Dyslexia Warning Signs
As a general rule of thumb, we test for dyslexia if your child exhibits 3 or more of the following warning signs.
In Pre-school
A close relative with dyslexia
Mixing up sounds and syllables in long words
Chronic ear infections
Severe reactions to childhood illnesses
Constant confusion of left versus right
Late establishing a dominant hand
Difficulty learning to tie shoes
Trouble memorizing their address, phone number, or the alphabet
Can’t create words that rhyme
In Elementary School
A close relative with dyslexia
Dysgraphia (slow, non-automatic handwriting that’s difficult to read)
Letter or number reversals continuing past the 1st grade
Extreme difficulty learning cursive
Slow, choppy, inaccurate reading
Guesses based on shape or context
Skips or misreads prepositions (at, to, of)
Ignores suffixes
Can’t sound out unknown words
Terrible spelling
Often can’t remember sight words (they, were, does) or homonyms (their, they’re, and there)
Difficulty telling time with a clock with hands
Trouble with math
Memorizing multiplication tables
Memorizing a sequence of steps
Directionality
When speaking, difficulty finding the correct word
common sayings come out twisted
Extremely messy bedroom, backpack, and desk
Dreads going to school
In High School
All of the above symptoms, plus:
Limited vocabulary
Poor written expression
Large discrepancy between verbal skills and written compositions
Unable to master a foreign language
Difficulty reading printed music
Poor grades in many classes
High dropout risk