Does Your Child Have Dyslexia?

If your child had dyslexia, do you think you could tell? Would you be able to recognize the signs? If you are like most people you may not even be sure what the signs of dyslexia are. Apart from well known signs such as mixing up letters, what else is there to alert you your child might have dyslexia?

Does your child read below the average level for kids of their age and intelligence? This might be an indicator to watch out for, and if found, your child should undergo comprehensive testing of speech, hearing and vision, as well as IQ. This will rule out conditions which mimic dyslexia. In most cases, problems will become apparent prior to the time for the child to enter school. And if the parents have not picked up on it yet, then experienced teachers probably will.

The most notable alert that your child may have dyslexia is the act of mirror writing, or writing words or letters backwards. Even this is not definitive however as it does take time for children to learn the proper way to write and some degree of mirror writing is normal.

Here are some things to look for it you are trying to determine if your child has dyslexia or not. They might appear to have trouble understanding spoken language and be slow to begin speaking as a toddler. They will have trouble spelling and reading single words. They will encounter the most problems when learning to print or write. Often they will avoid reading, have no desire to read, or dislike reading out loud. They may also have problems with localization such as confusing left and right and up and down, or even have difficulty knowing the day of the week.

Unfortunately, many children with dyslexia learn how to cover it up and cope with it on their own through trial and error. It isn''t until later in their education such as college when the problem then becomes unbearable. This is regrettable because dyslexia can be easily and successfully treated up to the third grade age. So if you suspect your child has this disorder, it is very important to have them tested early while successful treatment is virtually guaranteed. Treatment can begin at any age however, it is never too late.

Much is being learned about dyslexia and the treatment options continue to grow and range from visual stimulation to diet changes. The best option for successful treatment is to catch the condition early and utilize special education classes to help the child learn to overcome the condition in the proper way so they can have a successful educational career and life.

Jennifer Petersen is a staff writer at Education Digest and is an occasional contributor to several other websites, including Career Digest.