Every parent wants the best for their child, especially when it comes to their education. After all, education t can open many important opportunities for them in the future. That’s why it can be concerning when you notice that they’re having learning difficulties.

One such learning difficulty is dyslexia, a disorder that affects the way a person identifies, reads, and spells words. Until the 1960s, dyslexia was also referred to as “word blindness” because many dyslexics also experience difficulties in decoding speech sounds.

Fortunately, dyslexia doesn’t affect one’s intelligence. While there is no cure for the condition, it’s a hurdle that can be overcome. With some tutoring and a lot of emotional support, a child with dyslexia can excel in school and beyond.

That being said, it’s best if dyslexia is detected early so that intervention measures can be implemented as soon as possible. If you notice the following signs, visit a dyslexia assessment Singapore centre so you can get a proper diagnosis:

Symptoms of Dyslexia

There are many symptoms of dyslexia. Some of them can manifest early, before your child even starts to talk, although there are people who don’t get diagnosed until adulthood.

Some of the earliest signs of dyslexia include delayed speech development, difficulty in remembering the letters of the alphabet, and trouble saying long words.

Many toddlers and preschool-age children with dyslexia also experience the following:

• difficulty in expressing themselves (e.g., being unable to remember the correct word for an action or thing)
• difficulty in learning or understanding rhyming patterns, nursery rhymes, and the like
• trouble in remembering the names of numbers and colours
• slow learning of new words

Other symptoms you should watch out for include:

• slow writing and poor penmanship
• taking a long time to copy or complete writing words
• knowing the correct answer to questions but cannot write the answer properly
• inconsistent spelling
• getting confused by letters that look similar, most evident in b/d, p/g, p/q, and m/w
• reading level is below what is expected for their age
• poor reading comprehension or losing track of a story’s plot
• actively avoiding activities that require reading

Phonological Awareness

Most people with dyslexia also have poor phonological awareness. This is the ability to recognise phonemes, or the units of sound, and how changing these phonemes can create new words. If a child has dyslexia, they may have difficulty answering questions like, “What word will you get if you change the ‘c’ in cat into an h?”

Having poor phonological awareness also means that the person may not be able to associate letters with their sounds. This results in a difficulty in forming the correct words when speaking or recognising words when spelt out.

Associated Symptoms and Issues

There are many other symptoms associated with dyslexia, with some not even directly related to reading and writing. Among them is dyscalculia or difficulties with numbers or numeracy. Often, dyslexics will confuse operations symbols like + and x; they may also be confused by place values, particularly in bigger numbers.

Another common sign of dyslexia is  difficulty in learning sequences, like the days of the week or months of the year. In numbers, this can translate to having difficulties in counting backwards or struggling to understand that 2 + 4 is the same as 4 + 2. It can also affect the way they interpret costs and estimate values.

Some dyslexics may also struggle with timekeeping. They may have a difficulty in remembering their own birthdate, or what day it is currently. For children, in particular, the concepts of yesterday, today, tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow can be particularly confusing.

There are also many behavioural and skills-based issues that can indicate dyslexia. Some of them include:

• being easily distracted or unable to concentrate
• complaining of being tired after doing schoolwork
• always coming up with tactics to avoid doing tasks
• poor motor skills, especially when it comes to using writing implements
• not showing a clear hand preference
• confusing left and right or east and west

Last but not least, many persons with dyslexia exhibit poor short-term memory.

How to Address Dyslexia?

Do keep in mind that if your child has one or more of the above-mentioned symptoms, it doesn’t immediately mean that they have dyslexia. Again, it’s best to have your child undergo a dyslexia assessment to more accurately determine their condition.

In addition, while a child with dyslexia may have learning difficulties associated with reading, they usually excel in other aspects of education. These include things like puzzle solving and various creative pursuits like building models or the visual arts.

Ultimately, treatment programmes for dyslexia are unique to each individual. Most focus on employing multi-sensorial teaching techniques, to help the brain process information more effectively. No matter what the education plan may end up being, the most important element is emotional support. Be patient with your child. It might take some time and a lot of effort, but dyslexia can be overcome.

My book is out. Get your copy here!