Dyslexia is a language-based learning disability. Dyslexia refers to a cluster of symptoms, which result in people having difficulties with specific language skills, particularly reading. Students with dyslexia usually experience difficulties with other language skills such as spelling, writing, and pronouncing words.
Studies indicate as many as 40% of all early elementary school students in the United States have some initial difficulty learning to read. Nearly half of these students (i.e., 15-20% of elementary students) have significant problems and continuing difficulties with reading fluency, comprehension, and spelling. Many students with ADHD also have dyslexia or another language based learning difficulty.
Possible Signs of Dyslexia or a Language Based Learning Disability Include:
- Slow progress acquiring reading skills
- Trouble reading new/unfamiliar words
- Mistakes with small words such as: that, an, in
- Difficulty sounding out multi-syllable words
- Omitting part of a word when reading out loud
- Poor oral reading ability
- Extreme fear or avoidance of reading out loud
- Poor memory of dates, names numbers, etc.
- Substitution of words with the same meaning
- Very poor spelling
- Frequent hesitation and pauses when speaking
- Using the wrong word when speaking with one that sounds similar
- Slow, labored reading, avoidance of reading and/or lack of pleasure in reading
- Despite reading/language weakness, demonstrates strong, higher level reasoning ability
- Better reading words when in context than as a single word
- Poor performance on multiple choice tests and math word problems
- Is your child struggling with reading?
- Is your reading slow and laborious?
- Do you or your child become anxious reading out loud?
- Does your child hate reading?
- Ever worried that you had dyslexia but were not sure?