Dyslexia symptoms

Some of the Most Common Symptoms of Dyslexia

A dyslexic person can have a variety of symptoms justifying a number of different learning difficulty labels.

It is now generally accepted that dyslexia is at fault when academic achievement does not reflect a person’s true potential.

Each person has their own unique combination of symptoms, and if a person has twenty or more of the following symptoms, the most likely reason is dyslexia.

General Symptoms

I appeared bright, intelligent, and articulate but struggled with reading, writing, or spelling;

I was labelled lazy, dumb, careless, immature, "not trying hard enough," or having a "behaviour problem";

I was not "behind enough" or "bad enough" to be helped in the school setting;

High IQ, yet may not test well academically;

I did well in oral tests, but not written;

I felt dumb; had poor self-esteem;

I hide or cover up weaknesses with ingenious compensatory strategies;

I get easily frustrated and emotional about school reading or testing;

I am talented in art, drama, music, sports, mechanics, story-telling, sales, business, designing, building or engineering;

I seem to "zone out" or daydream often, get lost easily or lose track of time;

I have difficulty sustaining attention;

I seem "hyper" or "daydreamer";

I learn best through hands-on experience, demonstrations and experimentation, observation, and visual aids.

Vision, Reading and Spelling Symptoms

I sometimes experience dizziness, headaches, or stomach aches while reading;

I get confused by letters, numbers, words, sequences, or verbal explanations;

While reading or writing I find myself adding letters or words, leaving them out, confusing some of them;

I often reverse letters or numbers;

I feel or see non-existent movement while reading, writing or copying;

I had apparent difficulty with vision, yet eye exams do not reveal a problem;

I am extremely keen sighted and observant

I lack depth perception and peripheral vision;

I sometimes read and re-read with little comprehension;

My spelling is phonetic and inconsistent.

Hearing and Speech Symptoms

I have extended hearing; hear things not said or apparent to others;

I get easily distracted by sounds;

I often have difficulty putting thoughts into words;

I tend to speak in halting phrases; leaving sentences incomplete;

I stutter under stress;

I mispronounce long words, or transpose phrases, words and syllables when speaking.

Writing and Motor Skills Symptoms

I have trouble with writing or copying;

My pencil grip is unusual;

My handwriting varies or is illegible;

I feel clumsy and uncoordinated;

I am poor at ball or team sports;

I have difficulties with fine and /or gross motor skills and tasks;

I am prone to motion-sickness;

I am ambidextrous;

I often confuse left/right, over/under.

Math and Time Management Symptoms

I have difficulty telling time, managing time, or being on time;

I have difficulty learning sequenced information or tasks;

Computing math shows dependence on finger counting and other tricks;

I often know the answer to a maths problem, but can’t do it on paper;

I can count, but have difficulty counting objects and dealing with money;

I can do arithmetic, but fail word problems;

I cannot grasp algebra or higher math.

Memory and Cognition

I have excellent long-term memory for experiences, locations and faces;

I have poor memory for sequences, facts and information that I have not experienced directly;

I think primarily with images and feeling, not sounds or words (little internal dialogue).

Behaviour, Health, Development and Personality Symptoms

I am very disorderly;

I am compulsively orderly;

I used to be the class clown;

I used to be the trouble-maker;

I used to be too quiet;

I had unusually late developmental stages (talking, crawling, walking, tying shoelaces);

I had unusually early developmental stages (talking, crawling, walking, tying shoelaces);

I was prone to ear infections, sensitive to foods, additives and chemical products;

I am an extra deep sleeper;

I am an extra light sleeper;

I struggled with bedwetting beyond the appropriate age;

Unusually low tolerance for pain;

Unusually high tolerance for pain;

Strong sense of justice; emotionally sensitive; strives for perfection;

Mistakes and other above mentioned symptoms increase dramatically with confusion, time pressure, emotional stress, or poor health.

Dyslexia symptoms

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