Early Signs of Dyslexia

As the mother of a dyslexic daughter, and someone who still experiences glitches of mild dyslexia myself, I fully understand the challenges and frustrations of being dyslexic – as well as the benefits, since it’s a fairly established fact that many of us quirky dyslexics have the benefit of processing information in a more creative and holistic way – which can have its benefits in original thinking, innovative solutions and inventions. It’s no surprise then that brilliant people, like Walt Disney, Apple’s Steve Jobs, Einstein and many others, were dyslexic.

Meanwhile, when it comes to schoolwork and passing exams, being dyslexic can certainly add to the challenges. Hence, it’s vital to detect any indications that your little one might be developing signs of dyslexia, so that remedial action can be taken as soon as possible, to implement strategies that will minimise stress and lead to success.

What is Dyslexia?

Dyslexia is a learning difficulty that primarily affects reading and language skills. It's often characterized by difficulties with phonological awareness (understanding the sounds of language), decoding words, and spelling.

However, it's important to note that the name ‘dyslexia’ is an ‘umbrella term’ that covers a wide range of learning difficulties. While it typically affects skills like reading, writing, and spelling, not every child will struggle with all of these areas. For instance, a child with dyslexia might be competent at writing but struggle with reading comprehension or, in my own daughter’s case, was highly adept at reading but struggled with spelling.

Then, to add to the mix, some elements of dyslexia may also be accompanied by difficulties with math (involving numeracy – called dyscalculia) or dyspraxia (difficulties with physical co-ordination and fine motor skill activities).

Dyslexia also exists on a spectrum, varying from mild to severe, and its impact can differ greatly from one child to another. Therefore, each child's experience with dyslexia is unique, and support should be tailored to their individual needs.

How Common is Dyslexia?

It's helpful to know that you're not alone. Statistics show that approximately one in ten people are dyslexic to some extent.

• In the UK, the British Dyslexia Association estimates that around 10% of the population has dyslexia, with about 4% experiencing severe dyslexia. This translates to approximately 6.7 million people in the UK.
• In the USA, estimates vary slightly, with the prevalence generally reported to be between 5% and 10% of the population. Some sources suggest it could affect up to 20%, but this is on the higher end of estimates.
• Keep in mind that differences in reported incidence may be due to variations in diagnostic criteria, screening methods, and reporting practices.

Potential Signs of Dyslexia

Recognizing potential signs early on is crucial. Here are some things to look for in your kindergartener:

• Difficulty in sounding out unfamiliar words and breaking words into individual syllables.
• Trouble learning sequences like nursery rhymes, the alphabet, and the correct spelling of words.
• Mixing up sounds in words, saying things like "ephilant" instead of "elephant."
• Substituting or muddling up similar-sounding words or letters. Confusion between the letters b, d and p, and other letters with similar shape patterns.
• Confusion with directions of left, right, up, and down.
• Writing letters or numbers back to front.
• Difficulty keeping rhythm or following multi-step instructions.
• Difficulty sitting still for stories or showing little interest in letters and words because it can be challenging for them to process a lot of information at one time.
• Disorganized. Finds it difficult to remember the order of doing common activities.
• Speech development might be a little slower than their peers.
• Forgets things they definitely knew yesterday or even a few minutes ago, which becomes worse when they feel under pressure to perform or give the correct answer.
• Lack of confidence and unwillingness to try due to their underlying difficulties, which they often try to hide with avoidance behaviour.
• History of dyslexia in the family.

Early Diagnosis

Many young children who aren’t dyslexic may also show one or more of these behaviours, so it's more about the severity and how long the behaviour lasts for that matters. If you're concerned, chat with your child's teacher or have your child assessed by an Educational Psychologist. Early diagnosis and the ability to teach a dyslexic child learning strategies for success, can make a huge difference to their confidence and academic potential.

Early interventions

Don't panic if you’re worried about dyslexia in the family or want to keep a wary eye for any early signs. Here are some easy activities that'll not only help you keep an eye out but also help you to carry out some fun remedial action – whether they are dyslexic or not.

Rhyme Time

Get silly with rhyming games! Read rhyming books together or make up your own rhymes. If your child struggles to come up with rhyming words, it might be a sign to watch out for. Rhyming games and books can be both diagnostic and remedial – as well as giving both of you lots of silly fun.

Letter Art Activities

Turn letters into creative masterpieces! Have your child paint, draw or shape letters in playdough or sand tracing for the ones they find tricky. This visual and sensory approach can help you to a) spot if they're consistently mixing up certain letters and b) help them to reinforce writing the correct shape of a letter in a fun way.

Name Game

Play a fun clapping game using names. Say a name, clap out the words with varying lengths of syllables, and have your child repeat them. Start with simple words with one or two syllables, such as ‘fish’ ‘toast; ‘egg’ (one syllable) and ‘bacon’, ‘candy’ ‘cookie’ (two syllables) and increase to 3 and 4 syllable words. If your child has trouble breaking words into sounds, it could be an early indicator of dyslexia.

Magnetic Word Building

Use alphabet magnets to build the alphabet or simple words on the fridge. Watch how your child handles putting letters in order. If they consistently struggle

Brain Training - Marching

Left/Right brain training activities can often help children with dyslexia type difficulties. There’s a theory that children with some types of learning difficulties may have missed out on one of the early stages of crawling. Getting toddlers to cross crawl and do marching, with alternate arm swinging and opposing knee raising, has been found helpful to improve left/right brain co-ordination activities.

Watch out for kids who have difficulty using opposing arms/legs and who try to march with the same arm and leg moving forward. If so, get them to practice marching slowly and correctly until it becomes automatic. Playing music at an appropriate speed can make the activity more fun and helpful to keep the rhythm – either for marching on the spot or marching around the room like a toy soldier.

Figure of 8’s

Another tried and tested Brain Training activity is to get kids drawing large imaginary figure 8’s in the air or on a large sheet of paper. It’s fun and a great way to balance brain activity.

I Spy Games

Play "I Spy" but focus on finding objects that start or end with specific sounds. This can help you see if your child has difficulty connecting letters to their sounds.

Memory Games

Place a number of random items on a tray (start with 3 or 4) and give your child half a minute or so to remember as many as they can before you take it away and remove one of them without them seeing. Now return with the tray and see if your child can spot which one is missing. Most children can spot one that’s missing from up to 6 or 7 random items. Note: make sure your child already knows the names for all the items on the tray.

Phonological Games

Have fun with worksheets and cards with nonsense words to complement other phonic sound activities. Play CVC scrabble where kids have to make a CVC word from a selection of vowels and consonants.

Remember, these activities are just for fun and to help you be aware. If you have concerns, it's always best to chat with your child's teacher or a professional. Early support can make a world of difference!

Worksheets to complement Phonic Sounds, Letter and Word Recognition, Spelling.

Give your child fun 3 letter CVC word worksheets with the first letter, middle letter or end letter missing to see if they can fill in the gap. You’ll find some of these worksheets in my Shop – see my Kindergarten CVC worksheets - Sound-Read-Spell