Statistics show that up to 15-20% of the population as a whole may have symptoms of dyslexia and that 90% of all learning disabilities are rooted in dyslexia. These numbers boil down to the truth that dyslexia, often referred to as a “hidden disability,” affects more individuals than one may realize.
What is dyslexia, you might ask? Dyslexia is a language-based learning disability in which people of all ages often experience difficulties with oral and written language skills particularly reading, writing, and pronouncing the sounds in words. Dyslexia affects individuals throughout their lives, often impacting a person differently during various life stages. Many strides are being made in research on dyslexia. We pride ourselves in staying on the cutting edge of dyslexia therapy and we’re honored to empower our students with dyslexia to tackle this learning difference head on to achieve success in all settings, becoming the happiest and most successful versions of themselves!
If you’re concerned that your child may have dyslexia, here are some common signs of the disorder in early childhood and the approaches we use to promote and expedite progress in our therapy sessions. We strive to teach in the way we know these amazing students learn best!
Signs of Dyslexia in Preschool
The following difficulties may be an indication of dyslexia in pre-school aged children. While a formal diagnosis is most often made once the school-age years begin (i.e. age 7/8) by an educational or neuro-psychologist, recognizing any difficulties with learning early on can allow for support that much earlier with foundational language and pre-reading skills. If you’re noticing any of these signs, you can always seek support from a speech-language pathologist to look closer at what may be going on.
- May have a hard time following multi-step instructions or routines
- Began to speak later than most children or has not progressed as quickly as others in speech development
- May have difficulty pronouncing words and may switch letters, for example, saying “aminals” instead of “animals”
- May be slow to learn and use new vocabulary words
- May have a hard time rhyming words
- May be slow to master the alphabet, days of week, numbers, shapes, colors, and may be slow learning how to spell or write his or her name
- May have difficulty recalling the correct words when speaking
- Fine motor skills could develop more slowly than in other kids
- May tell or re-tell stories out of sequence and may have trouble remembering stories in the correct plot sequence
- Often has difficulty blending sounds together to make words
