How to know if my child has dyslexia

Dyslexia is a learning disorder that is often difficult to detect. It usually affects written language as well as verbal, in such a way that dyslexics often confuse letters or change their order.

It also usually manifests itself in memory disorders or in the way of understanding language, generating problems when interacting with others. If you have doubts and are wondering how to know if your child has dyslexia, in this article, we give you some clues to find out.

Steps to follow:

1. In order to know if your child has dyslexia, it is important that you talk to the educational center or school he attends because, if this is the case, it is most likely that the teachers and professors have already realized the problem that exists at the time of teach the infant. Ask him about his evolution in reading and writing comprehension, but also in his relationship with the rest of the students and his sociability, since dyslexia also affects the social sphere.
2. We also recommend that you speak directly with your child so that he himself will tell you what is happening to him, if he feels good in class, if it is difficult for him to learn some knowledge, etc. It is important that he does not feel isolated or treated in a special way because he could start to lock himself in his world and feel inferior to others, something that, in the long run, can lead to psychological problems.
3. In any case, there are some signs that will tell you if your child has dyslexia, therefore, we recommend that you be attentive to his evolution to notice if any type of deficiency occurs. In the field of reading, for example, it is where the first signs of this condition are usually noticed most quickly; You will notice that your child does not understand what he is reading, it is also very frequent that he changes the order letters, syllables or words.
4. When you are reading aloud, it is common for you to skip some letters or words or to add new ones, the reason is that you are not understanding the text itself and you limit yourself to pronouncing the sounds you are reading, without any understanding.
5. In the vision you can also see if a child has dyslexia. Normally, parents usually go to specialists to have their children’s vision and hearing checked because they consider that these failures are due to problems in the senses, however, these exams will not find any physical problem.
6. In the visual field, a child with dyslexia can show both aspects: from having a very deep and detailed observation capacity to a lack of peripheral vision. Thus, any abnormality with vision can be an indication of this condition, however, it may also be that your little one needs glasses.
7. Dyslexia affects people’s reading ability but also writing. It is very common for a child with this condition to write in a disorderly way, change the letters for others or modify the order of the syllables. The texts he writes can be illegible at many times since the child does not understand the association that exists between the written and the spoken word, therefore, it is very difficult for him to understand when they read and to be able to express his ideas through written language.
8. The way you hold the pencil or pen can also be a clear indication because you do not understand the writing procedure very well and, therefore, you hold the pencil in a different way than usual and press too hard against the paper.
9. Another way you can tell if your child has dyslexia is to observe their coordination. People with this situation often have difficulties when coordinating their movements as well as developing motor skills, for this reason, it is common that they never participate in school sports or that, if they do, they present very clumsy and difficult movements.
10. Poor balance, constant dizziness or poor skill when playing as a team can be clear signs that he is suffering from dyslexia, therefore, take him to the doctor to do the corresponding tests and he can help your little one as soon as possible.
11. Other aspects that are affected by dyslexia are cognitive ability, memorization and language. Children with dyslexia often use images and feelings to understand text, rather than being carried away by the meaning of sounds and words. In addition, they tend to have a long-term memory and easily remember places, people, etc., but when we talk about the learning, they have achieved the day before, their memory can fail.\
12. When he speaks, it is common for him to do so in a choppy way, not to finish sentences, to find it difficult to pronounce the words correctly or even to stutter on some occasions.
13. In the personality, you can also detect these signs of dyslexia since they are usually introverts, with few friends and with difficulties when it comes to relating. They can also present some mismatch in terms of order and, therefore, it can be extremely orderly or just the opposite.
14. They are also characterized by having sudden mood swings and, in addition, they tend to be very sensitive children, much more than other classmates, so you have to treat them with great care and delicacy so that they do not feel like “a weirdo”.
15. This article is merely informative, we do not have the power to prescribe any medical treatment or make any type of diagnosis. We invite you to see a doctor in the case of presenting any type of condition or discomfort.