Common Symptoms
Not being good at:
- reading
- spelling
- copying out work
Also:
- they are slow at getting started
- confused by instructions
- confuse 'b' and 'd'
- can't recite tables
- can't recite the months
- can't remember digits
- can't find the right words
- confuse words when you're talking
- but they can be extremely good at art, music, design and other creative activities
Recognising dyslexia
Common problems of dyslexia are slowness at acquiring spoken language and difficulties with speech such as a lisp, or a sound that can't be pronounced.
Dyslexics are often late talkers. Confusion between words of similar meaning is not uncommon eg, saying desert when meaning beach. Pronounciation may cause difficulties. It appears that words are not correctly heard eg, bersactly for exactly.
Dyslexics have difficulty processing information
Think of two children off to play tennis. The first has a bag to carry the balls. The second has too many balls and nothing to carry them in. The first child quickly arrives at the courts. The second child drops some of the balls but gets there in the end.
So it is for the dyslexic. Pieces of information get lost along the way and it takes time to get information across. Once this information is received the dyslexic child has no special difficulties working things out and remembering them.
Immediate memory or working memory is a resource of the brain that saves information and ideas we are working with. Some people have amazing immediate memory and can remember not only pages of information but also the layout of the information. Others can remember everything that was said, who said it and the context in which it was said. Most people have enough immediate memory to enable them to hold information they are working with. Dyslexics have poor working memory.
T.R. Miles, Professor Emeritus of Pschology, University of Wales
For neurological reasons - connected with deficiencies in the magnocellular system - there may be an anomaly of development which sometimes gives rise to an unusual balance of skill. This anomaly is sometimes but not always, the result of hereiditary factors. Reasoning is not affected, and in some areas such as art and engineering there may be exceptional talent.
There are weaknesses, however, which may show themselves in spoken language. Many of these weaknesses are overcome by practice and suitable training, but the processing of symbolic material at speed remains difficult.
Interested in an assessment?
If you believe your child may be dyslexic, contact your child's GP for an assessment. Alternatively Bangor University offer an assessment service.
