Common signs of dyslexia in preschool children

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Common signs of dyslexia in preschool children

Dyslexia is a learning disability that hinders the development of some language skills. Children with dyslexia have problems translating the sounds within words (phonemes) into meaningful concepts. If your child has one or two of the following signs, it does not mean that he or she is dyslexic, but it may mean that your child should be tested.

A preschool-aged child with dyslexia may:

• Talk later than most children the same age.
• Have difficulty pronouncing words (for example, busgetti for spaghetti, mawn lower for lawn mower).
• Be slow to add new vocabulary words and unable to recall the right word.
• Have trouble learning the alphabet, numbers, days of the week, colors, shapes, how to spell and write his or her name and have difficulty with rhyming.
• Have difficulty reciting common nursery rhymes.
• Develop fine motor skills more slowly than in other children. For example, your child may take longer than others of the same age to learn how to hold a pencil in the writing position, use buttons and zippers, and brush his or her teeth.
• Often have difficulty separating sounds in words and blending sounds to make words.

Credits

Last updated:	June 12, 2008
Author:	Debby Golonka, MPH
Reviewed By:	Michael J. Sexton, MD - Pediatrics, Louis Pellegrino, MD - Developmental Pediatrics
Editors:	Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Pat Truman, MATC