Is my child dyslexic?

Signs to look for if you think your child might be dyslexic

Do you have a confident, curious and happy child at home, yet when it comes to school they retract inside themselves? If you’ve answered yes, an explanation could be dyslexia.

Of course, there may be other reasons why your child is not enjoying school, however reviewing their abilities to read, write and spell, is an excellent place to start.

Dyslexia can be difficult to diagnose when your child has just started on their learning journey. Struggles with reading and writing could quite easily be due to late development. However, if you’re noticing your child falling further and further behind their peers, it’s time to start asking questions.

Every person with dyslexia will have their unique strengths and weaknesses, but there are common signs that can relate to the learning difficulty.

Here are 12 common signs to look out for:

DOES YOUR CHILD…

• Find school a real struggle, yet seem very chatty and able at home?
• Suffer from headaches and tummy aches?
• Get anxious about reading, writing, maths, or school in general?
• Read very slowly and can’t remember what words look like from one page to the next?
  (was – saw, no – on, bad – dab)
• Find it difficult to understand or remember what they have read?
• Struggle with spelling words?
  (my – mi, could – cud, because - becoz)
• Confuse letters and or sounds?
  (b – d, p – q, a – e, f - th)
• Find writing very difficult and or write letters backwards?
  (N - , J - , b - d)
• Seem disorganised?
• Have lots of ideas but can’t get them down on paper?
• Have difficulty finding the right word when talking?
  (use ‘thing’ a lot)
• Have trouble remembering instructions or verbal information?

If you found yourself nodding to many of the questions above, it would be a good idea to speak with your child’s teacher. Ask them if they’ve recognised difficulties and get them to talk through their observations. My recent post “Think your child has dyslexia? Here’s what to do next” may also help you decide your next steps.

Not all children with dyslexia will struggle with everything mentioned above. However, if you agreed with three or more questions, it would be worthwhile having a chat with the school to rule anything out.

If your child is continuing to fall behind and starting to lose self-esteem, it may be worth investigating a comprehensive Dyslexia Assessment for a thorough analysis of your child’s strengths and learning differences.

The sooner the specific difficulty impacting your child’s learning is discovered, the quicker you and the school can support your child with learning methods suited to them. It’ll make learning all the more productive and enjoyable, which will have a positive impact on their confidence, self-esteem, and overall happiness.

If you’d like to chat through any of the questions above or talk to me about your concerns, get in touch. I’d love to help.