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What Are the Symptoms?

People with dyslexia may have problems in several of the following areas that interfere with their ability to learn:

• Learning Style: May be early or late in crawling, walking or talking; appears bright but doesn't read, write, or spell at grade level; may be seen as not trying hard enough; may not perform well on tests despite a high IQ.
• Motor Skills: Has poor handwriting or trouble writing or copying; has poor coordination; does not do well at team sports; has difficulty with motor-oriented tasks; is prone to motion sickness; may be ambidextrous; confuses left and right, and over and under; learns best through hands-on experiences.
• Language and Reading Skills: Gets dizzy, headache, or stomachache when reading; doesn't read for pleasure; shows transpositions, additions, substitutions, or reversals in letters, numbers, and words when reading or writing; spells phonetically and inconsistently; has difficulty putting thoughts into words; may stutter.
• Math/Numbers Skills: Has difficulty learning to tell time or being on time; can do arithmetic but not word problems; has trouble grasping algebra or higher math; poor memory for sequences; thinks with images or feelings, not the sounds of words.
• Behavior: May be disorderly or disruptive in class; is easily frustrated about school, reading, writing, or math; may wet the bed beyond appropriate age; shows dramatic increase in symptoms under time pressure or emotional stress.
• Vision: May complain of vision problems that don't show up on standard tests; may lack depth perception and peripheral vision.

The most consistent thing about people with dyslexia may be their inconsistency: Their skills and abilities may seem to vary from day to day. A dyslexic child who can spell a word one day may be unable to spell it the following day.