Dyslexia

Dyslexia: What you’re seeing in Your Preschooler

Be on the lookout of these signs of dyslexia, and keep track of what you’re seeing. Your observations will come in handy when talking to your child’s doctor or teachers.

Speaks Like a Younger Child

At home: Your child frequently mispronounces words (such as “aminal” instead of “animal”).

At school: Your child does not talk as much or seem to know as many words as her peers do.

The issue: Delayed language development is often on of the first warning signs of dyslexia.

Has Trouble Calling Things by the Right Name

At home: When you ask for a fork, your child hands you a spoon.

At school: Your child struggles with learning and naming numbers, colors and the letters of the alphabet.

The issue: Dyslexia affects the way the brain processes language. This can make it hard to attach the correct labels to objects and symbols.

Struggles With Rhymes:

At home: Your child can’t fill the rhyming word in nursery rhymes (such as One Two, Buckle My ____”)— and has even more difficulty making up rhymes on her own.

At school: Your child doesn’t recognize rhyming patterns like dog, log, hog.

The issue: Kids with dyslexia often have a hard time isolating and breaking words into individual sounds.

Can’t Seem to Follow Directions

At home: You ask your child to get her shoes and jacket, but she only gets the jacket.

At school: Your child needs frequent reminders to follow classroom rules and routines.

The issue: Children with dyslexia may not be able to grasp all the details in lengthy commands. They may only “hear” the first or last few words.

Understood for learning & attention issues

For more tips and recourse, go to understood.org

Dyslexia: What you’re seeing in Your Grade Schooler

Reading and writing become more important in grade school. This can make dyslexia more noticeable. Here are some common signs.

Has Trouble Sounding Out New Words

At home: Your child still isn’t sure which letters of the alphabet make which sounds.

At school: Your child struggles to sound out unfamiliar words, She avoids reading out loud because she doesn’t want to be embarrassed.

The issue: Reading involves breaking down or “decoding” words into different sound units called “phonemes.” Dyslexia makes it hard for kids to decode.

Seems Confused or Bored by Books

At home: Your child doesn’t seem interested in books about her favorite characters or topics.

At school: Your child reads slowly and has difficulty understanding the materials.

The issue: Kids who struggle to sound out words can have trouble understanding the meaning of sentences and longer passages.

Can’t Seem to Remember Details She Reads

At home: Your child has difficulty remembering what happens in a story from one day to the next.

At school: Your child struggles to connect what she reads to information she already knows.

The issue: Kids with dyslexia have to concentrate hard on reading. Because this can be exhausting, they often focus on “getting it done” rather than truly learning from a book.

Mixes Up the Order of Letters

At home: Your child frequently mispronounces words (such as “mazagine” instead of “magazine”).

At school: Your child often misspells even simple words (such as writing “wuz” instead of “was”).

The issue: Dyslexia does not just affect reading skills. It can cause problems with writing and speaking, too.

Understood for learning & attention issues

For more tips and recourse, go to understood.org

Dyslexia: What you’re seeing in Your Middle-Schooler

Is your tween or teen struggling with situations like these? Keep track of what you see. Your observations are key when talking with doctors and teachers about how best to help your child.

Reads Very Slowly

At home: Your child takes a very long time to finish homework that requires reading.

At school: Your child avoids reading out loud in class.

The issue: Sounding out or “decoding” words is difficult with dyslexia, which slows down the reading process.

Often Can’t Find the Right Word to Say

At home: Your child stammers and says “um” and other “filler words” a lot.

At school: Your child has difficulty saying the right word. He uses words that sound similar but have different meanings (such as “distinct” instead of “extinct”).

The issue: Dyslexia can make it hard to think of the precise word or to pronounce it correctly.

Struggles with Writing Assignments

At home: Your child spells the same word differently in the same essay.

At school: Your child has difficulty expressing ideas in an organized way and with proper spelling, grammar and punctuation.

The issue: Dyslexia affects children’s ability to write and to proofread their work.

Struggles to Fit In

At home: Your child does not pick up on body language or learn from social blunders.

At school: Your child struggles to “fit in” with classmates or participate in-group projects.

The issue: Dyslexia can affect many aspects of communication, which can impact social skills.

Understood for learning & attention issues

For more tips and recourse, go to understood.org

Dyslexia: What you’re seeing in Your High Schooler

Do these situations describe your teen? Keep track of what you’re seeing and talk to him about it. Together you can figure out next steps—including talking to teachers or your teen’s doctor.

Doesn’t Get the Joke

At home: Your teenager needs someone to explain punch lines, especially those that use puns or that have hidden meanings.

At school: Your teenager has trouble understanding proverbs, puns and idioms.

The issue: Dyslexia affects the ability to process all kinds of language. This makes understanding humor and other nonliteral language particularly tricky.

Has Trouble Expressing Ideas

At home: Your teenager stammers and can’t seem to find the right word.

At school: Your teenager has difficulty sharing what he knows, supporting an argument or getting to the point.

The issue: Dyslexia affects the ability to find the right words, develop ideas and communicate them in a logical, organized way.

Lacks a Sense of Direction

At home: Your teenager still confuses left and right.

At school: Your teenager has trouble reading charts and graphs.

The issue: Kids with dyslexia often struggle with spatial concepts and related activities such as driving and navigation.

Struggles to Learn a Foreign Language

At home: Your teenager dreads the school’s foreign language requirement and feels doomed by it. At school: Your teenager guesses at the meaning of foreign words and their pronunciation.

The issue: The same issues that make it hard for kids with dyslexia to read and write in their native language make it even harder to understand a foreign language.

Understood for learning & attention issues

For more tips and recourse, go to understood.org