Dyslexia: Signs and symptoms

Dyslexia is a complex problem which is not easily detected especially pre-school children. Often symptoms become visible only when a child starts school. Some of the common symptoms are described in below by Mayo Clinic.

According to Mayo Clinic: "Children with dyslexia commonly have problems processing and understanding what they hear. They may have difficulty comprehending rapid instructions, following more than one command at a time or remembering the sequence of things. Reversals of letters (b for d) and a reversal of words (saw for was) are typical among children who have dyslexia. Reversals are also common for children age 6 and younger who don't have dyslexia. But with dyslexia, the reversals persist. Children with dyslexia may fail to see (and occasionally to hear) similarities and differences in letters and words, may not recognize the spacing that organizes letters into separate words, and may be unable to sound out the pronunciation of an unfamiliar word."

As mentioned above, even children without dyslexia may exhibit symptoms from time to time, especially those 6 years old or younger. So do not be unduly concerned and it may well worth to have those suspected with this problem to be evaluated by professionals. Early intervention will help those afflicted with this problem to better cope with the additional challenges they face at schoool which include emotional and social difficulties. They will have rough at school with other children calling them names making them retreating into their own world. Teachers who may not be aware of the difficulties faced by dyslexics may attribute their poor performance at school for not putting in effort and do their work like other children. It can be quite counter-productive.

When in doubt, check it out. In Singapore, you may contact the Dyslexic Association of Singapore (DAS) and a host of other private organisations that could offer assistance in assessing and managing dyslexia.The following are useful links:

www.disability.org.sg
www.das.org.sg
www.moe.gov.sg/esp/schadm/sec1/Ref%20I.pdf