Dyslexia and other learning disabilities can be challenging to identify because they can manifest differently in everyone. A person can also be twice exceptional, meaning they have a learning disability and they are gifted.
That’s not to say it’s impossible to spot dyslexia in a child before a formal evaluation. Many parents suspect their child is struggling with dyslexia when they already have a diagnosis and they are seeing similar patterns in their child or when they notice challenges with reading, writing, or language development.
If a child has mild dyslexia, it is possible for the problem to go unnoticed because they will find ways to work with their unique challenges. They may believe they are just “bad” at writing or reading and often, without realizing it, create ways of memorizing without actually processing.
While coping mechanisms are good in many situations, undiagnosed dyslexia can lead to lifelong ramifications for a person such as dropping out of or not pursuing higher education and not believing they can achieve their career goals.
Let’s look at some signs of dyslexia in kids.
Five Signs of Dyslexia in Kids
1. Struggling with language development
Difficulty with language can be one of the earlier signs of dyslexia to appear in a child. When parents request testing for their five- or six-year-olds, language development is usually the red flag they are witnessing since reading skills are not expected to be developed yet.
Word retrieval is often the key symptom. People with dyslexia may frequently misuse words that sound similar or struggle to recall specific words. Of course, this can happen to anyone, but people with dyslexia will experience it more often. This difficulty, if left unaided, can lead to social anxiety or elevated difficulty with public speaking.
It’s important to note that dyslexia is not the only learning disability that can cause challenges with word retrieval. An educational evaluation is necessary to determine the true cause of this sign.
2. Requiring more time to complete assignments than their peers
Kids who are struggling with the effects of dyslexia typically take a lot longer to finish their assignments than their peers. This can lead to exceptionally late evenings working on homework.
This would also be witnessed in the classroom. Otherwise, this student might be more prone to behavioral problems or signs that they are disengaged in class. Ultimately, they don’t feel like they can succeed so they have checked out.
3. Writing difficulty
Have you seen that your child frequently misspells words that they should know? Or maybe their writing just doesn’t make sense? This sign would be most apparent in older kids when their writing skills should be more developed.
All too often, a student will decide they just aren’t good at writing rather than pursuing strategies or support to help them improve.
4. Avoiding read-aloud time
A lot of kids don’t enjoy reading aloud so this symptom alone is not a strong indication of dyslexia. However, if your child is often the first to volunteer to read something aloud, chances are they don’t have dyslexia.
In many cases, extra reading at home, whether that be silent or out loud, will help a child improve. If dyslexia is the cause, however, practice may only help a little or lead to further deterioration of their confidence.
5. Frequent behavioral issues
If you’ve made it this far in the post, you’ve probably picked up on the theme that undiagnosed dyslexia can be the underlying cause of poor behavior. Reports that your child is often disruptive or unengaged in class never feel great, but it can be the sign you need to get your child help!
What to do if you see signs of dyslexia in your child
A formal evaluation will be required to determine the root cause of your child’s difficulties. It’s important to note that public schools test students to see if they qualify for special needs services. They may not diagnose a child with dyslexia, and if your child does not qualify for services, there is not much else they can do.
By doing an assessment with a private practice, you can gain so much insight into how your child processes information and learns. Results will help determine any learning disabilities or giftedness that might be present.
Please note that it’s never too late to be evaluated for a learning disability. The results of a test may qualify you for accommodations after high school in higher education or the workplace. In addition to a diagnosis (if applicable), the insight you will gain into how you or your child operates is invaluable! Please reach out if you are ready to learn more or get started.
