Observable signs and symptoms of Dyslexia in the Classroom

Learning disability is a growing concern in the classrooms. These can manifest in several ways, one of which is dyslexia. For those of you wondering what is dyslexia?, how to recognise it?, this articles has the answers.

Dyslexia is a reading disorder which impacts a person’s ability to read, comprehend words, associate sounds with certain letters, and more. Recognising this condition in a child at an early age can help get them the help and guidance they need to manage and overcome this condition.

There are several signs of dyslexia that teachers can look for in a classroom. These include:

• Spelling mistakes that are inconsistent. The same word may be spelled differently during the day.
• Changes in the shapes of letters or rearrangement of letters in a word
• Lack of focus and concentration when reading. Also trouble in reading certain words or skipping words when reading a sentence
• Inability in recognizing the differences between similar sounds or words
• A slower pace of learning words as compared to other students in the classroom
• Problems recollecting words, even if it is from a recurring story book
• Have trouble pronouncing certain words and often find it difficult to express their thoughts in clear or correct words

These are commonly observable signs and symptoms of dyslexia that can impact a child’s learning in a classroom. In addition, there are also some emotional and behavioural symptoms which may arise as a result of this condition. By understanding these signs, teachers can help identify dyslexia in children at a younger age and help the child with several coping strategies.

Some of the behavioural signs may include

• Withdrawing from their friends and classmates and tending to be by themselves
• Lose interest in classwork due to poor comprehension
• Start acting out in the classroom when they find it difficult to follow the lesson
• Start having poor relations with friends and family which worsen when they are not able to clearly express their discomfort

These behavioural signs may be construed as lazy or lack of discipline in the classroom. However, by looking at all the signs in a holistic manner, teachers can play a huge role in identifying a genuine learning disability case and one of poor discipline.