Early indicators of dyslexia

Years of experience have taught me that the signs of dyslexia show up very early - we may ignore them and hope the difficulties are just 'immaturity'.  But 9 times out 10 the child who was struggling early on in their school life, goes on to be diagnosed with dyslexia later in Primary school or even in Secondary school. But by then a lot of damage has been done -weak reading and spelling skills, poor grades, avoidance strategies and low self esteem have all set in.

So why wait?

      In my opinion prevention is better than cure, if we identify difficulties early we can intervene early.  It is not about ‘labeling’  but identifying skills to strengthen.  Many of the underlying skills that dyslexics lack can be worked on in a fun way at an yearly age.  For example: Memory games can improve visual and auditory memory skills which are key skills for learning to read. 

      It is important to realise that helping dyslexic learners is not simply about working harder or practicing more. Intervention is not more of the same but specific structured activities which strengthen weaker skills and compensate with a child's stronger skills. Most children identified early on will  ‘catch up’  before the gap becomes too wide.  In general the children I start working with in Reception or Year 1 will be 'turning the corner' by Year 3 and by Year 6 many teachers will not even notice their dyslexic difficulties. They avoid the sense of failure that may children experience.

      It is also worth noting that we can not do any harm by giving children dyslexic interventions if they are not dyslexic.  

     We do not even have to use the term dyslexic with young children (although older children often find it helpful to know they are dyslexic.) 

     Dyslexic interventions are good for all children, it is just most children can learn to read and write without them.

  
The signs are clear in Nursery and Reception age children (3 - 4 year olds) for those who know what to look for. Some signs can be seen even earlier.

Many dyslexics are late talkers, it estimated that this is the case for about 60% of dyslexics.  These children may have word finding difficulties and mispronounce words.  They may use immature grammatical structures.

Some dyslexics are late walkers or may be 'bottom' shufflers who didn't crawl.  Poor coordination  affects about 20% of dyslexics. 

Teachers should monitor children who are receiving speech therapy or occupational therapy at a young age as often these children are dyslexic.

Early signs for 3 -7 year olds

*Poor listening skills - difficulty remembering instructions/messages, appear not to be listening

*Poor 'working' memory - not able to remember nursery rhymes, simple number bonds

*Weak Auditory skills - muddles names, doesn't hear all the sounds in the word, mishears words 'big/pig'    'bag/back'

*Coordination difficulties - difficulty with fastening buttons, dressing, tying shoe laces, difficulty clapping a rhythm, pencil control

*Difficulty with gross motor skills, can appear clumsy, difficulty kicking a ball, hopping or skipping, problems with balance

*Poor visual discrimination - difficulty matching, doing jigsaws, finding an object in a busy picture, distinguishing letter/number shapes

*Poor sense of time - doesn't know which day it is, what time of day it is, difficulty remembering routines

*Inconsistent performance 'good days' and 'bad days'

*Word finding difficulties - long imprecise answers

*Spatial difficulties - unsure of left and right, difficulties matching shapes,

*Difficulties with sequences - days of the week, alphabet, order of numbers

 

    Teachers and parents are very observant people -if we notice these signs we should be confident to voice our concerns.  Early identification will change a child's future.