What does dyslexia look like in the classroom?

All students with dyslexia have the same core characteristic:

persistent problems with phonological processing.

This means they will have difficulties with decoding (when reading) and

spelling (when writing).

Characteristics of dyslexiaSome of the characteristics of dyslexia are known as

persisting factors.

As well as the core phonological processing difficulties, these can include:

variable performance (eg from one day to the next)

poor retention of previously learned reading & writing skills

unexpectedly poor output for considerable effort (which may result in fatigue and loss of motivation)

difficulty with word storage (eg retaining word patterns)

difficulty with sequencing and with retaining a sequence (such as the letters in a word) over time.

Things to note:These indicators may be related to dyslexia at

different times during schooling, but many form a continuum across all ages. Children develop at different rates.

The presence of one or several of these characteristics does not mean that a student has or will develop dyslexia.

The presence of many characteristics will indicate a need to carry out a close assessment of the student.

Teachers should pay particular attention to students who consistently have difficulties, despite focussed instruction.

First year of schoolDifficulty with certain spoken language skills, such as

understanding vocabulary and grammatical awareness

have very poor reading (compared with expectations for the age) even of very familiar words

have extremely messy handwriting with poorly formed letters

have great difficulty spelling simple, common words

often mix up letters or figures

have a poor sense of rhyme

are unsure of the sound a letter or combination represents (for example, h or sh).

After first year of schoolslow to identify connections between sounds

and letters

constantly make inconsistent spelling errors (eg spell a word different ways within 1 piece of writing)

leave letters out of words or write them in the wrong order and are unable to see the errors

have good ideas but take longer than average to do written work

make reversal or confusion errors in reading or writing

read very slowly and consistently make decoding errors

have difficulty decoding single words in isolation

show frustration with, or avoidance of, text tasks

appear to be fatigued by the effort needed to complete a reading or writing task

lack confidence and appear to be developing a poor self-image.

Secondary Students

struggle to express their ideas in writing (although they may be able to express themselves well orally)

use incorrect letter order in words when writing but are not able to see what is wrong

have trouble finding a word in the dictionary

become tangled with multisyllabic words (in oral and written language)

may read, but very slowly, with limited understanding (often because of the time and effort required to access the words)

are able to understand a class text that is read to them but unable to read the text themselves

have poor confidence and self-esteem, which may be seen as lack of motivation, disengagement or challenging behaviours.

Dyslexia not always the answer!

When a student has persistent difficulties with reading and writing (spelling), there can still be many other possible causes.

Characteristics or indicators of dyslexia can be helpful for initially identifying or screening students who may need further assessment.

Teachers and RTLB cannot diagnose dyslexia.

Whether a child is diagnosed with dyslexia or not, the strategies that you will hear about later can be used for all children needing extra support in literacy and learning in general.