5 Revealing Signs of Dyslexia

A parent’s guide to symptoms and tools to help with dyslexia.

Is reading difficult for your child? Are you wondering if those reading problems could be a sign of something more than disinterest, or even laziness?  It’s surprising but true: One out of 10 people is dyslexic. If reading is tougher than it should be for your child, he or she may have this common language-based learning disorder. Read on to discover the revealing signs of dyslexia below. 

What is Dyslexia?

Dyslexia is a difficulty with reading that has nothing to do with how smart your child is. And it does not mean there is something wrong with his or her brain. In fact, science has proven that the dyslexic brain is normal and healthy. Instead, dyslexia is a learning disability that makes it difficult for the brain to connect letters with sounds in the right order. Children with dyslexia tend to take longer to read because it takes more time to make these connections.

There are many aspects of your child’s learning abilities to consider when trying to determine whether your child might be dyslexic. Areas to consider are reading fluency, ability to read aloud, spelling accuracy, handwriting quality, and organizational skills.

Signs of Dyslexia

1. Lack of reading fluency
   Instead of reading a sentence fluidly across the page, your child may read a sentence one word at a time. Their eyes may fixate on each word while trying to sound out each syllable. One way to help your child increase their reading fluency is to use an Eye Lighter. This simple tool focuses the reader and increases reading speed by reducing distractions on the page.
   
   
2. Stumbling when reading aloud
   Does your child read slowly? Skip words in a sentence? Substitute or sound out most words? These could all be signs of dyslexia. A dyslexic reader may know the phonetic rules but are not able to apply them. One way to help combat this problem is to use the Toobaloo, a small tool that helps your child hear what they are reading so they can instantly correct inaccuracies.
   
   
3. Trouble with spelling
   

   If your child struggles to learn her spelling words, dyslexia could be to blame. Spelling is particularly challenging for dyslexics. The ability to manipulate the sounds that make up our language proves to be very challenging when learning to spell. It is common for a dyslexic child to leave out vowels when spelling or to misspell words they are copying from a book or the classroom blackboard. 

4. Messy handwriting
   

   Copying words from a board can be a very slow and tedious task. Most dyslexic students often lose their place and have to start over again. When writing, some words may look crammed together while others are spaced far apart. Spacing and margins can be sloppy, as is the overall letter formation.

5. Poor organizational skills
   

   No matter what you try, your child can’t keep themselves organized. Does he have a messy bedroom? Sloppy school notes? Disorderly backpack? This type of broad-based disorganization is common when a child suffers from dyslexia.

Tips to Help Dyslexia

If you recognize the signs of dyslexia in your child, take these first steps: 

• Talk with your child’s teacher
• Find a trusted speech therapist
• Encourage your child’s abilities to build his or her confidence
• Use simple and effective tools, like the Eye Lighter and Toobaloo

For more tips to help with dyslexia, check out our blog or shop our collection of affordable Learning Loft reading and speech tools today. Contact our helpful customer service team or call 877.819.2541 for assistance today.

Get four practical dyslexia reading tips and tools for your child here.