Does my Kiddo Have Dyslexia? And What Can I Do?

Concerned your child may have a learning disability? It's not uncommon! Approximately 20% of children are affected by dyslexia, according to the International Dyslexia Association.

Dyslexia is a common learning disability that affects reading, spelling, and writing. Understanding the signs at different ages can help you identify and support your kiddo early on. Here’s a guide based on information from the International Dyslexia Association and Understood.org

Preschool

In preschool, signs of dyslexia can be subtle but noticeable. Your child may struggle with learning nursery rhymes or sequences like the alphabet. He might swop sounds around, or have difficulty following multi-step directions.

Grades K-2

As your kiddo enters kindergarten and early elementary school, signs of dyslexia become more apparent. She may have trouble learning letter names and sounds, often confusing letters that look or sound similar. Reading familiar words can be challenging. Spelling difficulties and trouble blending sounds to form words are also key indicators.

Grades 3-5

In later elementary school, your child with dyslexia might avoid reading whenever possible. He will often struggle with reading fluency, skipping small words or parts of longer words when reading aloud. Recognising common sight words quickly can be difficult, and he may frequently make the same types of errors, like switching letters around.

What is Structured Literacy?

Recognising these signs early can lead to timely interventions and support, helping children with dyslexia thrive academically and personally. If you suspect your child has dyslexia, consider seeking an evaluation from a dyslexia specialist trained in Structured Literacy.

Structured Literacy explicitly teaches systematic word identification and decoding strategies. These benefit most students and are vital for those with dyslexia.

There is hope! With Structured Literacy most kiddos learn to read accurately with comprehension.