Dyslexia: A Quick Look

What you should know about Dyslexia

• Dyslexia is a language processing disorder that causes difficulty with reading, writing and spelling.
• Dyslexia is NOT a sign of poor intelligence or laziness. It is also not the result of impaired vision.
• Dyslexia can affect different people differently - some can have difficulty with reading and spelling, while others might find using words correctly and writing or telling left from right challenging.
• According to the National Institute of Child and Human Development, as many as 15% of Americans have significant difficulties learning to read.
• Like all learning disabilities, dyslexia is a lifelong challenge.
• Using alternate learning methods, people with dyslexia can learn how to achieve success.
  

Signs of dyslexia at different ages:

	Young Children				School Age Children				Teenagers & Adults
	Difficulty recognizing letters, matching letters to sounds and blending sounds into speech Confusion when pronouncing words, i.e. "mawn lower" instead of "lawn mower" Slow to learn and use new vocabulary words correctly Trouble learning the alphabet, numbers, days of the week or similar common word sequences Difficulty with rhyming				Difficulty mastering the rules of spelling Trouble remembering facts and numbers Poor handwriting, awkward pencil grip Slow to learn and understand new skills - relies heavily on memorization Frequent reading and spelling errors such as reversing letters (d,b) or moving letters around (left, felt) Difficulty following a sequence of directions Trouble with word problems in math				Reading below expected level Difficulty understanding non-literal language, i.e. idioms, jokes, proverbs Avoiding reading aloud Difficulty organizing and managing time Trouble summarizing a story Difficulty learning a foreign language Poor memory skills