SHARES
“She is a very talented kid. None of us would have noticed that she is struggling with reading. At first, she seems slightly slower than her peers in learning to write and speak. But, as she grows older, her dyslexia becomes more and more obvious” Jean, a primary school teacher who first notices signs of reading difficulties in Roberta.
The effects of dyslexia, a brain disorder, are learning difficulties because of reading and writing impairment. People with dyslexia are unable to process graphic images and phonetic sounds of words to match them. As a result, dyslexic persons have difficulties recognising words, spelling, pronounciation and remembering sequences.
Indeed, dyslexia symptoms are hard to spot. Most of the children get help late and they struggle to cope with the challenges. There is no single blood test or brain scan that can tell if a person has dyslexia. Diagnosis is based on a series of reading tests alongside with symptoms reported by the affected person as well as those around them. So, learning how to identify the symptoms at an earlier age would enable the dyslexic person gets help faster.
Dyslexia Signs and Symptoms by Age
Preschoolers
Signs and symptoms even though subtle, appears early in life when a child starts learning to speak. This neurobiological disorder affects how a person processes language. As such, children with dyslexia is slower to speak, read and write than other children of the same age.
In this context, the child finds it hard to remember alphabets and would confuse between certain alphabets eg “t” and “d”. He or she is more likely to mispronounce familiar words such as “bun” with “dun”, “Humpty” with “Dumpty”. Unfortunately, parents and caregivers may easily take it for granted as “baby talk”.
Kindergarten & First Grade
When children start learning to read, the symptoms of dyslexia become more prominent. They may not like going to school and struggle with language. For a dyslexic child, it is especially hard to relate visual alphabets and words with sounds. For instance, alphabets are hard to pronounce, where “p” can sound like “paa”. It is even harder to associate sounds with words, especially those with multiple syllables. Usually, those with family history of reading difficulties have more severe symptoms.
At this stage, therapy would focus more on improving awareness on phonation as well as reading strategies.
Photo by Si Glogiewicz from Flickr
Elementary School Years
Given the fact that most teachers are mostly unaware about dyslexia, children can usually slip through with their reading, spelling and writing tasks. They may adapt adequately well to go unnoticed. Generally, they are slower in reading than their peers. It is important to note that dyslexia affects only part of language capability but not intelligence nor communication skills.
Telltale signs at this stage are messy handwriting, fewer vocabulary, spelling difficulties, inability to remember sequences, mispronouncing long words and confusion between words with similar sounds.
Young Adulthood (High School and College)
This is the stage hardest for persons with dyslexia due to demand for speed reading, as well as differing expectations from different lecturers. Even though the young adult has developed higher learning functions, reading can still be mentally taxing. Under such circumstances, the dyslexic person may feel less confident while speaking. There can be many pauses and “umms”. Often, the person would miss small chats and quick responses.
Also, names and places are difficult to remember. He or she may even speak with vague language.
Dyslexia in Adults
The number of dyslexic adults are underestimated because many of them go unnoticed. Reports show that about 5-10% of adult population have dyslexia.
C0mmonly symptoms are slow in reading and writing, difficulty in summarizing a story, struggle with foreign languages, understanding jokes and has trouble solving maths problems .
Photo by Barnaby McArthur from Flickr
Conclusion
Dyslexia is more common that we think as many go unnoticed. It is important to recognize the symptoms early so that treatment can be started at an earlier age. Get help from healthcare professionals if you suspect the language disorder.
References:
1. Daniel S. How to recognize dyslexia symptoms by age [healthline]. Healthline Media. 2020. (Available from: https://www.healthline.com/health/dyslexia-symptoms-by-age; last updated on 2017 June 20; last accessed on 2020 Oct 4)
2. Pathak N. Dyslexia symptoms [WebMD]. WebMD LLC. 2020. (Available from: https://www.webmd.com/children/understanding-dyslexia-symptoms#2; last updated on 2020 Sept 21; accessed on 2020 Oct 4)
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by Chang Xian
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