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Characteristics of Dyslexia 

Be on the lookout for these red flags! 

Though characteristics of dyslexia can be difficult to recognize prior to entering school, there are indicators, even from a very young age, that may be helpful in determining next steps. Because severity varies for each person, dyslexia may not become completely evident until an individual starts reading, writing, and spelling.  Characteristics noted below may be helpful in identifying problems that may relate to dyslexia.

Red Flags Prior to Starting School

~ Late learning to talk

~ Slow learning new words

~ Easily mixing up sounds in words

~ Problems remembering/naming letters

~ Occasionally confusing words that sound alike

~ Difficulty learning nursery rhymes or playing rhyming games

Red Flags While in School

~ Avoids activities that involve reading

~ Difficulty spelling words correctly

~ Problems with legible writing/penmanship

~ Reading well below expectation for age

~ Unable to pronounce unfamiliar words

~ Problems remembering the sequence of things

~ Problems processing/understanding what is heard

~ Completing tasks involving reading or writing take much longer

~ Difficulty finding the right word or formulating question responses

~ Difficulty noticing similarities and differences in letters and words

Red Flags for Teens and Adults

~ Problems with spelling and penmanship

~ Avoids activities where reading is involved 

~ Difficulty summarizing a story

~ Trouble learning a foreign language

~ Challenges in doing math problems

~ Slow and labor-intensive reading and writing

~ Mispronounces or problems retrieving names or words 

~ Difficulty memorizing even simple steps, details, tasks

~ Trouble understanding jokes or expressions that have unusual meanings 

~ Spending an unusually long time completing tasks that involve reading or writing

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