Dyslexia Symptoms and Behaviors of Dyslexic Children
Wondering about the most common dyslexia symptoms? Children can begin to show signs of dyslexia as early as the preschool years. While every person with dyslexia is unique, there are common symptoms that can serve as red flags for dyslexia. We have compiled a list of 20 of the most common symptoms to help you identify if your child is at risk.
Keep in mind that these are symptoms of dyslexia, not causes of dyslexia. For example, while dyslexia is not a vision problem, some dyslexics experience symptoms that seem to be related to vision, like confusing -b- and -d- or skipping words or lines when reading text. Some of these symptoms relate to stress and how people with dyslexia try to communicate about their struggles.
Common Dyslexia Symptoms
These dyslexia symptoms are listed in no particular order.
- Strong listening comprehension and weak reading comprehension
- Difficulty reading words, especially in isolation, without a sentence context
- Difficulty spelling
- Low confidence and/or anxiety connected with reading and writing tasks
- Letter and/or number reversals (transposing)
- Problems pronouncing certain words
- Omitting sounds or letters when reading and writing words
- Headaches or other discomfort associated with reading and/or writing
- Difficulty with and/or resistance to reading aloud
- Easily distracted when reading and writing
- Difficulty forming letters (especially lowercase letters) consistently and legibly
- Difficulty following sequenced instructions
- Guessing, skipping, or replacing words instead of sounding them out
- Complaints that letters appear to move, are blurry or are out of focus
- Difficulty with organization and time management
- Limited awareness of the speech sounds in words
- Problems retrieving words
- Lowest grades in subjects that require a lot of reading and writing
- Reading, spelling and/or writing below grade level
- Difficulty with memorization
Is It Dyslexia?
The video below by clinician, Tori Whaley, discusses how some of these symptoms may show up in your child and when intervention is needed:
Getting Help For Your Child with Dyslexia
If you have a child exhibiting any of the symptoms listed above, strongly consider seeking clinical help because children with dyslexia who do not read proficiently by third grade face challenging odds. In fact, research indicates they are four times more likely to drop out of high school. One option is online dyslexia therapy from a program like ours at Lexercise. We guarantee that a child will improve one whole grade level within two months or your third month is free. You can administer a free dyslexia test if you are unsure if your child has dyslexia or other learning disability. You can also request a free consultation with a Lexercise therapist to discuss your concerns.
