Symptoms of Dyslexia

In Preschool

Delayed speech

Mixing up the sounds & syllables in long words

Chronic ear infections

Severe reactions to childhood illnesses

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

Cannot 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 content
– skips or misreads prepositions (at, to, of)
– ignores suffixes
– cannot sound out unknown words

Extremely poor spelling

Often cannot remember sight words (i.e. they, were, does)

Often cannot remember homonyms (i.e. their, they’re, there)

Difficulty telling time on a clock with hands

Problems in math
– memorizing multiplication tables
– memorizing a sequence of steps
– directionality

Difficulty in finding the correct word
– lots of “whatchamacallit” & “thingies”
– common sayings come out slightly twisted

Extremely messy bedroom, backpack, & desk

Dreads going to school
– complains of stomachaches or headaches
– may have nightmares about school

In High School

All of the other symptoms plus:

Limited vocabulary

Extremely poor written expression
– large discrepancy between verbal skills and written

Unable to master a foreign language

Difficulty in reading printed music

Poor grades in many classes

May drop out of high school

As Adults

Education history similar to above plus:

May have to read a page 2 or 3 times to understand it

Extremely poor spelling

Difficulty in 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 & d, especially when tired or sick

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