Dyslexia

Published by Bupa's Health Information Team, February 2011.

This factsheet is for parents of children who have dyslexia, or people who would like information about it.

Dyslexia is a condition that hinders the development of language-based skills, including reading, spelling and writing.

About dyslexia

Dyslexia is a specific learning difficulty that affects skills associated with language. It's a long-lasting difficulty with reading and writing and it's not something your child will grow out of, but it can be improved with specialist teaching.

Dyslexia isn't related to intelligence, but it can affect abilities such as short-term memory, organisational skills and concentration.

Dyslexia is sometimes associated with other conditions such as dyspraxia (difficulty co-ordinating and organising thoughts and movements) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Symptoms of dyslexia

Dyslexia affects different people in different ways. It can range from mild to severe and the symptoms can vary for everyone. For example, if your child has dyslexia, he or she may be good at reading but struggle with spelling or writing.

You can often spot signs of dyslexia in children at a young age. However, because children develop at different rates, it's important to remember that even if your child has one or more of the characteristics associated with dyslexia, it doesn't necessarily mean that he or she has the condition. Symptoms of dyslexia don’t always show early on – they may only start to show at a late stage in your child's school life.

 Compared with other children of the same age, your child may:

• be slow to develop clear speech (usually not speaking until after he or she is two)
• have difficulty pronouncing certain words, and get them muddled up eg 'mawn lower' instead of lawn mower (although most children mix up pronunciation as they learn to talk)
• have difficulty working out which words rhyme with each other
• have difficulty with numbers – putting them in the wrong order or the wrong way round, eg 14 for 41
• have difficulty learning the alphabet
• not be able to tell the difference between letters and other symbols
• read letters or words in the wrong order or reversed (eg reading 'was' as 'saw', writing 'd' as 'b' and 'p' as 'q')
• have difficulty recognising words that he or she has previously seen
• miss out words or add extra words where they aren't needed
• not be able to recognise or spell his or her own name when written
• have poor handwriting

If your child has a number of these problems, talk to your child's school, GP or health visitor.

Your child may experience visual disturbances or discomfort when reading text, such as blurred words and letters that appear to move around on the page. Some children are sensitive to the glare of a white background on a page or computer screen. He or she may also be unable to read certain colours of text on a white background, for example if a teacher uses red pen to write on a whiteboard. Your child may not tell you about these difficulties so you may want to ask what he or she sees when looking at a printed page.

There are also some symptoms that aren’t related to reading or writing.

• Your child may have poor fine motor skills, for example he or she may have trouble tying shoe laces, drawing or cutting.
• Your child may have trouble following instructions or struggle to do things in the right order (sequencing).
• Your child may have difficulty remembering instructions and concentrating.
• Your child may have poor co-ordination.
• Older children may lack confidence and have low self-esteem.

Children with dyslexia may also have, or develop, particular strengths, such as:

• increased creativity and artistic/dramatic skills
• good lateral or 'big picture' thinking ability
• intuitive problem-solving skills
• good visual and spatial skills
• good social skills

Causes of dyslexia

The exact reasons why your child may have dyslexia aren't fully understood at present. People with dyslexia are usually born with the condition but it’s generally not recognised until your child enters school. It's thought to be caused by differences in the way that their brain processes information, particularly language. Dyslexia is related to genetics – many people with dyslexia have a family member who also has the same characteristics.

Diagnosis of dyslexia

If you think your child may have dyslexia, it's important that you speak to his or her school as early as possible. You can request a statutory assessment for him or her through your local education authority.

The assessment may include tests, interviews and observation of your child. The assessment will usually be carried out by a Chartered Educational Psychologist (a professional who specialises in the mind and behaviour), who will advise you and your child's school about how best to manage his or her difficulties.

Following your child's assessment you will be provided with a report with recommendations for educational support for your child.

Treatment of dyslexia

With support, your child can learn to read and write well. Usually, the earlier you find out that your child has dyslexia the better. It means that additional help can be offered at school and you can also help at home.

Help at home

It's important to be as supportive as you can and build up your child's confidence. The following tips may be helpful.

• Speak to your child's teacher about his or her abilities, progress and any problem areas.
• Keep in touch with your child's teacher regularly and find ways you can support and help.
• Try to meet other parents whose children have dyslexia. Sharing tips and mutual support can help during setbacks.
• Read aloud with your child every day – this will help build his or her vocabulary and develop his or her ability to understand the meaning of words and phrases.
• Help your child to organise his or her homework – for example, break up large tasks into smaller, more manageable chunks as this can make large tasks seem less daunting. Read through all instructions with your child to make sure he or she has a clear understanding of what needs to be done.
• Encourage your child to take part in lots of activities outside school. This can help to build his or her confidence.

The more you believe in your child's abilities, the more he or she will develop in confidence.

• Encourage your child to update you regularly on his or her progress and give praise for any improvement.
• Talk openly with your child about his or her dyslexia and encourage your child to discuss his or her feelings with you.
• Point out successful role models who have dyslexia, for example Richard Branson, Steve Redgrave and Keira Knightley.
• As your child gets older, help him or her to explain dyslexia to other people.

Help at school or college

Education authorities and schools must cater for children with special educational needs, including those who have dyslexia.

Talk to your child’s teachers at school. Arrange to see the school's Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator so that any specialist teaching arrangements can be made and an Individual Education Plan can be put in place.

There are many things that can be done to help your child at school. Children with dyslexia respond best to teaching that is highly structured, thorough, builds up gradually (cumulative) and is multi-sensory (looking, listening, saying and doing). Lessons should be varied, interesting and active involving different types of learning, including books, computers, interactive DVDs and other materials. Your child may be given extra time to complete tasks and your child's teacher may use alternative ways of assessing him or her.

If your child is sensitive to glare from the white background of a page, his or her school can provide cream or pastel-coloured paper to reduce glare. Coloured overlays can be used to make reading and writing easier, or your child may benefit from tinted glasses. The school or your GP may be able to refer your child to an optometrist who has specialist knowledge of this condition (a registered health professional who examines eyes, tests sight and dispenses glasses and contact lenses) if you think he or she would benefit from tinted glasses.

If your child is struggling, his or her school may be able to provide specialist support, or support from a learning assistant who can spend time with your child on a one-to-one basis.

For answers to frequently asked questions on this topic, see Common questions.

For sources and links to further information, see Resources.