Early Dyslexia Identification Can Help Improve Dyslexia

The importance of dyslexia identification before children enter school can’t be overstated. Dyslexia can profoundly impact a child's ability to read and write, putting them at a huge disadvantage and causing difficulty catching up. Once behind, it is an unavoidable and lifelong educational, social, and economic challenge. Although it can be identified as early as 3 years old, most children aren't identified until 5th grade.

Child playing with a colorful xylophone and toy pieces on a rug.
  • Electronic sign displaying 'EXPECT DELAYS' on a city street at night.

    Speech Delays...talking like a younger child

    This is often one of the first signs of the disorder. In some cases, these children won't start speaking until as late as three or four years of age.

  • The name "PHILIPP" in uppercase golden letters on a brick wall.

    Calling Things by the Wrong Name

    They may have a hard time coming up with the word for simple objects. Or they may talk around it using vague words like thing or stuff. Trouble finding the right word is one of the most common signs of dyslexia.

  • Scrabble tiles spelling 'HUMPTY DUMPTY' on white background.

    Inability to Rhyme

    Hard time learning nursery rhymes or song lyrics that rhyme. It includes the inability to connect letters with sounds.

  • Neon sign with the words 'SIMPLY A MISUNDERSTOOD GENIUS' in purple.

    Difficulty Pronouncing Words

    A dyslexic child might say busgetti for spaghetti, or mawn lower for lawn mower. The main problem is their trouble recognizing phonemes, basics sounds of speech. The longer the word, the more difficult it is to pronounce.

  • White left arrow painted on a green brick wall.

    Confusing Left From Right

    Sometimes called “directional dyslexia” dyslexic children find it difficult to navigate their left from right. Left and right are mirror images of each other so it is easier to confuse the two.

  • Close-up of two faces with blue eyes and light skins, showing eyebrows and noses.

    Immediate Relatives with Dyslexia

    Yes, dyslexia is hereditary. A child with an affected parent has a 40–60% risk of developing dyslexia and it goes higher if additional relatives have similar diagnosis.

  • Person wearing worn brown work boots dangling their legs in front of metal drawers.

    Struggling to Tie Shoes

    They may also struggle with using a fork or zipping a jacket. The problem is rooted in weak fine motor skills .

  • Stack of colorful alphabet blocks with letters M, S, X, J, D, A, Z, P, and others

    Difficulty with Alphabet

    A dyslexic child might have problems remembering the sequence of the alphabet. They might not see the correlation between upper and lower case letters and confusion over letters that look similar and putting letters the wrong way round.