Signs and Symptoms
Literacy Difficulties
Difficulties associated with reading
> Reads below grade level
> Hesitant and laboured reading, especially when reading aloud
> Has difficulty tracking words along a line of print
> Skips or re-reads a line of words in a passage
> Leaves out words/inserts words that are not there
> Has difficulty remembering/understanding what has been read
> Has difficulty extracting the most important points from a passage
> Ignores punctuation, e.g. not pausing for commas etc.
> Complains that words or lines of text on page seem to move, yet standard eye examinations do not reveal a problem
Difficulties associated with writing
> Poor handwriting
> Spelling errors occur frequently even when copying
> Spelling the same word several different ways in the same passage
> Poor standard of written work compared to oral ability
> Messy, badly organized work
> Cannot write in a straight line
> Has trouble copying from the board in class
> Mixes capital and small letter within words e.g., dyslexia
> Poorly organized compositions
> Lack of punctuation, or totally inappropriate use of punctuation
> Letters, syllables and words omitted, inserted or placed in the wrong order
Common errors in reading and spelling:
> Confuses with letters that look alike e.g. b/d, p/q
> Confuses between similar sounding words e.g. "one" and "won" when spelling
> Substitutes words of similar meaning e.g., road for street
> Reads and/or spells some words backwards e.g. "was" for "saw", "on" for “no”
> Makes anagrams of words e.g. "tired" for "tried", "wives" for "views"
> Mixes up words that start with the same letters e.g. there, that, those, then, the
> Misreads little words, such as a for and, the for a, from for for, then for there, were for with
> Omits or adds letters in words e.g. lip for limp
> Omits or repeats little words like the, and, but, in
> Unable to write down a word even when the letters are dictated
> Unable to identify the appropriate letter when given a sound
Short-term and/or Working Memory
Many dyslexics are 'quick forgetters'. They may learn and understand
how to do something but they will need frequent reminders before they
remember. It is not uncommon to have to keep repeating something over
and over to dyslexics to try and ensure they remember it. For example,
they may have excellent long-term memory for movies, experiences,
locations and faces, but poor memory for sequences as well as
unfamiliar facts and information
Sequencing
A lot of dyslexics have difficulty sorting or ordering
information. This means that the dyslexic individual may have
difficulty in Mathematics, remembering a list of instructions or giving
a good verbal explanation.
Speech
> Delayed speech
> Finds it difficult to express thoughts
> Communicates more with gestures rather than words
> Has difficulty findings the words he/she wants to use
> Has difficulty reporting events in their correct order
> People who do not know the child well have difficulty understanding what he/she says
> Has difficulty putting thoughts into words
> Mispronounces long words, or transposes phrases and words when speaking
> Has trouble attaching names to things and people
source: DAS website
