WHAT IS DYSLEXIA AND THE WARNING SIGNS OF DYSLEXIA?
One in five children have dyslexia and it often runs in families. Dyslexia is a neurologically-based disorder which interferes with the acquisition and processing of language. It varies in degrees of severity and difficulties include phonological processing in reading, writing, spelling and handwriting. Dyslexia is not the result of lack of motivation, sensory impairment, inadequate instructional or environmental opportunities, but may occur together with these conditions. Dyslexia is lifelong, but individuals with dyslexia frequently respond successfully to timely and appropriate intervention.
Children with dyslexia are often thought to be "acting out" at school or "lazy." I know from personal experience with my son, that just a small amount of reading or writing can cause anything from extreme tiredness, to silliness, to aggravation, to anger. Research has also shown that at least 40% of people with dyslexia also have ADD or ADHD which is a completely separate condition than dyslexia. Having ADD can also label a child as "the kid who acts out!"
If your child, teen or adult have 3 or more of the following warning signs, I would encourage you to learn more about dyslexia.
Some Preschool and Kindergarten Warning Signs:
Delayed Speech: Not speaking any words by the child's first birthday and often not talking until they are 2 or 3 years old.
Mixing up Sounds in Multi-Syllabic Words: Some examples of this are "aminal" for "animal" or "bisghetti" for "spaghetti".
Can't Master Tying Shoes.
Late to Establish a Dominant Hand: May switch from right hand to left while coloring, writing or doing any other task. Eventually they will usually establish a preferred hand, but it may not be until the age of 7 or 8. Even then, they may still use one hand for writing and another for sports or eating.
Trouble Articulating R's and L's as Well as M's and N's.: They often have "immature" speech still in 2nd or 3rd grade. They may be saying things such as "wed and gween" instead of "red and green".
Stuttering
Trouble memorizing: They have a hard time memorizing their address, phone number or learning the names of the letters and sounds in the alphabet.
Some Elementary School Warning Signs:
Dysgraphia: Slow, non-automatic handwriting that is difficult to read. They may have an unusual pencil grip, often with the thumb on top of the fingers. Young children will often put their head down on the desk to watch the tip of the pencil as they write.
Extreme Difficulty Learning Cursive.
Slow, Choppy, Inaccurate Reading: They may guess words based on shape or context, skip or misread prepositions and ignore suffixes. They can read a word on one page, but won't recognize it on the next page. They have b-d, b-p, n-u or m-w confusion.
Have Extremely Messy Bedrooms, Backpacks or Desks: Have difficulty organizing their belongings. They tend to pile things or hide them behind doors or dressers.
Letter or Number Reversals Continuing Past the End of First Grade
Often Can't Remember Sight Words: They, were, does or homonyms (Their, they're and there)
Difficulty Telling Time with a Clock with Hands
Some High School Warning Signs:
Extremely poor written expression: Have a large discrepancy between verbal skills and written compositions.
Unable to Master a Foreign Language
Difficulty Reading Printed Music.
Poor Grades in Many Classes.
Some Adult Warning Signs:
May Have to Read a Page 2 or 3 Times to Understand it.
Difficulty Putting Thoughts onto Paper: Sentences often run on and on and don't make sense.
Still Has Difficulty with Right Versus Left.
Terrible Speller.
For more information on dyslexia and a complete list of warning signs, go to www.BrightSolutions.US
Reprinted with prior permission from Susan Barton
One in five children have dyslexia and it often runs in families. Dyslexia is a neurologically-based disorder which interferes with the acquisition and processing of language. It varies in degrees of severity and difficulties include phonological processing in reading, writing, spelling and handwriting. Dyslexia is not the result of lack of motivation, sensory impairment, inadequate instructional or environmental opportunities, but may occur together with these conditions. Dyslexia is lifelong, but individuals with dyslexia frequently respond successfully to timely and appropriate intervention.
Children with dyslexia are often thought to be "acting out" at school or "lazy." I know from personal experience with my son, that just a small amount of reading or writing can cause anything from extreme tiredness, to silliness, to aggravation, to anger. Research has also shown that at least 40% of people with dyslexia also have ADD or ADHD which is a completely separate condition than dyslexia. Having ADD can also label a child as "the kid who acts out!"
If your child, teen or adult have 3 or more of the following warning signs, I would encourage you to learn more about dyslexia.
Some Preschool and Kindergarten Warning Signs:
Delayed Speech: Not speaking any words by the child's first birthday and often not talking until they are 2 or 3 years old.
Mixing up Sounds in Multi-Syllabic Words: Some examples of this are "aminal" for "animal" or "bisghetti" for "spaghetti".
Can't Master Tying Shoes.
Late to Establish a Dominant Hand: May switch from right hand to left while coloring, writing or doing any other task. Eventually they will usually establish a preferred hand, but it may not be until the age of 7 or 8. Even then, they may still use one hand for writing and another for sports or eating.
Trouble Articulating R's and L's as Well as M's and N's.: They often have "immature" speech still in 2nd or 3rd grade. They may be saying things such as "wed and gween" instead of "red and green".
Stuttering
Trouble memorizing: They have a hard time memorizing their address, phone number or learning the names of the letters and sounds in the alphabet.
Some Elementary School Warning Signs:
Dysgraphia: Slow, non-automatic handwriting that is difficult to read. They may have an unusual pencil grip, often with the thumb on top of the fingers. Young children will often put their head down on the desk to watch the tip of the pencil as they write.
Extreme Difficulty Learning Cursive.
Slow, Choppy, Inaccurate Reading: They may guess words based on shape or context, skip or misread prepositions and ignore suffixes. They can read a word on one page, but won't recognize it on the next page. They have b-d, b-p, n-u or m-w confusion.
Have Extremely Messy Bedrooms, Backpacks or Desks: Have difficulty organizing their belongings. They tend to pile things or hide them behind doors or dressers.
Letter or Number Reversals Continuing Past the End of First Grade
Often Can't Remember Sight Words: They, were, does or homonyms (Their, they're and there)
Difficulty Telling Time with a Clock with Hands
Some High School Warning Signs:
Extremely poor written expression: Have a large discrepancy between verbal skills and written compositions.
Unable to Master a Foreign Language
Difficulty Reading Printed Music.
Poor Grades in Many Classes.
Some Adult Warning Signs:
May Have to Read a Page 2 or 3 Times to Understand it.
Difficulty Putting Thoughts onto Paper: Sentences often run on and on and don't make sense.
Still Has Difficulty with Right Versus Left.
Terrible Speller.
For more information on dyslexia and a complete list of warning signs, go to www.BrightSolutions.US
Reprinted with prior permission from Susan Barton