Dyslexia

About dyslexia

Dyslexia is a natural variation in the way the brain processes language. It’s a type of neurodivergence.

This variation means that children with dyslexia have serious difficulties with reading and spelling, even when they’ve had opportunities to learn and have tried very hard to learn. Children with dyslexia might also have difficulties with organisational skills, memory or physical coordination.

Dyslexia is a lifelong condition.

Dyslexia is a type of learning difficulty – that is, a specific, serious and ongoing difficulty in a particular area of learning. It’s also sometimes called a specific learning disorder or specific learning difference.

Signs of dyslexia in preschoolers

There can be early signs of dyslexia before children start school. Preschoolers might have dyslexia if they:

are slow to develop spoken language
don’t pronounce words the way you’d expect for their age
can’t play with sounds in words – for example, they have difficulty rhyming words like ‘cat’, ‘bat’ and ‘sat’
have difficulty learning nursery rhymes
have difficulty repeating back long words and sentences
have difficulty learning sequences – for example, numbers or the days of the week
aren’t sure of the difference between letters and numbers
are slow to connect letters and their sounds.

Signs of dyslexia are often picked up in the first 2 years of school or when children start learning to read.

Signs of dyslexia in school-age children

It can be easier to notice signs of dyslexia once children start school and work on literacy skills more formally.

Reading and spelling
School-age children might have dyslexia if they:

have more difficulty reading and spelling than you’d expect for their age
try to guess and memorise words instead of sounding out words when reading
struggle to remember words even when they’ve read and/or written the words many times
have difficulty identifying individual sounds in words – for example, they have trouble identifying the first sound in the word ‘sit’ or the middle sound in ‘foot’
have difficulty sounding out words – for example, they find it difficult to sound out the word ‘cat’ as the sounds c-a-t
have difficulty putting sounds together to make words – for example, they can’t put together the sounds b-a-t to sound the word ‘bat’.

Understanding, memory and other skills
School-age children might have dyslexia if they:

can’t follow instructions, games or routines with multiple steps
have difficulty understanding directions – for example, they get confused between up and down, under and over, and left and right
have difficulty learning times tables
have difficulty paying attention, sitting still and listening to stories
seem disorganised and forgetful.

Signs of dyslexia in pre-teens and teenagers

Most children with dyslexia are diagnosed in childhood, but some children aren’t diagnosed until adolescence.

Reading and spelling
Pre-teens and teenagers might have dyslexia if they:

avoid reading or don’t want to read
get a lot of words wrong when reading aloud – for example, they stammer or struggle with short, common words and have trouble with longer words
have difficulty identifying individual sounds within words – for example, they find it hard to take the ‘r’ sound out of ‘frog’ to make ‘fog’
read without speed, fluency, rhythm or changes in tone
prefer to listen to others reading aloud
have poor spelling skills, which they might disguise with messy handwriting.

Vocabulary and writing
Pre-teens and teenagers might have dyslexia if they:

have poor vocabulary when writing
have difficulty planning and writing essays or reports.

General behaviour and wellbeing
Pre-teens and teenagers with dyslexia might also:

avoid specific subjects, tasks or skills
seem frustrated or angry
behave in challenging ways at school or home
have anxiety
have low self-esteem and see themselves as ‘stupid’ or ‘different’ compared to friends or peers.

If you think your child might have a learning difficulty, it’s important to have it checked out as early as possible. As children get older, they can become quite good at covering up problems with learning.

Diagnosing dyslexia

Early diagnosis of dyslexia is very important. The earlier children are diagnosed, the earlier they can get support to read, spell and learn in ways that work for them.

If your child is showing signs of dyslexia or literacy difficulties or you have a family history of dyslexia or reading difficulties, it’s important to seek professional advice.

You could start by talking to your child’s preschool or school teacher, your child and family health nurse, GP or paediatrician, a speech pathologist or a psychologist. These professionals can direct you to appropriate services and support and help your child get a formal assessment.

You don’t need a GP referral to see a speech pathologist or psychologist. But if you get a GP referral, you might be able to see these health professionals and then get money back through Medicare. Or you might be able to get money back through private health insurance, if you have it.

For more information about assessment, you can try contacting your nearest Australian Federation of SPELD Associations (AUSPELD) branch. You can also contact the Australian Dyslexia Association to find out about their pre-assessment service.

Specialised support for children with dyslexia

The earlier that children with dyslexia get specialised support, the better their chances of making good progress. Early and specialised support for learning can also boost children’s confidence and self-esteem.

Specialised support starts with identifying your child’s strengths and encouraging their interests.

It also includes:

specialist small group programs at school
one-on-one tutoring with a specialist teacher
adjustments at school – for example, extra time to complete tests
specialist computer software – for example, spell-checkers, screen readers, word prediction or voice recognition.

There are many simple and effective ways to support children with dyslexia. It’s a good idea to talk about options with your GP, a paediatrician, an occupational therapist, a speech therapist, a teacher or a psychologist.

Family support for children with dyslexia

There are many things you can do to support your child:

You are your child’s best advocate. Learn as much as you can about dyslexia and work with your child’s preschool or school to make sure your child’s needs, interests and rights are being met.
Keep in close touch with your child’s teacher and other professionals. Ask them about how your child is progressing and how to support your child at home.
Explain to your child that they learn differently from others and their dyslexia has nothing to do with how smart they are. Your child’s psychologist or speech therapist can give you ideas for talking with your child about their learning difficulties.
Build resilience in children 3-8 years or resilience in pre-teens and teenagers. For example, praise your child’s effort and successes, whether it’s in the classroom or in other areas like sport, drama or music.
Read with and to your child until your child has learned enough skills to read independently.
Offer books that suit your child’s reading ability. Choose books with spelling patterns that your child has learned and avoid books with a lot of difficult words.
Help your child learn to spell out sounds to make words instead of memorising the way that words look.

Dyslexia is an accepted disability under the Australian Disability Discrimination Act. Your child has the right to the same educational opportunities as other students. You can read more in our articles on disability law in Australia, anti-discrimination laws in Australia and education rights for children with disability.

Causes of dyslexia

We don’t know what causes dyslexia, but we do know that dyslexia tends to run in families. It might be a condition that one or both parents pass on to their children through their genes.