Dyslexia is a common, lifelong specific learning difficulty (SpLD) primarily affecting reading, spelling and writing.
It can also affect working memory, processing speed and phonological awareness which impacts the acquisition of literacy skills. It can also impact on other areas such as organisational skills, maths, reading comprehension and learning a foreign language.
These difficulties often do not reflect an individual's cognitive ability.
It is important to remember that there are positives to thinking differently. Many dyslexic people show strengths in areas such as reasoning and in visual and creative fields.
If you think that your young person may have dyslexia, please click on the link below to discover indicators of the difficulties that can be associated with dyslexia.
Early Indicators of Dyslexia
Some early signs may suggest a dyslexic profile. They can include:
- Family history of similar difficulties
- Enjoying being read to, but showing no interest in letters or words
- Difficulty learning letter sounds and blending
- Trouble remembering common words
- Slow, effortful reading and guessing words from the first letter
- Difficulty in learning nursery rhymes and finding rhyming words
- Muddling words
- Difficulty with sequencing
- Challenges with following two or more instructions
- Appearing not to be listening
- Inconsistent spelling (same word spelled differently)
- Fatigue in literacy tasks; reading and writing
These signs do not necessarily indicate dyslexia, but if they are persistent, especially with a high lever of intervention, it may be worth investigating further.
INTERESTING INFORMATION
10-20% of people have dyslexia
As many as 1 in 5 people have dyslexia and it affects just as many boys as girls.
The first child to have dyslexia
The first child to have, what we now call dyslexia, was aged 14 and identified in 1896. He struggled to learn to read, despite his cognitive ability.
Some famous dyslexic people
There are many famous people who are dyslexic and have a lot to offer the world. Some examples are:
- Richard Branson - entrepreneur
- Tom Cruise - actor
- Leonardo Da Vinci - painter
- Walt Disney - builder of Disney empire
- Albert Einstein - physicist
- Sally Gardner - children’s writer and illustrator
- John F Kennedy - President
- Keira Knightly - actor
- Jamie Oliver - professional chef
- Benjamin Zephaniah - poet
What is dyslexia?
This is a film created by 'Made by Dyslexia' which is a global charity led by successful dyslexics.
Home