“There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate’s loot on Treasure Island.”
Walt Disney

Does my child have dyslexia?

A person with dyslexia have many of the characteristics listed below. When looking through the list, everyone probably checks one or two. However, that does not mean everyone has dyslexia. Someone with dyslexia has most, if not all, of these characteristics. If your child has several of these characteristics, an evaluation for dyslexia is advised.

Difficulty with oral language

• Late learning to talk
• Difficulty with word retrieval or naming problems
• Difficulty learning the alphabet, nursery rhymes, or songs
• Difficulty understanding concepts and relationships
• Confusion with before/after, right/left, etc.
• Difficulty following directions
• Difficulty acquiring vocabulary or using age-appropriate grammar

Difficulty with reading

• Difficulty in learning sounds of letters
• Difficulty distinguishing different sounds in words (Auditory Discrimination)
• Difficulty identifying or generating rhyming words or counting syllables in words (Phonological Awareness)
• Difficulty with hearing and manipulating sounds in words (Phonemic Awareness)
• Difficulty remembering names and/or the order of letters when reading
• Misreads or omits common little words
• Poor reading comprehension during oral or silent reading
• Slow and laborious oral reading
• Difficulty learning to read

Difficulty with written language

• Many spelling errors
• May do well on weekly spelling test, but have many spelling errors in daily work
• Trouble putting ideas on paper
• Difficulty in proofreading

Difficulty with organization

• Messy desk
• Works slowly
• Forgets homework
• Poor sense of time
• Loses papers
• Overwhelmed by too much input
• Things are ‘out of sight out of mind’

Other

• Needs to see or hear concepts several times in order to learn them
• Memory problems
• Difficulty naming colors, objects, and letters
• Distracted by visual stimuli and noises
• Parent/Teacher says,”If only he/she would try harder,” or “he/she is lazy.”
• Downward trend in achievement test scores or school performance
• Work in school inconsistent
• Relatives may have similar problems