The symptoms displayed by individuals with dyslexia involve difficulties in acquiring and using language, primarily written language. It is a myth that individuals with dyslexia “read backward,” although spelling can look quite jumbled at times because students have trouble pairing letter symbols and sounds along with struggling in other areas. Problems experienced by people with dyslexia may include the following:
- Slow speech development
- Difficulty learning the names of letters and their paired sounds
- Confusing the order of letters in words
- Grappling with pronouncing unfamiliar or nonsense words
- Problems with organizing written and spoken language
- Persisting with and comprehending longer reading assignments.
- Struggling to learn sequences such as the alphabet
- Memorizing number facts
- Correctly completing math operations, particularly word problems
- Spelling that is unpredictable and inconsistent
- Poor graphomotor skills
It must be noted that not all students who have difficulties with these skills have dyslexia. Formal testing of reading, language, and writing skills is the only way to confirm a diagnosis.