Preschool Indicators of Dyslexia

delayed speech; may talk later than most children

difficulty controlling pencil, crayons, scissors

mixing up the sounds or syllables in long words

chronic ear infections

constant confusion of left versus right         

late establishing a dominant hand

difficulty learning to tie shoes, button and zip

trouble memorizing his/her address, phone number, or the alphabet

difficulty creating  words that rhyme

may have difficulty pronouncing words, i.e. busgetti instead of spaghetti

may be slow to learn new  words or uses the wrong word

may have trouble learning the alphabet, numbers, days of the week, colors, shapes and how to spell and write his/her name

may have trouble interacting with peers

has difficulty pronouncing words, may reverse or substitute parts of words

has difficulty carrying out a sequence of directions

doesn't hear fine differences in words, i.e. "pin" for "pen"    

has problems stating thoughts in an organized way

confuses order of letters in words (soiled-solid; felt-left; sing-sign; b-d; 23-32; u-n)

spells a word in several different ways in the same composition and doesn't recognize the correct version

confusion about directions in space and time (right v. left, up & down, yesterday v. tomorrow, months and days, etc.)

has poor reading comprehension

has difficulty decoding single words (reading single words in isolation)

difficult time reading words beginning with wh-

may confuse small words- at - to, said - and, does - goes

may transpose number sequences and confuse arithmetic signs (+,-,x,/,=)

may have word retrieval problems when asked a question, can't produce quick answer

may substitute a word that either sounds like another or has a similar meaning

dreads going to school; complains of stomach aches or headaches

may be slow to learn new skills; relies heavily on memorizing without understanding

difficulty telling time on a clock with hands

may be impulsive and prone to accidents

is usually reading below grade level

may be slow to discern and learn prefixes, suffixes, root words, and other reading and spelling strategies

extremely messy bedroom, backpack, and desk/locker

may avoid reading aloud and may also avoid writing

may have trouble with word problems in math

may write with difficulty with illegible handwriting; pencil grip is awkward, fist-like or tight

is unable to tell important information from unimportant details

significant difficulty learning cursive

may have trouble with non-literal language (idioms, jokes, proverbs, slang)

has difficulty remembering what he/she just read

may have difficulty with planning and time management

High School and Adult Indicators of Dyslexia

limited vocabulary  

often avoids any tasks that require reading, writing or math

unable to master a foreign language

difficulty reading printed music

poor grades in many classes

slow reader or  misreads information

may have to read a page two or three times to understand it

difficulty putting thoughts onto paper; dreads writing memos or letters

still has difficulty with right versus left

often gets lost, even in a familiar city

sometimes confuses b and d, especially when tired or sick

has difficulty organizing and completing written projects

often transposes numbers; difficulty tracking checkbook

pays too much or too little attention to details