During my research on dyslexia as a mom on a quest, I came across a common thread of alarming signs to be on the lookout for catching dyslexia early. To our surprise, our almost 7-year-old had none of the early signs for the younger group, yet hit a brick wall in first grade when he turned 7. It was as if all the symptoms appeared in a few months period.

If you are in search of a quick checklist:

For younger children ages 3-7:

–          Trouble with nursery rhymes

–          Do not recognize rhyming patterns

–          Cannot learn or remember names of the letters in the alphabet

–          Mispronounce familiar words

–          Do not understand that words come apart

–          Do not associate letters with sounds

–          Difficulty blending in sounds in words; t-a-p: tap

–          Difficulty separating sounds in simple words; cat: c-a-t

–          Trouble learning rote information; days of the week, months of the year

–          Cannot sound out simple words; dog or big

For older children ages 7 and older:

–          Reverse letters; b / d, w / m, p / q

–          Reverse words; pit vs tip, on vs no

–          Cannot read new words

–          Memorize text rather than reading

–          Substitute words while reading; dog vs puppy, ship vs boat

–          Confuse words that sound or look similar such as “smell and small” or “kick and lick”

–          Difficulty memorizing rote information

–          Do not advance in reading skills

–          Complains about how hard reading is

–          Avoid reading aloud

–          Have a messy handwriting and poor spelling

In addition:

–          Show low self-esteem and confidence in spite of being bright

–          Resist to attending school

–          Have family members with reading problems