Signs of Dyslexia

For a child 8 years or under

Does he / she

• Have a history of delay in speaking, making sentences or pronouncing words correctly?
  
• Have difficulty in kicking or catching a ball?
  
• Have difficulty with tying shoe laces, his / her tie and dressing?
  
• Have a particular difficulty with reading and spelling?
  
• Put letters and figures the wrong way around like 15 for 51 and confuse b's and d's longer than expected?
  
• Have difficulty telling left and right?
  
• Have difficulty in remembering the order of days of the week or months of the year?
  
• Have difficulty in remembering arithmetic tables and the alphabet?
  
• Surprise you because in other ways he / she is bright?

If the answer to all or several of these questions was YES it is probable that the individual needs help. Many children have similar difficulties and they do grow out of them, but it is the number and persistence of the problem in spite of the child receiving the same teaching as his classmates, that causes concern.

For a child 8 to 12 Years

Does he / she

• Make mistakes in reading?
  
• Make strange spelling mistakes?
  
• Leave letters out of words?
  
• Put letters in the wrong order?
  
• Have a poor sense of direction and still confuse left and right?
  
• Find arithmetic tables difficult?
  
• Need to use fingers or marks on paper to make calculations?
  
• Have problems understanding what he has read?
  
• Take longer than average to do written work?
  
• Lack confidence and have a poor opinion of himself

If the answer to all or several of these questions was YES it is probable that the individual needs help. Many children have similar difficulties and they do grow out of them, but it is the number and persistence of the problem in spite of the child receiving the same teaching as his classmates, that causes concern.

For a child 12 years or over

Does he / she

• Read inaccurately?
  
• Have difficulties in spelling?
  
• Need to have instructions and telephone numbers repeated?
  
• Get "tied up" using long words like preliminary, philosophical?
  
• Confuse places, time and dates?
  
• Have difficulty with planning and writing essays?
  
• Have poor confidence and self esteem
  
• Do you have the impression that he has good and bad days?
  
• Is there anyone else in the family with similar difficulties?

If the answer to all or several of these questions was YES it is probable that the individual needs help. Many children have similar difficulties and they do grow out of them, but it is the number and persistence of the problem in spite of the child receiving the same teaching as his classmates, that causes concern.