What is Dyslexia?
Dyslexia
What is Dyslexia?
Dyslexia is a specific learning difficulty (SpLD) that primarily affects reading and writing skills. However, it can impact other areas of learning too. This is because dyslexia is a condition that impacts the ability to process information that a person hears or sees. This can impact confidence in literary and communication skills.
It’s important to remember that every child is different, and so different children may experience dyslexia differently. Moreover, dyslexia does not have any effect on intelligence. Instead, it is a type of neurodivergence that causes a difference in the way that we process and understand information.
Common attributes of dyslexia can include issues with verbal memory, verbal processing speed and phonological awareness. Dyslexia can occur in isolation or with related specific learning difficulties such as dyspraxia and dyscalculia.
Where many people with dyslexia may struggle with reading, it’s also common for people with dyslexia to excel in areas such as creative thinking, problem-solving skills or visual learning.
Is dyslexia a learning disability?
Many people ask, 'is dyslexia a learning disability or a learning difficulty?' Well, dyslexia is not considered a learning disability. It is categorised as a learning difficulty or a Specific Learning Difficulty as opposed to a learning disability because it affects a specific area of learning without affecting general intelligence or other areas of learning.
Common characteristics of dyslexia in students
Children will generally begin to show signs of dyslexia around the time of starting school when the focus turns towards developing reading and writing skills.
Common characteristics of dyslexia in students can vary slightly at different ages. Let’s take a closer look! Remember, this list of signs is not exhaustive and the signs and symptoms of dyslexia will vary from child to child.
Signs of dyslexia in pre-school children
Sometimes, children display signs of dyslexia before starting school. Some of these symptoms may include:
- Delayed speech development compared with other children of the same age.
- A range of speech problems e.g. difficulty pronouncing long words, or getting words mixed up when speaking.
- Issues with written expressions, e.g. difficulty with sentences and word choice.
- A limited understanding of rhyme.
- Difficulty with or disinterest in letters of the alphabet.
Signs of Dyslexia in Children at School (aged 5-12)
- Difficulties learning the names and sounds of letters.
- Inconsistent spelling.
- Putting letters and figures the wrong way round e.g. writing "6" instead of "9", or "b" instead of "d")
- Reading slowly or making errors when reading aloud.
- Visual disturbances when reading e.g. a child may describe letters and words as appearing blurred.
- Confidence when answering questions verbally, but having difficulty writing the same answer down.
- Struggling to learn sequences, such as days of the week.
- Slow writing speed or poor handwriting.
- Issues copying written words.
- Taking longer than normal to complete written work.
- Forgetting the names of familiar people or objects.
- Forgetting instructions.
- Poor ability to recall items on a list.
- Difficulty learning months of the year and times tables.
- Losing their train of thought
Being able to spot these common characteristics of dyslexia in students will help teachers, parents and carers to help students to get as early a diagnosis as possible. The sooner a child receives a diagnosis, the quicker they can access the support they need!
If your child is showing more than one of these symptoms, then it may be worth seeking out a dyslexia assessment. This will help you to determine what support your child would benefit from in order to help them reach their full potential.
For more help on how to recognise the common characteristics of dyslexia in children, try our Indicators and Symptoms of Dyslexia Adult Guidance Worksheet. You can use this as a handy guide or checklist to help you decide whether to take the step of a formal assessment.
How does dyslexia affect learning?
Children who have dyslexia can find school life challenging, especially when doing tasks that involve reading and writing. Some examples of how dyslexia affects learning include:
- Needing longer to do a written task than other people in their class. Some students may need notes to help with memory retention.
- Having difficulty distinguishing between left and right
- Struggling to recall details such as the day of the week.
- Experiencing low self-esteem as a result of their dyslexia related struggles in the classroom.
Since reading, spelling and handwriting are three of the core skills that are affected by dyslexia, next we’ll explain exactly how dyslexia affects these specific areas of learning.
How does dyslexia affect reading?
Dyslexia is most commonly associated with reading difficulties, but you may be wondering, how does dyslexia affect reading?
Reading comprehension is intrinsically linked with our ability to decode the words in front of us. Then we have to use language comprehension skills to help us to understand the meaning of those words when read together. Since language comprehension and word decoding are ways in which we process information, these skills are affected by dyslexia.
Dyslexia is a lifelong condition, but the way that it impacts reading may vary during different stages of a person’s life.
How does dyslexia affect spelling mistakes?
Due to the difficulty surrounding processing the different sounds in words, matching specific sounds to letters and blending them together correctly can be difficult for children with dyslexia. This can have just as much of an effect on spelling as reading.
Children with dyslexia are more likely to confuse sounds and letters that either look or sound similar such as ‘b’ and ‘d’. This can make spelling trickier and mean that writing activities take longer as a result.
Here are some strategies that can help improve spelling abilities:
- Practise copying out words. Copying a word out three times in different colours is a good technique to help children memorise each time to make them stand out.
- Use cut up letters from newspaper and magazine headlines to make spelling words an interactive activity.
- Use pictures, illustrations and visual aids. These are always a great way to engage children with activities, and attaching words to their images can help children to build an association between words, how they sound and how they’re spelt.
How does dyslexia affect handwriting?
Because children with dyslexia often struggle with spelling, handwriting can also be tricky to grasp too. Research has shown there is a causal link between difficulty with spelling and handwriting. However, sometimes issues with handwriting are a symptom of dysgraphia. This learning difficulty is commonly associated with dyslexia, and children can have both.
Different types of dyslexia:
There are no officially recognised ‘types’ of dyslexia, so when giving a diagnosis, specialists won’t specify which type. However, some organisations do refer to different types of dyslexia, the most common of which are: -
The different types of dyslexia are:
- Phonological Dyslexia
- Rapid Naming Dyslexia
- Auditory Dyslexia
- Double Deficit Dyslexia
- Surface Dyslexia
- Visual Dyslexia
- Primary Dyslexia
- Secondary Dyslexia
- Acquired Dyslexia
Check out our Different Types of Dyslexia Blog Article to find out more about these different types of dyslexia.
How to help a child with dyslexia
Dyslexia is a lifelong condition, but there are lots of ways that we can provide people with enough support that it need not negatively affect their lives.
Interventions are most effective if implemented from a young age, and they should be tailored to meet the needs of each individual child.
Parents can help reduce the impact of dyslexia on learning in some of the following ways:
- Reading to children: This will foster an interest in books and literature and help children to develop their vocabulary and listening skills.
- Over-learning: Although reading the same book repeatedly might sound boring, it can also help children to become familiar with the text, and framing learning around a book that they enjoy will help it feel less like a chore. For example, you could read children their favourite book once a week, or ask them to sight-read it as you read it aloud.
- Practise writing out words: Repetition can help children with dyslexia learn. It makes it easier to consolidate their learning of new words and phrases and will help them to commit the spellings and sounds to memory.
- Silent reading:While group reading has benefits, reading alone can help to build up confidence and independence when reading.
- Use assistive technology: Today, there is a lot of technology available that can assist children with dyslexia in their learning. Read this blog article all about the different types of assistive technology that you could try.
- Use multisensory teaching techniques: Many children with SEND can benefit from sensory learning activities. In the case of dyslexia combining speaking, listening reading, and tactile activities can help build confidence around the spelling and pronunciation of different words and phrases.
More Twinkl teaching resources to support dyslexia in children:
Try some of our wonderful teacher-made resources to support children with dyslexia in your class and raise awareness of dyslexia in your school community
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