Characteristics commonly associated with Dyslexia

Do any of these seem familiar to you ?

Cognitive

• an unexpected discrepancy between general ability and actual performance in reading, writing, spelling & sometimes number skills
• good at some things but surprising difficulty with others
• memory problems - short term processing memory (working memory) difficulties affecting recall of auditory & visual information
• difficulties with remembering sequences of instructions
• general forgetfulness - losing personal effects etc
• uncertain about which hand to use
• poor concentration span

Reading

• letter-sound blending difficulties
• poor word recognition
• difficulties with rhyming words (cat, fat, mat)
• difficulties with the odd one out (net, set, pig, let)
• a tendency to make unusual pronunciations
• poor comprehension of passages and stories

Spelling

• problems with letter confusion and reversals (b/d, p/q)
• unusual/inconsistent spellings including anagrams (tired for tried)
• unusual letter formation

Writing

• poor pencil control
• poor copying skills from blackboard
• longer than average time to complete written work
• clumsy, jerky, messy, disorganised writing, often slow and laboured
• untidy work presentation
• poor positioning of letter and number shapes
• problems in left to right scanning, mirror writing
• positional/directional confusion, left/right confusion

Planning and Organisation

• poor planning, ordering and organisational skills affecting daily routines, organisation of tasks and information
• problems in memorising sequences of ideas
• memorising sequences as in days of week, months of year
• difficulty in memorising maths tables, number operations
• sense of time and timing, sequencing of past, present and future
• poor sense of timing
• difficulty with tying shoelaces, buttons, buckles

General

• fluctuation in day to day performance
• history of delayed speech, problems expressing ideas in speech
• poor progress with reading and/or spelling despite intervention
• problems with mental focus, confidence, self esteem
• family history of similar problem

Should you need any questions answering or further information please telephone Rick Portsmouth on
07742 597208 or use the contact sheet.