging whether a child is dyslexic. More importantly an assessment helps recommend the best way of helping your child.
Difficulties in Literacy as an indicator of dyslexia
A key indicator of dyslexia is a child's failure to learn to read, spell and write at the level expected by their intelligence and by the opportunity they have had to learn. Parents and teachers often wonder why the child seems so capable and intelligent in many areas but has difficulty with reading and writing.
The extent and type of difficulties each dyslexic faces varies. Dyslexia can range from being a mild problem to a severe difficulty.
All dyslexics have some difficulty with literacy but dyslexia can show itself quite differently in different people.
Short-term and/or Working Memory
Many dyslexics are 'quick forgetters'. They may learn and understand how to do something but they will need frequent reminders before they remember. It is not uncommon to have to keep repeating something over and over to a dyslexic to try and ensure they remember it. However there are ways to increase the liklihood that dyslexics will remember what they are taught see Advice on helping dyslexics to remember information .
Sequencing
A lot of dyslexics have difficulty sorting or ordering information. This means that the dyslexic may have difficulty in Mathematics, remembering a list of instructions or giving a good verbal explanation.
Letter Reversals (writing 'b' for 'd' etc) - quite normal up to Primary 2
Some dyslexic children do reverse letters as they write. However there are many dyslexic children who have never written letters in reverse. In fact it is perfectly normal for non-dyslexic children in Kindergarten or Primary 1 to reverse letters as they write. Most children grow out of letter reversals by Primary 2. Letter reversals are only something to be concerned about if a child continues to show letter reversals after Primary 2.
Most children have problems in school at one time or another. Ask yourself and the teacher if your child has shown these characteristics to a greater degree than normal over a period of time and in different environments, e.g., school, home, child care.
Ages 6-11
* Has difficulty pronouncing words, may reverse or substitute parts of words
* Has difficulty carrying out a sequence of directions
* Does he have trouble with sounds in words, e.g. poor sense of rhyme?
* Doesn't hear fine differences in words; e.g., writes "pin" for "pen"
* Has problems stating thoughts in an organised way
* Confuses the order of letters in words
* Doesn't recognise words previously learned
* Does he read a word then fail to recognise it further down the page?
* Spells a word several different ways; doesn't recognise the correct version
* Has poor reading comprehension
* Does he answer questions orally but have difficulty writing the answer?
Ages 12-adult
* Has difficulty remembering what he just read
* Has difficulty concentrating when reading or writing
* Is unable to tell important information from unimportant details
* Spells poorly; misspelling is not phonetic
* Has problems taking notes accurately
* Has difficulty organising and completing written projects
All ages
* Is he bright in some ways with a 'block' in others?
* Is there anyone else in the family with similar difficulties?
* Does he have difficulty carrying out three instructions in sequence?
* Was he late in learning to talk, or in speaking clearly?
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