HANDY HINTS FOR PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS ON HOW TO SPOT A DYSLEXIC CHILD
How do you tell if a child may have Dyslexia or if he's just slow or lazy?
Ther eare some obvious signs, if you know what to look for. And it vital that you do know, because dyslexic children need special help. If they don't get it, they'll fal lfurther and further behind. They'll become frustrated and lose their self-esteem.
This list gives some hints on identification. It's worth printing off and keeping handy - the chances are there's at least one dyslexic child in each of your classes.
Written Work
Look out for a child who.....
has a poor standard of written work compared with oral ability
produces messy work with many crossings out and words tried several times eg wippe, wype, wiep, wipe
is persistently confused by letters which look similar, particularl yb/d, p/g, p/q, n/u, m/w,
has poor handwriting, with many 'reversals' and badly formed letters
spells a word several different ways in one piece of writing
makes anagrams of words eg tired for tried, breaded for bearded
produces badly set-out written work, doesn't stay close to the margin
Reading
makes poor reading progress, especially with phonics.
finds it difficult to blend letters together
has difficulty in establishing syllable division or knowing thebeginnings and endings of words
is hesitant and laboured in reading, especially when reading aloud
misses out words when reading, or adds extra words
fails to recognise familiar words
loses the point of a story being read or written
has difficulty in picking out the most important points from a passage
Numeracy
shows confusion with number order eg units, tens, hundreds
is confused by symbols, such as + and x signs
has difficulty with the diiferent sysnonyms for the names of the four operations (such as subtract, take away, less etc)
has difficulty remembering anything in a sequential order eg tables, days of the week, the alphabet
Time
has difficulty in learning to tell the time
shows poor time keeping and general awareness
has poor personal organisation
has difficulty in remembering what day of the week it is, his birth date, seasons of the year, month of the year
Skills
has poor motor skills, leading to weaknesses in the speed, control and accuracy of the pencil
has a limited understanding of non-verbal communication
is confused by the difference between left and right
has indeterminate hand preference
performs unevenly from day to day
Behaviour
employs work avoidance tactics, such as sharpening pencils and looking for books
seems to 'dream', does not seem to listen
is easily distracted
is the class clown, or is disruptive or withdrawn (these are often cries for help)
is excessively tired, due to the amount of concentration and effort required
If a child has a cluster of these difficulties, he may be dyslexic.
With acknowledgements to the UK Department for Education and Employment SEN Division.