Characteristics of Dyslexia
Letters and Numbers as Seen by a Dyslexic Person
*Courtesy of Carolyn Kelley,
who struggled with dyslexia and is now a successful artist
Perhaps dyslexia can best be understood in terms of characteristics exhibited by individuals. When diagnosing dyslexia, psychologists/educators often consider the number of characteristics and to what degree the characteristics are evident.
Does My Child Have Dyslexia?
Individuals with dyslexia usually have some of the following characteristics:
Difficulty with oral language
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Late in learning to talk
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Difficulty pronouncing words
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Difficulty acquiring vocabulary or using age appropriate grammar
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Difficulty following directions
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Confusion with before/after, right/left, and so on
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Difficulty learning the alphabet, nursery rhymes, or songs
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Difficulty understanding concepts and relationships
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Difficulty with word retrieval or naming problems
Difficulty with Reading
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Difficulty learning to read
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Difficulty identifying or generating rhyming words, or counting syllables in words (Phonological Awareness)
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Difficulty with hearing and manipulating sounds in words (Phonemic Awareness)
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Difficulty distinguishing different sounds in words (Auditory Discrimination)
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Difficulty in learning the sounds of letters
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Difficulty remembering names and/or shapes of letters
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Reverses letters or the order of letters when reading
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Misreads or omits common small words
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“Stumbles” through longer words
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Poor reading comprehension during oral or silent reading
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Slow, laborious oral reading
Difficulty with Written Language
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Difficulty putting ideas on paper
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Many spelling mistakes
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May do well on weekly spelling tests, but there are many spelling mistakes in daily work
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Difficulty in proofreading