What is Dyslexia?
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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