Skip to content
One can think of dyslexia as a continuum. Just as each person is a unique individual, so is the way characteristics of dyslexia affect each individual and the degree to which it impacts their life.  Below is a list of some of the most common signs of dyslexia.

 

  • Being slow in learning to talk
  • Not understanding what is said to them
  • Having difficulty recognizing their name, letters, or words they’ve been taught
  • Having problems following directions
  • Showing difficulty (or avoiding) remembering words, learning words, pronouncing words, or expressing themselves verbally in a succinct manner (or at all)
  • Showing little desire (or avoiding) learning to read and write; may prefer listening stories read to them
  • Having blood relatives who also experience(d) difficulty acquiring language skills
  • Reversing, transposing, or inverting letters, words, syllables, numbers, or symbols (in speech, writing, spelling, math), for example:
    • “ton” instead of “not”
    • “dropgum” instead of “gumdrop”
    • “bog” or “pog” instead of “dog”
    • “325” instead of “523”
    • “3×5” instead of “3+5”
  • Having an unreliable sense of direction
  • Writing illegibly or with malformed letters
  • Leaving out short words, e.g. articles or propositions that give meaning to words
  • Reading very slowly or with little to no comprehension
  • Having difficulty with syntax and sequencing words
  • Miscalling words, for example:
    • using the word “thing” instead of “night”
    • using the word “achieve” instead of “archives”
  • Academic progress does not line up with level of intelligence or effort; continuing to drop further below grade level
  • Developing negative emotional, behavior, or attitude problems do to poor academic performance
  • Exhibiting low self-esteem and self-confidence