37 Common Characteristics of Dyslexia© 1992 by Ronald D. Davis
General
* Appears bright, highly intelligent, and articulate, but unable to read, write, or spell at grade level.
* Labelled lazy, dumb, careless, immature, "not trying hard enough", or "behaviour problem".
* Isn't "behind enough" or "bad enough" to be helped in the school setting.
* High in IQ, yet may not test well academically; tests well orally, but not written.
* Feels dumb; has poor self-esteem; hides or covers up weaknesses with ingenious compensatory strategies; easily frustrated and emotional about school reading or testing.
* Talented in art, drama, music, sports, mechanics, story-telling, sales, business, designing, building or engineering.
* Seems to "Zone out" or daydream often; get lost easily or loses track of time.
* Difficulty sustaining attention; seems "hyper" or "daydreamer".
* Learns best through hands-on experience, demonstrations, experimentation, observation, and visual aids.
Vision, Reading, and Spelling
* Complains of dizziness, headaches, or stomach aches while reading.
* Confused by letters, numbers, words, sequences, or verbal explanations.
* Reading or writing shows repetitions, additions, transpositions, omissions, substitutions and reversals in letters, numbers, and/or words.
* Complains of feeling or seeing non-existent movement while reading, writing, or copying.
* Seems to have difficulty with vision, yet eye exams don't reveal a problem.
* Extremely keen-sighted and observant, or lacks depth perception and peripheral vision.
* Reads and rereads with little comprehension.
* Spells phonetically and inconsistently.
Hearing and Speech
* Has extended hearing; hears things not said or apparent to others; easily distracted by sounds.
* Difficulty putting thoughts into words; speaks in halting phrases; leaves sentences incomplete; stutters under stress; mispronounces long words, or transposes phrases, words and syllables when speaking.
Writing and Motor Skills
* Trouble with writing or copying; pencil grip is unusual; handwriting varies or is illegible.
* Clumsy, uncoordinated, poor at a ball or team sports; difficulties with fine and/or gross motor skills and tasks; prone to motion-sickness.
* Can be ambidextrous and often confuses left/right, over/under.
Math and Time Management
* Has difficulty telling time, managing time, learning sequenced information or tasks, or being on time.
* Computing math shows dependence on finger counting and other tricks; knows answers, but can't do it on paper.
* Can count, but has difficulty counting objects and dealing with money.
* Can do arithmnetic, but fails word problems; cannot grasp algebra or higher math.
Memory and Cognition
* Excellent long-term memory for experiences, locations and faces.
* Poor memory for sequences, facts and information that has not been experienced.
* Thinks primarily with images and feeling, not sounds or words (little internal dialogue).
Behaviour, Health, Development, and Personality
* Extremely disorderly or compulsively orderly.
* Can be class clown, trouble-maker, or too quiet.
* Had unusually early or late developmental stages(talking, crawling, walking, tying shoes).
* Prone to ear infections; sensitive to foods, additives and chemical products.
* Can be an extra deep or light sleeper; bedwetting beyond appropriate age.
* Unusually high or low tolerance for pain.
* Strong sense of justice, emotionally sensitive; strives for perfection.
* Mistakes and symptoms increase dramatically with confusion, time pressure, emotional stress, or poor health.
The Davis Dyslexia Correction® Program helps people with these characteristics every day. The disabling aspects of dyslexia are correctable and can be overcome. |
