Tools for Dyslexic Readers, Struggling Readers, and Emerging Readers
Signs of Dyslexia
Do you or your student have any of these struggles?
Dyslexia Challenges
The more signs you see, the more likely your child or student has dyslexia
Early Years
· family history with reading or spelling problems
· delays in speech and mispronouncing
· not enjoying or understanding rhyme
· hard time learning to tie shoes
· trouble with sequencing and directionality
· late establishing a dominant hand or ambidextrous
· hard time following more than one directive
Kindergarten – extra difficulty learning to:
· form letters
· memorize letter names
· associate the sound with the letter
· blend small words
· remember simple sight words
Elementary Years
· word or letter reversals, especially b and d
· not reading fluently, hates to read out loud
· spells non-phonetic words phonetically (was = wuz)
· quickly forgets spelling patterns, vocabulary,
· and words (even from page to page)
· slow/labored reading and writing
· grades starting to slip; needs extra help at school
· printing and writing immature, forgets to capitalize and use punctuation
· does not print on the lines with normal spacing
· same words are read or spelled differently each time
· struggles with vowels, spelling, and writing sentences
· dislikes reading, even reading silently. Skips little helping words (and, of, etc.)
· guesses at words in context, leaves off prefixes and suffixes
· comprehension/reading difficulties affecting other subjects
· word retrieval or naming seems slow, random information hard to retain
· math: trouble with recall of addition, subtraction, multiplication facts
· extra challenged by math word problems
· behaviors: avoiding work, cheating, class clown, or tries to “disappear”
· self-esteem starting to plunge, signs of stress emerging
High School / Adult
· test distress in most subjects
· still struggling with getting good grades
· multi-syllabic words still challenging
· underemployed compared to intellect
· learning a foreign language terribly difficult
· challenged with directions such as east/west
· “getting” innuendos, word jokes, etc.
· needs multiple readings of text for comprehension
· avoids lengthy reading and writing
Dyslexia Strengths
Does your child (or you) have any of these strengths:
· vivid imagination, creative, out-of-the-box thinking
· medium to high intelligence, very caring
· artistic, excellent spatial and problem-solving skills
· processes most everything well that is learned orally
· highly attuned to people’s problems, interpersonal, intuitive
Dyslexics are often found in these fields:
astrophysics, engineering, acting, arts and music, sports, business entrepreneurs, mechanics, computers, and design
These famous people had dyslexia (symptoms):
Leonardo da Vinci, Walt Disney, Richard Branson, Albert Einstein, Pablo Picasso, Steven Spielberg, President John F Kennedy, Charles Schwab, Hans Christian Andersen, Agatha Christie, Edgar Allen Poe, Magic Johnson, Benjamin Franklin
FACT
The chances that a dyslexic also has Attention Deficit Disorder
(or ADD with hyperactivity) is at least 40 percent. This is far higher than the general population, where ADD/ADHD exists in at least 10 percent of us.
Strength - HIGH ENERGY!