Working with children can be so rewarding – for teachers, for new or first-time parents, and for a huge range of support staff in schools and clinics. But it takes a long time to accumulate the experience and skills to pinpoint how a child needs help. For people with limited experience working with children who have learning disabilities, it can be hard to differentiate between a child requiring additional instruction in certain areas vs. having a learning disability like dyslexia.
There are tools that can be used to help with a more accurate diagnosis of dyslexia, but it is also important to know the signs of dyslexia across different age groups.
Early Kindergarten and Preschool (Ages three to five)
At this age, if a screener is performed and is accurate, the long-term management and insight have the best effect on the child’s education and confidence. Signs of dyslexia are more subtle in this age group, but as children are developing foundational language and pre-literacy skills, these signs are crucial to flag.
The signs usually include delayed speech development compared to children of the same age. They may have difficulty learning things like nursery rhymes and may be unable to recognise words that rhyme. There may also be difficulties with learning the alphabet song.
Children who may have dyslexia in this age group may also have difficulties pronouncing multiple-syllable words, and mispronunciation is common. The word ‘as’ may be pronounced as ‘has.’
At this age, reading is not common or expected, but issues with reading and phonological processing will appear here.
Early Elementary School (Age six to eight)
At this stage in education, reading becomes more important and a standard part of daily life. So here, the signs of dyslexia become more noticeable, which is why a dyslexia test like the comprehensive Tests of Dyslexia (TOD) is crucial as early as age five.
Teachers, parents, and caregivers may notice that a child will struggle with slow, laboured reading and engage in guessing words regularly. It is also at this stage that the issues with phonics will become more pronounced, alongside poor spelling and errors in spelling that are inconsistent. In writing, a child with dyslexia may confuse letters such as b/d or p/q. This can lead to avoidance of writing and, with issues surrounding reading, a child may begin to avoid reading out loud.
According to a 2017 study in PubMed, most children with dyslexia are diagnosed during this age range if they are given the right screening tools.
Later Elementary School to Middle School (Age nine to thirteen)
This is where teachers may notice the secondary impacts of undiagnosed dyslexia, as well as ongoing difficulties with reading and writing. It is also around this time when teachers may notice a difference between a student’s intelligence level and their reading level, which is a trademark symptom of dyslexia, based on research by Frontiers in Education in 2023.
A child with dyslexia can show high intelligence in reasoning and spatial tasks, but may present with poor written expression, consistent spelling errors, and a weak vocabulary due to limited reading. They may show issues with taking notes and problems with following multi-step instructions. Children may also begin to show frustration or anger with subjects related to reading and writing, which can begin to look like a behavioural issue. To determine the root cause of these issues, an assessment for dyslexia should be administered.
Adolescents and Teenagers (Ages fourteen and higher)
If dyslexia is not addressed and supported by the time an individual reaches their teen years, it can hinder confidence and academic success.
Teachers may notice students avoiding reading and writing tasks, as well as problems with taking notes or timed tests. They may be consistently underperforming, even though they have a great oral ability, and they may even admit to having problems with reading or longer assignments.
Teachers, parents, and other caregivers should be aware of the indicators of dyslexia across different age groups. This will speed up the likelihood of intervention with a dyslexia assessment, which statistically points to more positive outcomes in the academic field. If dyslexia is not identified or spotted, it can start to present as a behavioural issue, which can impact a child’s school performance and overall confidence.
