Content

• Steps
• Part 1 of 3: Dyslexia in Preschool Children (Ages 3-6)
• Part 2 of 3: Dyslexia in School-Age Children (Ages 6-18)
• Part 3 of 3: Dyslexia in Adults
• Tips
• Warnings

Dyslexia is a violation of the ability to learn, namely to master the skill of reading. There are millions of people in the world with this disorder, the causes of which are related to brain function, not poor education or intelligence. Dyslexia is characterized by difficulty in recognizing words and inadequate reading and writing abilities.In other words, it is difficult for a person with dyslexia to convert words to thoughts (by listening or reading) and thoughts to words (when they are writing or speaking). Therefore, people with dyslexia do not read as fast as others. But dyslexia can be treated (relieve symptoms), although it remains with a person for life. The main symptom of dyslexia is reading difficulty, but there are many other ways to diagnose this disorder in children and adults.

Steps

Part 1 of 3: Dyslexia in Preschool Children (Ages 3-6)

1. 1 Pay attention to difficulties in speaking and comprehension. The symptoms of dyslexia are the inability to recognize words and spelling skills correctly, so this disorder is not only related to reading. One or two symptoms cannot tell you that the person has dyslexia, but if your child has multiple symptoms, see your pediatrician.
   • Slow speech (although slow speech is not always associated with dyslexia). See your pediatrician if you are concerned about your child's speech development.
   • Difficulty pronouncing words, including letter substitutions.
   • Difficulty making words from sounds (and vice versa), as well as rearranging or replacing sounds.
   • Difficulty in combining words.
2. 2 Pay attention to learning difficulties. People with dyslexia have difficulty with phonology (handling sounds) and visual-verbal responses, which can lead to other learning difficulties.
   • The child slowly learns new words. Children with dyslexia usually have little vocabulary.
   • The child has problems remembering letters, numbers, colors, sounds and names of even familiar objects.
   • Difficulty in recognizing your own name.
   • The child has difficulty memorizing children's poems. Can't find a rhyme to the word.
   • Difficulty memorizing content, even a favorite video.
   • Note that writing errors are not necessarily indicative of dyslexia in preschoolers. Many preschoolers and even first graders turn letters and numbers over when they learn to write. However, it can be a sign of dyslexia in older children.
3. 3 Pay attention to physical symptoms. Learning disorders can also have physical manifestations, as they are associated with motor skills and spatial organization.
   • Slow development of fine motor skills. It is difficult for a child to brush their teeth, grab a pencil, or close buttons or a zipper.
   • Difficulty in identifying the left and right sides.
   • Difficulty moving to the rhythm of the music.
4. 4 See your pediatrician. If you think your child has dyslexia, consult a pediatrician. The sooner you start treatment, the more likely you are to deal with the problem quickly.
   • Professionals have tests that enable them to diagnose dyslexia in children under 5 years of age.

Part 2 of 3: Dyslexia in School-Age Children (Ages 6-18)

1. 1 Pay attention to reading difficulties. Dyslexia in children and adolescents is usually diagnosed when they lag behind their peers in learning to read or read significantly worse than their peers. This is the main symptom of dyslexia. Reading problems can include:
   • Delay in learning the relationship between letters and sounds.
   • The child confuses short words, such as prepositions.
   • Errors in reading and writing, even after the child has been shown the correct pronunciation and spelling of words. Common mistakes are: the child confuses the spelling of letters (c - u); the child reads words in reverse (cat - current); the child turns over the letters (e - e); the child rearranges the syllables in the word to get a new word (pine - pump); the child replaces words when reading.
   • The need to read a short text several times to understand its meaning.
   • Difficulty understanding age-appropriate concepts and terms.
   • It is difficult for a child to take notes and predict how the plot will develop.
2. 2 Pay attention to problems with speech and perception of information. The main cause of dyslexia is the lack of accuracy in processing phonological information, the inability to see or hear a word, break it down into sounds, and then associate individual sounds into words, which makes it difficult for a child not only to read, but also to listen and speak. Symptoms include:
   • Having trouble understanding quick instructions or not remembering a sequence of commands.
   • Difficulty memorizing the information heard.
   • Difficulty communicating thoughts. The child may also form incorrect or incomplete sentences.
   • Lack of clarity of speech: The child chooses the wrong or similar words.
   • Difficulty finding rhymes for words.
3. 3 Pay attention to physical symptoms. Because dyslexia is associated with difficulties in spatial organization, children with this disorder may have motor difficulties. Common signs of motor problems include:
   • Problems writing words and illegible handwriting.
   • Mishandling a pencil or pen.
   • Clumsiness or lack of coordination.
   • Difficulty playing ball or team sports.
   • Confusion with left / right side or top / bottom.
4. 4 Look for emotional or behavioral signs. Children with dyslexia often have difficulty in school, especially when they see that their peers read and write much better than them. They may feel less intelligent or somewhat unsuccessful. The result can be:
   • The child suffers from low self-esteem.
   • The child becomes withdrawn or depressed and has no interest in interacting with other children.
   • The child is anxious. Some experts believe that anxiety is the most common emotional symptom of dyslexia.
   • The child expresses extreme frustration, which often manifests itself in the form of anger. The child may also misbehave to divert attention from learning problems.
   • It is difficult for the child to concentrate (he is hyperactive or apathetic).
5. 5 Watch for attempts to avoid specific actions. Children and adolescents (especially older ones) with dyslexia try to avoid situations where they have to read, write or speak in the presence of peers, teachers, parents. Therefore, what looks like disorganization or laziness at first glance may be a way to avoid the difficulties associated with dyslexia.
   • Children and adolescents can feign illness to avoid reading aloud or speaking in public.
   • The child postpones homework (where it is necessary to write and read).
6. 6 Check with your doctor and teacher. Do this if you think your child is dyslexic - it is important to reach out to people who know your child well. Your family doctor or teacher can help you find a mental health professional to see your child. Early diagnosis is essential in helping a child to cope with dyslexia.
   • The unmet needs of children with dyslexia will have a detrimental effect on their older lives. Research has shown that more than one third of students with dyslexia are dropped out of school (in high school), which is more than one quarter of all dropouts.
   • There is no test that can diagnose dyslexia. The standard suite includes up to sixteen separate tests. They study all aspects of the reading process in order to recognize a problematic moment, compare the current reading level with the potential level (based on the subject's intelligence) and check how the child absorbs and reproduces information (by ear, visually or kinetically).
   • Typically, your child can take these tests at school, but you can ask a specialist who works with dyslexic children for more help.

Part 3 of 3: Dyslexia in Adults

1. 1 Pay attention to difficulties in reading and writing. Adults who have been living with dyslexia for long periods of time face the same difficulties as children. Common signs of reading and writing problems in adults include:
   • Slow reading with errors.
   • Spelling difficulties. Dyslexic people may spell the same word in different ways.
   • Insufficient vocabulary.
   • Difficulty in planning and organizing, including presenting information and summarizing.
   • Poor memory and problems remembering the information read.
2. 2 Look for coping strategies. Many adults develop coping strategies that compensate for their dyslexia. Such strategies include:
   • Avoid reading and writing.
   • Ask other people to check what is written.
   • Postpone reading and writing tasks for later.
   • Tell from memory, not read.
3. 3 Pay attention to the presence of well-developed skills. Even if people with dyslexia have difficulty reading, this does not indicate a lack of intelligence. In fact, people with dyslexia are great at understanding other people. What's more, they tend to have excellent spatial thinking and can work in fields such as mechanical engineering and architecture.
4. 4 Take tests. If a person is diagnosed with dyslexia, they can decide on a strategy that will allow them to write and read better; this, in turn, will increase the person's self-esteem. Talk to your doctor to help you find a mental health professional (psychologist) to test.

Tips

• Many people with dyslexia are very successful in life. Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, George Washington, Charles Schwab, Andrew Jackson and Alexander Graham Bell are dyslexic people who have achieved outstanding results in politics, business, science and military affairs. Moreover, Steven Spielberg, Orlando Bloom, Jay Leno, Tommy Hilfiger, Leonardo da Vinci, Ansel Adams are famous artists, painters, designers who have suffered or are suffering from dyslexia.
• If you or someone you care about has dyslexia, it can be treated and lived a wonderful life.

Warnings

• There are many prejudices about dyslexia and people with the disorder. For example, dyslexia has nothing to do with intelligence, and people with dyslexia are not intellectually retarded. Studies have shown that children with both high and low IQs can have problems with insufficient accuracy in processing phonological information (inability to break a word into sounds and then link each sound to make a word). Therefore, it is very important to understand what dyslexia is in order to try to determine if you (or someone else) have this disorder.
• Dyslexia is not easy to diagnose because its symptoms manifest in different ways. In addition, the presence of other diseases can complicate the diagnosis process, blurring the lines between different forms of disorders and / or disrupting causation.