Dyslexia, literally "difficulty with words”, is a specific learning difficulty which affects a person's ability to read, spell and understand language that he/she hears, or express himself/herself clearly while speaking or in writing. It is often accompanied by strengths in areas such as creative work, physical co-ordination and empathy with other people.

Definition of Dyslexia
Dyslexia is a neurologically based, often hereditary, disorder that interferes with the acquisition and processing of language. Varying in degrees of severity, it is manifested by difficulties in receptive and expressive language, phonological processing, reading, writing, spelling, handwriting, and sometimes in arithmetic. Dyslexia is not the result of lack of motivation, sensory impairment, inadequate instructional or environmental opportunities, or other limiting conditions, but may occur together with these conditions. Although dyslexia is life-long, individuals with dyslexia frequently respond successfully to timely and appropriate intervention. (Revised definition from the International Dyslexia Association).

Common indicators in school going children

Preschool
• Speaks later than most children
• Pronunciation problems
• Difficulty rhyming words
• Slow vocabulary growth, often unable to find the right word
• Trouble learning numbers, alphabet, days of the week, colours, shapes
• Extremely restless and easily distracted
• Trouble interacting with peers
• Difficulty following directions
• Fine motor skills slow to develop
Pre-Primary - Primary

• Slow to learn the connection between letters and sounds
• Confuses between basic words (hot/cold, up/down)
• Makes consistent reading and spelling errors including letter reversals (b/d, p/q), d inversions u/n m/w, transpositions/inversions (felt/left, from/form) and substitutions (house/home)
• Transposes number sequences and confuses computation signs (+, -, x, /, =)
• Slow to remember facts
• Slow to learn new skills, relies heavily on memorisation
• Impulsive, difficulty with planning
• Trouble learning about time
• Unstable pencil grip
• Poor co-ordination, unaware of physical surroundings, prone to accidents

Middle School
• Reverses the sequence of letters and/or words (was/saw, tops/spot, ‘You are how?’ for ‘How are you?’)
• Slow to learn prefixes, suffixes, root words, and other spelling strategies
• Avoids reading aloud
• Trouble with word problems
• Difficulty with handwriting
• Awkward, fist-like, or tight pencil grip
• Avoids writing compositions
• Slow or poor recall of facts
• Difficulty making friends
• Trouble understanding body language and facial expressions
High School
• Continues to spell incorrectly, frequently spells the same word differently in a single piece of writing
• Avoids reading and writing tasks
• Trouble summarising
• Trouble with open-ended questions on tests
• Weak memory skills
• Difficulty adjusting to new settings
• Works slowly
• Poor grasp of abstract concepts
• Either pays too little attention to details or focuses on them too much
• Misreads information
General Warning Signs
• Short attention unable to concentrate: not able to pay attention long enough to finish an activity.
• Restless or hyperactive: moves around constantly; fidgety; doesn't seem to move with a purpose in mind; picks on other children.
• Does not complete tasks; careless, unorganized approach to activities: does not finish what is started; does not seem to plan to get work done.
• Listening difficulties; does not seem to understand: has trouble following directions; turns away while others are talking; does not seem interested.
• Avoids participation with other children or only knows how to play by hurting others: stays away from other children; always plays alone; does not participate in group activities; bites, hits, or bullies.
• Resistant to discipline or direction (impertinent, defiant, resentful, destructive, or negative): does not accept directions or training; disagreeable; hard to manage; destroys materials or toys deliberately; temper tantrums.

• Speech problems:
• Rate: speech is unusually fast or slow
 • Articulation: difficulty making clear speech sounds.
 • Stuttering: difficulty with flow of speech; repeating sounds, words, or phrases; blocking words or sounds.
 • Voice: unusually loud, soft, high or low; scratchy or hoarse quality.
 • Physical complaints: talks of being sick or hurt; seems tired or without energy.
 • Temperamental, overly sensitive, sad, irritable: moody, easily depressed, unhappy, shows extreme emotions and feelings.