On the whole, we tend to conceptualise dyslexia as primarily something that has an impact on reading and writing skills – and whilst it can have other effects in an individual’s life, this is one of the main foundations on which we build our cases for assessment and support in children. We look in kids exercise books, at their reading records, at how they break down and construct words as they read and speak – and in many cases, this is great. It gives us a solid basis on which to look at dyslexia as a potential factor in a child’s individual development and a change to intervene and make sure they get the support they need.
But what about those children whose dyslexia doesn’t manifest typically – those who are outwardly very confident around learning; those who have strong masking skills, those who don't tend to voice their needs, or are more private in their personalities?
There’s actually a whole sub-set of dyslexia-indicative traits that manifest a long way outside of written work, and they’re trickier to spot than many of the reading and writing traits that we tend to focus on when we’re looking for symptoms of dyslexia. A trained professional might be able to zero in on them and understand them for what they are with more success, but for most parents and guardians, it’s genuinely difficult – when does a childhood quirk or just a preferred way of doing things, a struggle or a disinterest in something become part of a case for a dyslexia assessment?
In the third and final part of our blog series on ‘off the page’ ways in which dyslexia can manifest, we’re looking at one of the cornerstones of communication – the speaking and listening process, and just how some childhood behaviours within this framework might indicate that a dyslexia assessment might need to be on the table.
7 Signs of Dyslexia in Kids Speaking and Listening
- Everybody forgets words and names sometimes – but for people with dyslexia, it can happen more frequently. Has a child or a young person in your care ever sat there for a good few moments trying to remember the name of what they’re asking you to grab from the kitchen – or do they revert to vague statements like ‘the thingy’, ‘you know what I mean’, or ‘the stuff’ a lot; or do younger kids substitute in nonsense words for things when they can’t remember the actual name?
- Kids with dyslexia might also find themselves struggling with something we call sound confusion- saying carrot for parrot; extreme for explain – some people report being aware of ‘the world coming out wrong’ as they’re saying it, but some have no idea they’re doing it, either. Look for these confusions, and see how frequent they are: it’s important to remember that everybody does it sometimes, but is the child you’re looking at doing it more than most?
- This might seem like an odd one to focus on, but bear with us – does the child you’re looking at have a stutter? Around 1% of the world’s population has a stutter, but when it comes to individuals with dyslexia, the percentage becomes significantly higher; and according to some data, individuals with more severe dyslexia tend to have a more pronounced stutter than those with milder manifestations of the condition. Stuttering and dyslexia share many common features, and it’s been highlighted by research that people with the two conditions seem to share similar gene groups (called ‘alleles’) that prompt an under-activation of some speech and language parts of the brain.
- Delayed speech and language acquisition has also been linked to dyslexia – a child who has dyslexia in the pre-literate stage of their life might struggle with new words or just learn them quite slowly, or demonstrate problems linking a word to an actuality (a shape, say, or a colour). Are they behind their peers in terms of speech and language development – did they start talking later than you expected? Look for signs like substituting words that they do know for ones they might have forgotten or not learned with fluency – calling a square a ‘big triangle’; calling lawn grass ‘plants’, etc.
- Some people with dyslexia say that it simply takes them longer to understand and process auditory information. Is the child in your care constantly saying ‘what?’ or asking you to repeat yourself, or do they often appear confused when you’ve asked them to do something? It might mean that they miss your sentence, or if they’ve been given a sequence of tasks, they’ve only been able to focus on the first and last of them. And it’s important to note that many folks who do have dyslexia have a co-occurring condition called Auditory Processing Disorder, which has its own assessment methodology and support systems – you can check out our fact sheet blog on APD right here at Succeed With Dyslexia.
- Following on from this, try to look at school report cards and teacher feedback- don’t look at the grades per se, but check the comments made about their behaviour in class. Are there always described as ‘struggling to follow instructions’, or ‘never on-task’? Are they often picked up for ‘not listening in class’– or even do they seem reserved and isolate themselves when there are lots of conversations happening at once, like at recess or lunch time? It might be dyslexia coming into play – the symptoms can be subtle, so chatting to class educators who spend 7 or 8 hours a day with your child might be a helpful avenue to pursue.
- Can they rhyme well? And can they identify a rhyme when they see or hear one? Some children and young people with dyslexia struggle with rhyming and the mimicking of sound patterning that it entails, even when it comes to quite simple words like bat and cat; tin and grin – and it can manifest as them struggling with repeating and learning things like poetry and rhyming verse too.
Does any child in your life demonstrate these symptoms? Although not everybody with these symptoms turns out to have dyslexia, if in doubt, it's always better to find out. Assessment is the gateway to a brighter future that’s supported, accessible, and has comfort and ease at the heart of the everyday experience. Learning becomes easier and everyday life becomes something that an individual can take part in to a much greater degree when they’re bolstered with the right professional guidance and assistive technology. That’s why having a broader awareness of signs and symptoms like this is important – just because somebody might look on paper like they’re not struggling with their school work doesn’t mean that it’ll remain that way, and it doesn’t mean that it’s not taking a huge toll on them to keep up or to mask their symptoms. We need to foster a better world understanding of dyslexia and just how diverse and easy to miss it can be, especially in the younger generation, so that they can go forward into a stronger and more aware future with all the support they need to succeed.
You can also find out more about Oral Language Impairment at The International Dyslexia Association.