Dyslexia 101: What It Is and Its Symptoms 

Of all learning disabilities, one of the most common struggles most of us have heard of is dyslexia. This is often explained as a difficulty learning to read because of the tendency to jumble up letters, like b, d, and p. 

Movies and books often portray children who act as the class clown in order to hide the fact that they can’t read. So most of us think that dyslexia is limited to reading issues. 

But do you know that’s not all that dyslexia is? 

What is Dyslexia? 

First, let’s look at what the word actually means. The word dyslexia comes from the Greek prefix “dys” which means malfunction or difficulty. The root word “lexis” means “language.” This means that literally, the word dyslexia means “difficulty with language.” 

This in itself tells us that dyslexia is not just a struggle with reading, but with anything related to language. This may include oral communication, reading, spelling, understanding math terms, and anything else that can involve language.

From the book How to Detect and Manage Dyslexia by Philomena Ott, we read this quote:

“Dyslexia is manifest by variable difficulty with different forms of language, often including, in addition to problems with reading, a conspicuous problem with acquiring proficiency in writing and spelling.” 

The Orton Dyslexia Society Research Committee April, 1994

When we understand this broader view, we can see more of how dyslexia can affect a person’s daily life, not just his reading. 

Secondly, more recent research has started to identify dyslexia not as an inherent “disorder” but a neurodivergent brain wiring. This means that it’s not something to be fixed, but a part of a person’s natural bent, which comes with both weaknesses to work around and strengths to celebrate. 

Myths and Truths about Dyslexia 

Because dyslexia is one of the most commonly known—but just as commonly misunderstood—neurodivergence, we want to unpack a few myths. 

Myth #1. You can acquire dyslexia from your upbringing. 

No, dyslexia is not something you get from any lack in your upbringing. Instead, it has been proven to be something that people are born with. In fact, some research has shown a possible genetic link, with dyslexia tending to run in families, and more often seen in males than in females. 

Myth #2. It’s just psychological. 

Some resources describe dyslexia symptoms as showing up as a result of early experiences with shame in poor reading. While this is a common experience for children with dyslexia, it is not the cause; in fact, it is more likely an effect of the inherent struggle with learning to read. 

More recent research has shown that dyslexia is a neurological condition, a natural brain wiring that results in this specific way of processing information.

Symptoms of Dyslexia 

With those two basic myths unravelled, let’s take a look at some of the symptoms of dyslexia.  

1. Difficulty with phonological awareness 

Children with dyslexia tend to struggle with phonological awareness, which can manifest in the following ways: 

• Struggle with identifying the sound he hears 
• Difficulty identifying and remembering letter sounds and names, part of which makes reading, spelling, and writing a challenge

2. Difficulty with speech and language

Understanding that dyslexia affects not just reading but overall language means that we can identify other areas of difficulty. Some of these include: 

• Problems recalling the correct name for objects
• Mispronouncing words 
• Mixing up words (such as in Spoonerism, a trait where you mix up syllables or sounds that may end up sounding funny) 
• Tendency to talk in a roundabout way 
• Issues with forming sentences effectively (or struggles with syntax)  
• Struggles with rhyming words and alliteration 

3. Poor short term memory 

Another common symptom of dyslexia is a poor short term memory, which is why many dyslexics struggle with memorizing sequences, more than the average child. Some ways this manifests are the following: 

• Difficulty remembering sequences that come naturally to neurotypicals, such as the alphabet, numbers, months of the year, and days of the week, including counting backwards and memorizing the times tables 
• Trouble reciting nursery rhymes 
• Finding it hard to work through mazes because of struggle remembering which way doesn’t work 
• Issues with dressing, especially those that require multiple steps, such as tying shoelaces, buttoning, or putting on multiple layers of clothing 
• Struggles with remembering messages or mixing them up 
• Difficulty following a series of instructions 
• Difficulty describing an event in chronological order 
• Difficulty learning to dance, especially when it involves a sequence of steps and actions to make 

4.  Struggle with directionality 

Dyslexics are known for mixing up letters that look alike when turned in another direction. But they also struggle with directions like right or left, east or west, backwards/forwards, down/up. This can be seen in things like: 

• Mixing up the left and right shoe past the age when this is deemed normal 
• Not sure which way to turn the tap to turn it on or off 
• Struggle with keeping up with playground games that include directional instructions 
• Possible difficulty with setting the table when confusing where the cutlery should go 

5. Motor skills challenges 

Interestingly, research has shown that motor skills may also be affected by the presence of dyslexia. Here are some possible difficulties that a dyslexic child may have: 

• A tendency to be clumsy, such as frequently running into people or knocking things over
• Fine motor difficulty, such as learning to use cutlery, using a pair of scissors, using an eraser, or tracing pictures 
• Gross motor difficulty such as hopping, skipping, throwing or catching a ball 
• Possible struggle with clapping or tapping rhythms to music (Source: Wolff, Michel and Ovrut) 
• Possible difficulty learning to ride a bike 
• Possible difficulty learning to swim, especially in terms of synchronizing the movement of the arms, legs, and even the timing of breathing 

Managing Dyslexia Symptoms 

While this list may not be a fully extensive list of dyslexia symptoms, we hope it gives you an overview of the kinds of things that may be affected with this neurodivergence. The good news is that understanding it is the first step towards embracing it and finding accommodations needed to help make things easier for our dyslexic child.