Dyslexia in Children:
 dyslexia symptoms

  Dyslexia Parents Resource

Dyslexia in children is the commonest cause of learning difficulties for children and young people in schools and colleges. The word comes from the Greek meaning 'difficulty with words'.

Dyslexia in children is often referred to as a 'specific learning difficulty', usually with typical dyslexia symptoms such as difficulty with writing and spelling, and sometimes with reading and working with numbers. A dyslexic child or adult may have problems spelling, reading, putting things in order, following instructions, and may confuse left and right and reverse letters and numbers.

It helps to understand how someone is affected by dyslexia if you think of a person who is color-blind. This means that they are perfectly normal in all other respects, but cannot distinguish colors (to a greater or lesser degree). Dyslexia has been referred to as 'letter-blindness', though that is a poor description. A dyslexic child or adult does not see words, with their letters in order, as most people see them. They will have difficulty remembering words, working out how to say and spell new words, and their eyes may move unevenly over the words as they read.

If you answer 'Yes' to four or more of these questions, then your son or daughter may be dyslexic, and probably needs a full individual assessment by a psychologist or a dyslexia test in order to test the dyslexia symptoms.

In the school situation, a dyslexic child may find he or she is experiencing failure, but is not able to understand why. This frequently results in low self-esteem and a severe loss of confidence, which can lead to the child being reluctant to go to school. At this stage something has got to be done, and this is when a lot of parents seek specialist help and advice.

The first step is for an accurate diagnosis to be made. This may be undertaken by the school, or by an educational psychologist, and often costs anything from $750 to $2000 (£300 to £500 in the UK).

The causes of dyslexia are not fully understood, but it is thought to be inherited as it usually runs in families.

If it is found that your child is dyslexic, it is important not to feel that he or she is doomed to failure! There are well-developed courses of learning which can be used to bring your child up to the average level for their age in the areas they find difficulty with. Given the proper help, in most cases a dyslexic child can succeed at school at a level roughly equal to his or her classmates. Moreover, dyslexic children often have talents in other areas, which can raise their self-esteem if they receive lots of praise! Good physical co-ordination, lateral/creative thinking and artistic skills are often areas in which they may excel.

As a dyslexic child's difficulty is not visible - compared, say, to a child in a wheelchair - it often goes unrecognized by teachers. The result can be that the child is labelled as 'lazy' or 'slow' at school. However, an independent report from a dyslexia specialist can make a big difference to the school's attitude, and frequently results in extra consideration and help for the child.

Dyslexia is not a 'disease' that someone should or can be cured of. It is a type of mind, like any other, with its own particular strengths and weaknesses. We all have different talents - things we are good at and things we find hard. Dyslexic children and teenagers find spelling and getting things in the right order very hard, but also have other areas at which they excel. The important thing is to keep up their confidence!

• Dyslexia symptoms in more detail

• Symptoms of Dyslexia (Dyslexia Online Magazine)

• Dyslexia and Self-confidence

Dyslexia is a condition with a wide variety of symptoms. The symptoms are listed above,and please use the list of ten questions. This list is well researched and, if your child scores more than about four, you should look for an assessment by a psychologist who is experienced in assessing dyslexia.

Dyslexia more condition_symptoms.