Friday, April 30, 2010

Some Pre-school Indicators of Dyslexia


Speech problems:

Later than most children at learning to speak .

Difficulty to express themselves clearly.

Trouble with pronouncing some words , especially long words.

Using spoonerisms eg par cark instead of car park . Noseman
instead of snowman.
(Spoonerisms are words or phrases in which letters or syllables get swapped )

Please note :If children show problems with speech production they should be seen by a speech therapist for assessment .

Word Retrieval and Vocabulary problems

Slow to learn new vocabulary.

May have difficulty in recalling the right word when they need to use it. They may tend to use a word with a similar meaning.

Memory problems :

Difficulty in remembering information or instructions (especially multi-step instructions).

Difficulty in remembering things in a sequential order eg the alphabet, re-telling a story in the correct order.

Often have trouble learning numbers , days of the week , colours and shapes.

Phonological and phonemic awareness problems

Phonological awareness is a broad term referring to an understanding that oral language can be divided into smaller components such as words, syllables and phonemes which can be manipulated.

Phonemic awareness is the ability to identify the individual sounds in spoken words.

Difficulty in rhyming. ( what rhymes with cat ? hat , mat .. )

Difficulty in counting syllables in words
( how many syllables in window ? – win / dow )

Difficulty with identifying the beginning and ending sound of a word.
( r e d , r e d )

Problems separating speech sounds in words.
( Say the little parts in bat b/ a/t )

Problems blending speech sounds in words
( what word is this ? pen – cil - pencil )

Difficulty with learning letters and their sounds ( phonics)

Other problems :

Difficulty with colouring and copying.

May experience difficulty getting dressed – what goes on first , trouble with buttons and laces.

May appear clumsy and have poor co-ordination.

Lack of concentration.

If your child has a number of these problems then it is important to seek professional help from a psychologist to assess your child properly . Especially, if dyslexia runs in your family.

In addition parents should immediately start to carry out educational activities to help their child to improve their performance in the areas they find difficulties with. Particular emphasis should be put on improving phonological and phonemic awareness.



1 comment:

ben said...

It is great for parents to be aware of indicators of dyslexia and to start a dialogue with their children about learning disabilities at a young age to make sure they feel supported and have the resources needed to achieve success. Students with a learning disability such as dyslexia are just as smart and capable as other students, but they may require different teaching methods or tools to help. The use of assistive technology as well as support from parents, teachers and peers enables these kids to access printed materials with more ease and encourages these kids to remain confident in their reading abilities. The National Center for Learning Disabilities has some great resources to help parents choose the right assistive technology, and you can learn more at http://www.ncld.org/at-school/general-topics/assistive-technology/choosing-an-assistive-technology.