What is Dyslexia? It is thought that up to one in ten people may be dyslexic and many of these people are unaware that there is a reason behind their struggles. Dyslexia is a Specific Learning Difficulty which affects a person’s ability to read or write fluently. Learners may have problems with short term memory, spelling, writing, rapid naming (objects, colours, letters or numbers), spelling, distinguishing sounds in words or concentrating. Dyslexia can affect people from any background or walk of life, regardless of intellectual ability. It should be seen as a continuum as no two people have exactly the same symptoms or level of severity of dyslexia. Some may find they are particularly gifted in other areas such as art, yet all have their own strengths and weaknesses.
Primary Indicators of dyslexia in primary school aged children:
Has difficulty in reading or spelling
Has inconsistent handwriting
Spells a word several different ways
Confuses letters such as ‘b’ and ‘d’ or ‘p’ and ‘q’
Misses out words when writing
Has problems copying from the board
Takes longer than average to produce written work
Struggles to remember more than one instruction at a time
Has difficulty in remembering times tables or alphabet
Has difficulty understanding what he or she has read
Confusion with left and right
Struggles to order the alphabet, days of the week or months of the year
Secondary Indicators of dyslexia in people aged 12 or over (in addition to those listed left):
Struggles to remember phone numbers or dictated sentences
Has difficulty planning and writing essays
Confuses times, dates and places
Struggles to process language or instructions at speed
Has poor self esteem
Has areas or strength and weakness
Struggles telling the time
Has difficulty with revision due to poor working memory
Understands concepts verbally but struggles to write ideas/answers down
Finds it difficult to structure ideas
Poor organisational skills
Early recognition and intervention are the keys to success