The #1 Early Dyslexia Sign Most People Miss, According to an Education Specialist

Dyslexia is one of the most common learning differences or disabilities in the United States. In fact, data from the National Institutes of Health shows that dyslexia—which can cause kids to struggle with basic reading skills—impacts one in five (or 20 percent) of children.

Because dyslexia is hardly rare, parents and teachers are often on the lookout for signs of dyslexia in kids. When dyslexia is caught early by caregivers and educators, kids can more easily be given the tools they need to thrive in an educational environment.

But what are the early signs of dyslexia? And what do treatment options for dyslexia actually look like? Here's everything you need to know.

What Is Dyslexia?

"Dyslexia" is a term we hear a lot. But what does it actually mean? "Dyslexia is a learning difference that comes with some strengths and some significant roadblocks," explains Dr. A. Jordan Wright, Ph.D., Chief Clinical Officer with Parallel Learning. "Dyslexic brains struggle to automate basic reading skills, such as tying sounds to letters; rapidly accessing and naming letters, letter clusters and words, understanding syllables and ultimately understanding what they read."

While kids with dyslexia may be very strong at some skills, like identifying patterns and simplifying complex information, kids with dyslexia require a great deal of effort to read accurately and understand what they are reading, Dr. Wright adds.

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The #1 Commonly Missed Early Dyslexia Sign

In order to manage dyslexia and make sure kids don't fall too far behind their peers, diagnosing this learning difference earlier is crucial, Dr. Wright says. That's why it's important to know the signs, including signs that aren't related to learning.

One of the early signs most people don't realize is a symptom of dyslexia is difficulty with social interactions. "One often overlooked sign of dyslexia is its impact on social and emotional functioning," Dr. Wright explains. "While dyslexia is primarily associated with difficulties in reading, writing and spelling, its effects can extend beyond these academic challenges. Students with dyslexia tend to encounter hurdles in social interactions and emotional well-being that might not immediately appear related to their reading difficulties. General frustration in the academic realm can contribute to a ‘short fuse’ socially."

He says that other signs parents and educators should look out for include:

• Trouble with rhyming and alliteration

• Difficulty with the segmentation of sentences

• Trouble with understanding syllables

• Issues with blending and segmenting words

• General frustration at school

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How Dyslexia Is Managed

First and foremost, kids with dyslexia need a formal evaluation by trained professionals so that everybody involved knows what they are dealing with, Dr. Wright says.

Typically, early signs of dyslexia are spotted by teachers or parents, at which point they may get help from an expert like a reading specialist, psychologist, special education teacher or all three.

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"Specific, tailored interventions rooted in the science of reading can be implemented to bolster the basic building blocks of reading for these kids," Dr. Wright says. "Some of these strategies include practice with phonemes ( the smallest units of language or words), working to link letters and letter groups to these sounds (phonics), reading aloud for speed, accuracy and clarity (fluency), building an automatically recognized and understood bank of vocabulary words and ultimately working on the understanding of what is read (comprehension)."

Multi-sensory methods to engage different systems simultaneously are often used as well, Dr. Wright says. "And finally, compassion from families, teachers and systems is absolutely necessary for dyslexic kids, including allowing more time and space for practice and mistakes."

While dyslexia can come with quite a few roadblocks, when kids are given access to the right experts, it can make a world of difference. So if you notice any of the more expected or unexpected signs of dyslexia in your child, make sure to talk to their teacher about it so you can be put in touch with the right experts.

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Sources

• The Prevalence of Dyslexia: A New Approach to Its Estimation. J Learn Disabil.

• Dr. A. Jordan Wright, Ph.D. and Chief Clinical Officer with Parallel Learning