Dyslexia

• #reading-spelling-signs

The word dyslexia comes from the Greek dys meaning ‘poor’ and lexia meaning ‘language’.

• Approximately 10% of the population are dyslexic.
• Dyslexia runs in families.
• Dyslexia is a life-long condition: there is no ‘cure’, but reading and spelling difficulties can be overcome by learning appropriate structured multi-sensory strategies.

This infographic provides a good overview of the difficulties that a person with dyslexia may experience. An individual with dyslexia can be anywhere on the spectrum from severely to mildly affected and so will have their own cluster of difficulties and strengths.

Signs of Dyslexia which affect Reading and Spelling

Dyslexics typically have poorly developed Phonemic Awareness (awareness of the sound structure of the English language) and are often unaware that words:

• Are made up of syllables.
• Can rhyme.
• Are formed by blending individual sounds together.
• Can be segmented into separate sounds.
• Can be changed by removing, adding or re-ordering certain sounds.

Dyslexics often have poorly developed Auditory Memory (the ability to hold a series of words, letters or speech in the correct sequence after hearing them, and being able to reproduce them accurately from memory). This may lead to:

• Poor recall of sounds within words, causing spelling difficulties.
• Difficulty blending together a sequence of letter sounds, causing difficulties with reading words.
• Difficulty following a sequence of verbal instructions.

Dyslexics often have a weakness in Visual Memory (the ability to remember what words look like and being able to reproduce words accurately from memory). This may lead to:

• Major spelling problems, including putting letters in the wrong order or coming up with bizarre spellings.
• An over reliance on sounding out words when reading.
• Persistent letter reversals.
• Difficulty learning sight words.
• Difficulty retrieving from memory sight words already learnt for both reading and spelling.