Signs of Dyslexia in Teenagers
If your teen is struggling with reading and spelling, ask their school to test them for dyslexia. Kids can then be assessed by a psychologist or reading specialist and receive support at school.
Dyslexia is a common problem for people who struggle with reading, writing and spelling. But children with dyslexia can still have excellent skills in other areas - like creative thinking.
Difficulty in Reading
If your teenager struggles with reading and spelling, this is a sign that dyslexia may be present. Dyslexia is not an indicator of intelligence, but it can make learning difficult.
Children with dyslexia often have a'spiky' profile where they have areas of strength alongside their weaknesses. They may be highly talented in music, sports, art, drama or other subjects, but struggle with written work. They often have low self-esteem and cover up their weaknesses with ingenious compensatory strategies. They may also have sloppy handwriting and poor motor skills.
Dyslexia symptoms vary depending on the age of a child, and can be difficult to detect in 3 or 4 year olds as language processing skills do not mature fully until this age. However, signs include reversing letters (cat: lap), missing spaces between words and swapping the order of words within a sentence. They can also struggle to recognise rhyming words and have trouble with the sounds in a word.
Difficulty in Spelling
When children who have dyslexia struggle with spelling it can be a source of great frustration. Words may blend together or their letters may get mixed up. They might misspell high frequency sight words (non-phonetic but very common words like because, what and where) and struggle to remember syllable patterns.
Their spelling can also be affected by their difficulty with language conventions such as grammar. This can show up in their written work with numerous erasures and crossed outs.
Often the struggles in spelling and reading are caused by inefficient or inaccurate language processing, rather than a lack of intelligence or effort. It’s important to talk with your child’s teacher or SEN co-ordinator about the possibility of dyslexia and ask for advice. You might also want to consider double-up their school support with a one-to-one tutor who can help them with the topics that are difficult. Dyslexia is a very common condition, but it can cause people to feel isolated and embarrassed. It’s crucial that you tell your teenager that dyslexia doesn’t mean they are less intelligent or lazy, and that it just affects how they learn.
Difficulty in Writing
Many teens with dyslexia have a tendency to mispell words in writing. They may misspell them erratically over the course of a sentence, or confuse similarly-sounding and looking words (eg: bred and bread). Some also have trouble with cursive writing and struggle to remember how to form certain letters correctly.
These problems can often be difficult for teens to talk about, particularly in school where their teachers have a lot of students and don't have time to help each child individually. As a result, a child with dyslexia might choose to hide their struggles in order not to upset or worry their parents or teachers.
If you notice your teen struggling with reading, writing or spelling in school, it is worth considering getting them tested for dyslexia. An expert in dyslexia can provide a thorough assessment and recommend the best learning techniques to help them through school. Remember that a diagnosis of dyslexia doesn't affect intelligence, and that people with dyslexia can still do exceptionally well in a variety of subjects.
Difficulty in Math
People with dyslexia often dyslexia educational strategies have trouble with math as well. This doesn’t always happen in elementary school — many gifted children with dyslexia do exceptionally well in math, but it can become problematic later on in life as they struggle to connect numbers and patterns. They might have difficulty remembering sequences like days of the week or the alphabet, and can confuse similar letters or numbers (p and q, for instance).
They may also be clumsy or uncoordinated; they’re likely to have poor motor skills, and their handwriting is often illegible. They might be impulsive, and tend to rush through word problems without checking their work.
It’s important to recognize the signs of dyslexia in teenagers so that they can get the help they need. A dyslexia evaluation can help identify a person’s struggles and determine the best ways to learn so that they can achieve their full potential in high school, college, and beyond.