Signs your child may need a dyslexia assessment:
Dyslexia exists on a continuum - this means that not every person is affected in the same way and to the same degree. You do not have to have observed all of these signs to have dyslexia! The following is not an exhaustive list but some of the most commonly observable signs.
Early Years:
speech and language difficulties or delay
struggled to identify rhyming words
Please note that the signs below are not relevant for KS1 pupils as they can be part of the normal acquisition of reading and writing. It is when these difficulties continue into the junior years that concerns should be raised. This is why assessments for dyslexia do not take place in the UK before the age of 8.
Reading:
difficulties learning to decode (read) words - slow to acquire phonics
omitting or adding in letters or words when reading
frequently losing their place when reading
hesitant or reluctant to read
seems not to retain information from reading or not to have understood it - in an older child they may need to re-read text several times to make sense of a text
may use pictures or other context clues to guess at words
little vocal expression when reading
dislikes reading but loves being read to
Spelling and writing:
difficulties learning to spell - often uses a phonetic alternative
poor standard of written work compared to verbal work
confusion of letters or reversal of letters e.g. b and d or p and b
difficulties remembering the sequence of the alphabet
spelling the same word multiple ways within the same piece of writing
Able to learn spellings for a test but cannot then apply the same spellings within an extended piece of writing
difficulty copying, especially from the board
Other frequently observed difficulties:
General difficulties of sequencing/ remembering the correct order of things such as days of week or months of the year
Difficulties sequencing a piece of writing into a coherent order
Slow to process information but can acquire the learning if given enough time or extra opportunities to revisit the topic or idea
Difficulties with finding the correct word or name for something
Difficulties remembering multi-step instructions
has to work very hard to make expected progress at school and comes home physically exhausted
The British Dyslexia Association has some more in-depth checklists for each stage that may be useful in helping you to decide if a dyslexia assessment is required for you or your child.
And finally the most important indicator - you as a parent feel that something is not right!
