What is Dyslexia and Does My Child Have it?

What is Dyslexia? "Dyslexia is a learning difficulty that affects a person's ability to read, write, and spell. It is a neurological condition unrelated to intelligence, vision, or laziness. Dyslexia impacts phonological processing, making it difficult to identify and decode words."

Dyslexia is a language-based learning difficulty that can present in different ways. Like some other learning difficulties, it is a spectrum, meaning students can have mild to severe forms of Dyslexia. Contrary to some older beliefs Dyslexia has nothing to do with vision, intelligence, or laziness. It is not merely reading backwards, or letters moving on the page. Unfortunately, Dyslexia is a lifelong learning difficulty with no cure. Quality teaching methods can absolutely improve the ability of students with Dyslexia to learn to read, spell, and write. 

Did you know that the International Dyslexia Association estimates that 15 to 20 percent of the population have Dyslexia? Since Dyslexia is so common we must know what to look out for.

Here is a list of some things to watch out for.

Students Have Difficulty With Literacy Tasks

Children who have Dyslexia sometimes had delayed speech in early childhood. They often have trouble identifying sounds in words and making letter-sound connections. They have difficulty blending and segmenting when learning to read and spell.

Students Make Many Spelling Errors

Students might make different spelling errors for the same word in one piece of writing. They may spell a word one way on one day and another on the next. For example – wich, whic, witk for which. Often students don’t spell all the sounds in a word even if it is wrong. For example, a student may spell the word butterfly as buterfli which is wrong but still contains all the sounds you can hear in the word butterfly. A student with Dyslexia may spell the word butfli, which is missing the er sound.

Students Struggle To Learn To Read and Write

They struggle to identify words that rhyme such as fat and cat. They make random reading errors, especially for simple, frequent words, and guess words often. Some students with Dyslexia also flip letter shapes, reverse letter combinations, and write in all capitals. Many children with dyslexia have trouble with English letters that contain the same shapes, for example, a lowercase b is a flipped version of a lowercase d. While it’s common for kids who are learning how to write to flip letters, when this behavior continues into the second and third grades, Dyslexia may be to blame.

Lastly, they are often understandably reluctant to read aloud in front of others.

Trouble With Time Keeping And Organisation

Students with Dyslexia often have trouble keeping up with literacy tasks in class, managing their time, and organising themselves and their things.

Reading And Writing Skills Don’t Match Other Abilities

Students often do really well in other curriculum areas such as maths, science, art, or music but may be below grade level in literacy areas. They usually have good verbal communication and understanding but have difficulty transferring this into reading and writing lessons.

Difficulty Remembering And Following Instructions.

Students with Dyslexia sometimes have difficulty rote learning things such as days of the week or the alphabet for example. This is because they may have working memory issues. They may also struggle to remember names, dates, and the words for things. They may say “that thing”, “stuff” or “that thingy, you know”. As well as having difficulty remembering they may also have trouble following instructions especially when they are verbal.

Pronunciation difficulties

They may have trouble pronouncing multisyllabic words (like specific) and often mishear the sounds in words.

Who Can Diagnose Dyslexia

While teachers are not able to formally diagnose Dyslexia, they are usually the first people to notice that something is not quite right with a student’s progress. It is so important to spot these students who might have Dyslexia early so we can help them get a diagnosis,  so they can receive quality intervention and teaching that will help them succeed.

Remember a diagnosis of Dyslexia doesn’t mean a student can’t learn to read or write, they just need some extra help and practise. They are often still lovers of reading and very successful adults. In fact, many organisations are now hiring people with Dyslexia due to their Dyslexic Thinking! 

I Think My Child Has Dyslexia, Now What?

If you suspect your child may have dyslexia, early intervention is key. The sooner you gather evidence and seek support, the better chance your child will have to succeed academically and build confidence. Remember, a diagnosis of Dyslexia is not a barrier to success—many children with Dyslexia go on to excel in school and beyond with the right support. For more strategies and resources to help children with dyslexia, explore our related posts below.

Decodable readers are one way to support students with Dyslexia. At Wise Owl Tuition, we provide decodable readers that cater to different levels of reading proficiency. Check out our decodable reader collection here. 

        Get our free decodable reader set here 

You might like to read: 

What are Decodable Readers?

5 Things Every Parent Needs to Know to Nurture Little Bookworms

The Secret Reason Sight Words Suck and What to Teach Instead

The 5 Best Free Educational Apps to Boost Your Child's Learning

For more information, you can go to:

DSF: Dyslexia SPELD Foundation Literacy and Clinical Services

Australian Dyslexia Association