Dyslexia is often diagnosed in mid to late primary school, when children start “reading to learn” rather than “learning to read”. At this stage in their schooling they can no longer rely on ‘guessing’, and their difficulties in reading fluency and comprehension become apparent. Further testing at that point may reveal significant ‘gaps’ (for example, difficulties blending sounds to form words, or poor ‘sight word’ knowledge, etc). Research has shown that the younger a child is when these difficulties are identified, the more effective intervention will be.
Parents or teachers may notice difficulties early in the child’s schooling; for example, a child may have trouble learning letter sounds in Prep. Often, parents report ‘knowing’ there was a problem early on. If a child is showing early ‘signs’ of Dyslexia, it is essential that they receive the right sort of instruction as early as possible to optimise outcomes. Research has shown that the earlier a child receives targeted intervention, the better their outcomes in reading, writing and spelling. It is never too early to start intervening if a child is falling behind.
Early indicators of Dyslexia may include difficulties with the following:
- Reciting the alphabet correctly
- Learning letter sounds
- Blending letter sounds to form simple words
- Recognising simple, high frequency words
- Recognising and / or writing their name
- Remembering how to form / write letters
- Phonological awareness (e.g. identifying syllables, or the initial sound in words)
- Following instructions and recalling more than one instruction at a time, keeping up with class discussions
- Pronouncing words properly.
These difficulties are often ‘unexpected’ and occur in the absence of a global developmental delay (i.e. general delays in the child’s development).
The Dyslexia screening / early reading assessment provides a standardised assessment of skills underlying reading acquisition, as well as early literacy skills, including the following:
- Phonological and phonemic awareness (can the child identify syllables, and hear individual sounds within words?)
- Phonological Short Term Memory (can the child remember a sequence of sounds?)
- Rapid Naming (how quickly can the child label pictures or letters and numbers?)
- Letter Sounds
- Receptive Language (understanding of language).
The assessment allows for identification of areas of weakness, along with recommendations for the provision of targeted intervention. Receiving the right intervention early on is likely to result in less severe difficulties down the track. The importance of implementing early screening for reading or spelling difficulties is highlighted in the following article: https://dyslexiaida.org/its-a-myth-that-young-children-cannot-be-screened-for-dyslexia/
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