There are many different organizations and websites that provide information about dyslexia, including The International Dyslexia Association (https://dyslexiaida.org). The resources and information provided by these groups is extensive.
Based on my own experience working with individuals with dyslexia, the information from groups such as the one mentioned above, and the training I have received, I have provided a list of highly specific, common signs and symptoms exhibited by individuals with dyslexia below. I did not include general symptoms like “difficulty with reading and spelling” because my intention is to differentiate dyslexia from generalized reading difficulties.
It is important to note here that many of these signs and symptoms are also exhibited, at least in my experience, by a large majority of second language learners and individuals with speech and language challenges. It is also important to note that dyslexia is a spectrum, and not all individuals experience all signs and symptoms listed below.
Common Signs and Symptoms Include:
- Difficulty with “Word Finding”: Struggling to find the correct word to match what the individual wants to say or repeatedly reading the same word incorrectly across a passage of text, even when he/she has been corrected or has been supported to sound the word out correctly on previous occasions
- Small Insertions and Omissions: Putting in or leaving out small, seemingly insignificant words (the, of, on, etc.) while reading, resulting in a high number of errors across a passage of text but often not compromising overall text comprehension
- Skips: Regularly skipping words or groups of words, often following words that require a high level of effort to decode, while reading a passage of text; this may or may not have a significant impact on comprehension
- Whole Word Substitutions: Substituting similar words, be that similarity in visual appearance or meaning, for the actual written words in a text (of for from, this for these, they for them, quite for quiet, bright for birth, explosion for eruption, etc.)
- Word Part Substitutions and Omissions: Substituting or omitting syllables, endings, and/or other word parts while reading (explation for explanation, search for searching, bottles for bottle, quietly for quiet, higher for highest, etc.)
- Extended Processing Time/Delayed Reading Rate (Words Read Correctly Per Minute): Slower, halting, and more methodical application of decoding and blending skills while reading, especially when reading out loud
- Above Average Skills in Other Academic Areas, often Including Vocabulary and Reading Comprehension: Could also coincide with above average scores in general IQ/intelligence
- Increased Time to Mastery: More time, practice, and repetition than what is developmental typical are required for the individual to master specific reading, spelling, and writing skills
- Apparent Skill Regressions: Skills that the individual demonstrated a strong handle on will seem to disappear or be gone after moving on to new content or skills
- “From the Bottom” Decoding: Failure to recognize known word parts within a word quickly or automatically, resulting in sound-by-sound decoding of words with related parts (this often shows up as challenges in mastering skills like rhyming or word family patterns)
- Delayed or Splintered Mastery of Phonological Awareness Skills: Trouble recognizing and/or producing rhymes; quickly naming letters and sounds; and/or blending, segmenting, deleting, and substituting sounds in words while speaking and listening, with the ability to do these things often SIGNIFICANTLY improved when concepts are presented receptively or when a visual/print representation is paired with the spoken one
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