Common Signs of Preschool Dyslexia

State: Arizona Department of Education

Preschool: The following difficulties may be associated with dyslexia if they
are unexpected for the individual's age, educational level, or cognitive abilities. To verify that an individual is dyslexic, he/she should be tested by a qualified testing examiner.

·         May talk later than most children

·         May have difficulty pronouncing words, i.e., busgetti for spaghetti, mawn     lower for lawn mower

·         May be slow to add new vocabulary words

·         May be unable to recall the right word

·         May have difficulty with rhyming

·         May have trouble learning the alphabet, numbers, days of the week, colors, shapes, how to spell and write his or her name

·         May have trouble interacting with peers\

·         May be unable to follow multi-step directions or routines

·         Fine motor skills may develop more slowly than in other children

·         May have difficulty telling and/or retelling a story in the correct sequence

·         Often has difficulty separating sounds in words and blending sounds to make words

Grades K-4: The following difficulties may be associated with dyslexia if they are unexpected for the individual's age, educational level, or cognitive abilities. To verify that an individual is dyslexic, he/she should be tested by a qualified testing examiner.Has difficulty decoding single words (reading single words in isolation)

·         May be slow to learn the connection between letters and sounds

·        May confuse small words - at - to, said - and, does - goes

·        Makes consistent reading and spelling errors including:

1.               Letter reversals - d for b as in, dog for bog

2.               Word reversals - tip for pit

3.               Inversions - m and w, u and n

4.               Transpositions - felt and left

5.               Substitutions - house and home

6.               May transpose number sequences and confuse arithmetic signs (+ - x / =)

7.               May have trouble remembering facts

·         May be slow to learn new skills; relies heavily on memorizing without understanding

·         May be impulsive and prone to accidents

·         May have difficulty planning

·         Often uses an awkward pencil grip (fist, thumb hooked over fingers, etc.)

·         May have trouble learning to tell time

·         May have poor fine motor coordination