Recognizing early signs of dyslexia




One in five people in the U.S. has a learning disability like dyslexia, yet experts say that for many children, the problem remains undiagnosed longer than it should.

Recognizing the early signals of learning differences can be important for a child’s success in school.

Pediatric neuropsychologist Nichole Dawson, PhD, has a son with dyslexia, and has teamed up with Learning Ally, a national nonprofit, to inform the public about dyslexia’s warning signs.

Dawson recommends watching children to see if they have difficulty with:

Learning the alphabet, identifying letters or processing lettersound relationships

Learning nursery rhymes, preschool songs, the days of the week or the months of the year

Learning to count and recognize numbers

Reading out loud: slow, choppy and error-prone

Learning vocabulary or names of people and places

If a child is exhibiting some of these symptoms, an evaluation by an expert in dyslexia and reading impairments may be helpful.

School psychologists, pediatric neuropsychologists, educational therapists and speech language pathologists are professionals who are qualified to make a diagnosis.

Dawson advises parents not to delay testing.

“Studies show that a child’s reading skill level at the end of kindergarten is predictive of where his or her reading skills will be in third grade,” she says. “After diagnosis, supports and accommodations can help children with learning differences succeed academically.”

Successful intervention can reduce academic frustration and minimize the negative impact of dyslexia on a child’s learning.

Courtesy North American Precis Syndicate Inc.



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