Understanding Dyslexia

  • Defining Dyslexia.

    Dyslexia affects reading, writing and spelling primarily. It's characterized by difficulties in phonological awareness, verbal processing speed, and memory. It often runs in families and spans various intellectual abilities, making it on a continuum.

  • Co-occurring Challenges.

    Alongside dyslexia, individuals might face challenges like language issues, motor coordination, concentration difficulties, and problems in their personal organisation or mental calculation. These alone aren't dyslexia markers.

  • Dyslexia Severity.

    The depth of literacy and dyslexia struggles can be gauged by observing an individual's response to targeted intervention. Consistent challenges might indicate deeper dyslexia roots, which may take longer to iron out.

Characteristics of Dyslexia

There are many behavioural indicators that may suggest that an individual has dyslexia.
Some of these include the following:

  • Standard of written work in comparison to oral work is poor

  • Sequential problems, such as recounting the alphabet or times-tables

  • Mixing upper and lower case letters in writing

  • Work may be messy, with frequent errors

  • Poor handwriting, not able to use margins or stay on the lines

  • Frequent breaks required as hand/arm aches and unorthodox pencil grip

  • Different spellings of the same word in one written piece

  • Confuses word order to form anagrams, such as bets for best and war for raw

  • Difficulty copying from the board or taking notes

  • Finds homework problematic

  • Individuals may have difficulties with organisational skills

  • Various problems with memory

In addition to these characteristics:

The British Dyslexia Association (BDA) also recognizes the challenges in visual and auditory processing that can be faced by certain individuals with dyslexia. It emphasizes that individuals with dyslexia may exhibit a blend of strengths and challenges that impact the educational journey. Additionally, some individuals may demonstrate aptitudes in alternate domains like design, critical thinking, creativity, interactive proficiency, and verbal communication skills.