If a person has 3 or more of the following warning signs, encourage that person, the parents, and the teachers to learn more about dyslexia:

In Preschool

Delayed speech

Mixing up the 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 address, phone number, or the alphabet

Difficulty creating words that rhyme

Close relative with dyslexia

In Elementary School

Dysgraphia (slow, non-automatic handwriting that is difficult to read)

Letter or number reversals continuing past the end of first 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 not sound out unknown words

Terrible spelling

Often can not remember sight words (they, were, does) or homonyms (their, there)

Difficulty telling time on a clock with hands

Trouble with math

            Difficulty memorizing multiplication tables

            Difficulty memorizing a sequence of steps

            Confusion with directionality

When speaking, difficulty finding the correct words

            Lots of “whatyamacallits” and “thingies”

            Common sayings come out slightly twisted

Extremely messy bedroom, backpack, and desk

Dreads going to school

            Complains of stomachaches or headaches

            May have nightmares about school

In High School

All of the previously mentioned symptoms apply, plus:

Limited vocabulary

Extremely 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

May drop out of high school

In Adults

Education history similar to above, plus:

Slow reader

May have to read a page 2 or 3 times to understand it

Terrible speller

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

Copyright 2002 by Susan Barton, Bright Solutions for Dyslexia, www.BrightSolutions.US