Dyslexia is a learning difficulty which primarily affects reading and writing skills. However, it does not only affect these skills. Dyslexia is actually about information processing. Dyslexic people may have difficulty processing and remembering information they see and hear, which can affect learning and the acquisition of literacy skills. Dyslexia can also impact on other areas such as organisational skills.

https://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/dyslexia/about-dyslexia/what-is-dyslexia

https://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/ helpline number: 0333 405 4567

Signs of dyslexia (Primary school age)
If a child appears to be struggling with spelling, reading, writing or numeracy, how do you know whether these difficulties are potential indications of dyslexia?

There are some obvious signs such as a ‘spiky’ profile which means that a child has areas of strong ability alongside areas of weakness. You may also have other family members with similar weaknesses. Remember that not all dyslexic children will display the same weaknesses and abilities.

General signs to look for are:
Speed of processing: slow spoken and/or written language
Poor concentration
Difficulty following instructions
Forgetting words

Written work
– Poor standard of written work compared with oral ability
– Produces messy work with many crossings out and words tried several times, e.g. wippe, wype, wiep, wipe
– Confused by letters which look similar, particularly b/d, p/g, p/q, n/u, m/w
– Poor handwriting with many ‘reversals’ and badly formed letters
– Spells a word several different ways in one piece of writing
– Makes anagrams of words, e.g. tired for tried, bread for beard
– Produces badly set-out written work, doesn’t stay close to the margin
– Poor pencil grip
– Produces phonetic and bizarre spelling: not age/ability appropriate
– Uses unusual sequencing of letters or words

Reading
– Slow reading progress
– Finds it difficult to blend letters together
– Has difficulty in establishing syllable division or knowing the beginnings and endings of words
– Unusual pronunciation of words
– No expression in reading, and poor comprehension
– Hesitant and laboured reading, especially when reading aloud
– Misses out words when reading, or adds extra words
– Fails to recognise familiar words
– Loses the point of a story being read or written
– Has difficulty in picking out the most important points from a passage

Numeracy
– Confusion with place value e.g. units, tens, hundreds
– Confused by symbols such as + and x signs
– Difficulty remembering anything in a sequential order, e.g. tables, days of the week, the alphabet

Time
– Has difficulty learning to tell the time
– Poor time keeping
– Poor personal organisation
– Difficulty remembering what day of the week it is, their birth date, seasons of the year, months of the year
– Difficulty with concepts – yesterday, today, tomorrow

Skills
– Poor motor skills, leading to weaknesses in speed, control and accuracy of the pencil
– Memory difficulties e.g. for daily routines, self-organisation, rote learning
– Confused by the difference between left and right, up and down, east and west
– Indeterminate hand preference
– Performs unevenly from day to day

Behaviour
– Uses work avoidance tactics, such as sharpening pencils and looking for books
– Seems ‘dreamy’, does not seem to listen
– Easily distracted
– Is the class clown or is disruptive or withdrawn
– Is excessively tired due to amount of concentration and effort required
– A cluster of these indicators alongside areas of ability may suggest dyslexia and further investigation may be required.

https://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/advice/children/is-my-child-dyslexic/signs-of-dyslexia-primary-age

Everyone’s experience of dyslexia will be individual to them but there are common indicators. A cluster of these indicators alongside abilities in other areas could suggest dyslexia, and should be investigated further.

Do you:
– Confuse visually similar words such as cat and cot
– Spell erratically
– Find it hard to scan or skim text
– Read/write slowly
– Need to re-read paragraphs to understand them
– Find it hard to listen and maintain focus
– Find it hard to concentrate if there are distractions
– Feel sensations of mental overload/switching off
– Have difficulty telling left from right
– Get confused when given several instructions at once
– Have difficulty organising thoughts on paper
– Often forget conversations or important dates
– Have difficulty with personal organisation, time management and prioritising tasks
– Avoid certain types of work or study
– Find some tasks really easy but unexpectedly challenged by others
– Have poor self-esteem, especially if dyslexic difficulties have not been identified in earlier life

https://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/advice/adults/am-i-dyslexic/signs-of-dyslexia

A psychologist or Specialist teacher/assessor with AMBDA and/or an Assessment Practising Certificate (APC)

https://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/dyslexia/how-is-dyslexia-diagnosed/dyslexia-diagnostic-assessment

Around 7

https://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/services/assessments/diagnostic-assessments

Educational Intervention
Different education techniques and approaches can be applied at school or at home to help children with dyslexia. They range from regular teaching at home or learning centers, to one-on-one lessons with a specialist education therapist. Dyslexia training for teachers can help teachers assess children with speech difficulties and issues like dyslexia and develop a suitable education program for each child.

Technology
As the child grows, technology can be introduced to support them in improving their reading and writing skills. Older children who have been diagnosed with dyslexia are more comfortable learning using computers than books. The visual environment makes learning fun and engaging and is ideal for older children with dyslexia.

Dyslexia programmes like Ms Word have spellchecker that will highlight mistakes in your child’s writing. Other software have text-to-speech options which helps in proper pronunciation. With technology and educational software and other dyslexia resources, reading is made easier and your child can now read alone and build his/her confidence.

Psychological Counselling
Children with dyslexia are known to struggle emotionally and are most likely to be diagnosed with mental health issues. Children with attention and learning issues have also been found to have a higher likely hood of four to six times of being diagnosed with mental disorders than their peers.

While deciding your child’s needs, psychological counselling can be tough to many parents; getting your child the help he or she needs from a professional psychotherapist can impact his life positively.

https://www.dyslexia.uk.com/treatment/