Warning Signs of Dyslexia Oral Language 1=mildly true; 3=moderately true; 5=completely true Late learning to talk Difficulty pronouncing words Difficulty using age appropriate grammar Difficulty following directions Confusion with before/after, right/left, and so on Difficulty learning the alphabet, nursery rhymes, or songs Difficulty understanding concepts and relationships Difficulty with word retrieval or naming problems Mixing up the sounds and syllables in long words Stuttering Difficulty finding the correct word, lots of “whatyamacallits” & “thingies” Limited Vocabulary Unable to master a foreign language 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 Reading 1=mildly true; 3=moderately true; 5=completely true Difficulty learning to read Difficulty identifying or generating rhyming words or counting syllables in words (phonological awareness) Difficulty with hearing and manipulating sounds in words (phonemic awareness) Difficulty distinguishing different sounds in words (phonological processing) Difficulty in learning the sounds of letters (phonics) Difficulty remembering names and shapes of letters or naming letters rapidly Transposing the order of letters when reading or spelling Misreading or omitting common short words Stumbles through longer words Poor reading comprehension during oral or silent reading, often because words are not accurately read Slow, choppy, inaccurate, laborious oral reading Guesses words based on shape or context Skips or misreads prepositions (at, to, of) Ignores suffixes when reading Can not sound out unknown words Often can not remember sight words (they, were, does) May have to read a page two or three times to understand it 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 Written Language Difficulty putting ideas on paper May spell the same word several different ways within the same paragraph May do well on weekly spelling tests, but may have many spelling mistakes in daily work; difficulty generalizing spelling patterns Difficulty proofreading written work Dysgraphia (slow, non-­‐automatic handwriting that is difficult to read) Letter or number reversals continuing past the end of first grade Inconsistent, incorrect application of capitalization and punctuation rules Confusion with homonyms (there, their, and they’re) Other Common Symptoms that Occur with Dyslexia Difficulty naming colors, objects, and letters rapidly in a sequence Weak memory for lists, directions, or facts Needs to see or hear concepts many times to learn them Distracted by visual or auditory stimuli Downward trend in achievement test scores or school performance over time Inconsistent school work Teacher says, “If only she would try harder,” or “He’s lazy.” Relatives may have similar problems Chronic ear infections Late establishing a dominant hand Difficulty learning to tie shoes Trouble memorizing address, phone number or the alphabet Can’t create words that rhyme A close relative with dyslexia Extreme difficulty learning cursive Difficulty telling time with a clock with hands Trouble with math: memorizing multiplications tables, memorizing a sequence of steps, directionality, confusion with terminology Extremely messy bedroom, backpack, and desk Dreads going to school; complains of stomachaches or headaches; may have nightmares about school Difficulty reading printed music Poor grades in many classes Often gets lost, even in a familiar city . 1=mildly true; 3=moderately true; 5=completely true 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1=mildly true; 3=moderately true; 5=completely true 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 Adapted from “Is My Child Dyslexic?” by The International Dyslexia Association and “Warning Signs of Dyslexia” by Susan Barton’s Bright Solutions for Dyslexia.