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Dyslexia

Dyslexia affects one in ten people and currently around 375,000 children in the country have been diagnosed as being dyslexic. Here’s how to recognise it and get the support you need.

What is dyslexia?

Dyslexia — from the Greek, meaning ‘difficulty with words’ — is caused by a weakness in the way the brain processes language information. Dyslexics therefore have problems with learning to read, write and spell, and some also experience difficulties with maths.

Children with dyslexia may also struggle with learning to tell the time, and the condition can lead to behavioural problems, such as lack of confidence or disruptive behaviour due to frustration. Some dyslexic children become very shy too, because they feel they can’t cope at school. Dyslexia affects boys and girls equally, and is hereditary. “If you have it, your child has a 50 per cent chance of developing it too,” says Dr John Rack, head of assessment at Dyslexia Action. “The typical age to diagnose dyslexia is seven to eight years old, although you can see the signs from about three to four years.”

Signs of dyslexia

In pre-schoolers:

  • Tends to mix up words and phrases
  • Finds learning rhymes and rhythms difficult
  • Struggles to remember names for objects
  • Late speech development
  • Likes being read to, but shows no interest in letters or words
  • Finds getting dressed difficult.

In primary school age children:

  • Finds reading and spelling difficult
  • Often switches letters and numbers round the wrong way
  • Finds it hard to remember the alphabet and learn tables
  • Struggles to understand what he has read
  • Slow at writing
  • Poor concentration
  • Has trouble telling left from right and/or the order of days of the week
  • Lacks confidence
  • Still has trouble getting dressed.

Getting the support you need

Once a child has been diagnosed as dyslexic, extra learning support should be available at his school in the form of specialist teaching. From reception to year two, much of this is done within the normal classroom with additional one-to-one help for reading and writing. From Key Stage 2 onwards, the amount of out-of-class individual or small-group teaching usually increases. Another option is private tuition. The British Dyslexia Association, which offers advice and information on dyslexia, can provide a list of specialist tutors in your area. Also, see our tips on helping your child at home

With the right support, dyslexia needn’t stop your child achieving his dreams.

It doesn’t affect intelligence and, because their brains work in a different way, some dyslexics have very strong creative, interpersonal and/or oral skills, making them innovative thinkers and intuitive problem solvers.

Support at home

  • Read to your child as well as helping him with his own reading
  • For pre-schoolers, learning rhymes, playing word games and doing puzzles all help. Practise getting dressed together too
  • Don’t focus on his weaknesses. Instead, encourage out-of-school activities and spend time doing things he enjoys and is good at
  • Help him to organise his homework into manageable chunks. Packs to help you help him with his schoolwork are available from Dyslexia Action, but do check with his teacher first
  • Boost self-esteem: divide a sheet of paper into two columns, headed ‘Things I am good at’ and ‘Things I am not so good at’, then help your child to list things he is successful at (for example sports, caring for pets, drawing, getting on with other children), as well as the things he struggles with (such as reading, spelling, maths). There will be many more things he is good at than things he has difficulty with!
  • Fish oil supplements containing omega-3 and -6 fatty acids may help improve concentration skills, reading and spelling.

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