Did you know that most dyslexia diagnoses happen around age 7 when reading and writing are more ingrained in the child?
But warning signs can begin even earlier.
If your child is about to start preschool or kindergarten, you may pay attention to the early signs of dyslexia.
How to spot the early signs?
As per the International Dyslexia Association, dyslexia affects between 15 to 20 percent of the population.
Dyslexia is a type of language-based learning disability that causes trouble to read, write and occasionally speak that varies depending on age:
- Visual – trouble recognizing printed letters or words
- Auditory – trouble distinguishing certain sounds or connecting sounds to letters
- Expressive – trouble drawing or writing legibly or trouble proceeding from thinking a word to writing it
Children can have any or all of the above and some signs are more prominent at different ages. If not identified early and treated appropriately, dyslexia can persist into adulthood.
What are some of the early signs of dyslexia?
If your child:
- Encounters difficulty to form sentences
- Shows no interest to read books – with or without you
- Does not like to draw pictures
- Cannot recognize or respond to rhymes
- Is not acquiring new words
- Cannot grasp a time or sequence
Now, toddlers are known for doing things under their own terms most of the time. Hence, dyslexia is harder to identify at an early age.
However, it is important to stay vigilant if you see any or all of these signs occurring consistently together and lasting over time.
What should you do?
Experts don’t have one root cause for this learning difference.
Researchers believe it is “a glitch in the circuitry for reading” that makes it difficult to link printed letters and words with the sounds they represent.
Regardless of the cause, if you have suspicions of dyslexia, it is important to know when to reach out for the help of professionals around you. Professionals will help you determine if your child is reaching the age-appropriate milestones:
- During your child’s annual physical, your pediatrician should be screening your child and assess their development.
- If your child goes to daycare, preschool or kindergarten, caregivers and teachers should be able to do the same and inform you of any concern.
What if you still have doubts?
Never believe that your feelings or concerns are trivial when it comes to the health of your child.
If you have concerns, doubts, or uncertainties, do not keep them for yourself.
Make sure to let your child’s doctor know about anything you observe and are concerned with, no matter how small.
If your pediatrician believes your child is ok but you still have concerns, you can seek a second opinion.
You can take your child to a psychologist specialized in children and early learning who can run a series of tests to help understand your child’s learning difficulty.
What if your child is diagnosed with dyslexia?
Be supportive of your child because there are many ways to help them.
Remember that a dyslexic learner does not struggle because of a lack of will or intelligence.
Their learning process is simply different. Adjust to that difference. And, knowing the differences will help put the right strategies in place.
There are many fun and efficient multi-sensory activities to help your child learn and make the learning process less stressful too.
Many successful people such as Albert Einstein and Charles Schwab are reported to have had dyslexia. And rather than give up, it pushed them to find new ways of learning to keep up with their peers, and eventually find their way.
And what now?
If your child is dyslexic, parents and teachers should meet frequently to discuss the progress made and review the strategies.
Adopting an open and dynamic approach to learning is essential for the child’s benefit.
If you have any questions about dyslexia, please reach out to one of our team members who can point you in the right direction.
