How Do You Know If Your Child Has Dyslexia?

Does your child have real problems with spelling or reading? Is reading slow and laborious? You may even have a child who actively avoids reading or writing because of these difficulties. These could be all be signs that your child may have dyslexia.

It is thought that one in ten people have dyslexia. That's around 450,000 people in Ireland and around 7.3 million in the UK who are affected. Many go undiagnosed and struggle throughout life with the impact of dyslexia. This means that every classroom could have 3 dyslexic children struggling with reading, writing and spelling difficulties. Could one of these children be yours?

450,000 people in Ireland and around 7.3 million in the UK are affected by dyslexia

How do you know if your child is dyslexic?

Dyslexia is a condition where someone has lifelong difficulties with the skills of reading and spelling. People with dyslexia experience problems with:

Sounds in words - or phonemes - can be a big problem for dyslexic children

· Phonological awareness

This is the ability to identify the small units of sounds – phonemes – that make up words. Typically, children with a good level of phonological awareness are able to substitute initial sounds to create a new word (eg. change the ‘b’ sound at the start of ‘bun’ to ‘s’ to ‘sun’.

· Verbal memory

Remembering sequences that are given verbally, such as phone numbers, or directions can be a real problem for a dyslexic person e.g. ‘Put your bag next to the chair, pick up the book and put it on the shelf’.

· Processing speed

This is the ability to hear and process information spoken to you, such as when someone spells a word out for you or says a multi-digit number, like a phone number aloud for you. It could also be something as simple as seeing R.T.E. or B.B.C. and knowing instantly that these relate to television channels.

Dyslexic children often find problems with these skills.

I have been a teacher and tutor for over 26 years, and over the course of my career, I have worked with children who displayed many dyslexic tendencies. It can be very difficult for some children to cope, especially in the teenage years, when faced with exam pressure.

What is a dyslexia test like? Is there dyslexia testing near me?

If you think your child may be dyslexic, the chances are you have already searched Google for ‘dyslexia testing near me’ or something similar. The good news is that here at Emerald Education Centre, we can offer you testing either at our centre here in Bundoran, Donegal, Ireland (click here to visit our website) or we can set up doing the testing online, which means you can take this test anywhere in the world!. This is simple and is done through a video call on www.zoom.us. It is easy to set up – don’t worry, I can talk you through everything, step by step. The Dyslexia screener is a series of 6 small sub-tests. Your child can carry out the test in the comfort of their own home, with friendly guidance at the other end of a video call, taking away the fear and discomfort of visiting an unfamiliar place and helping your child to be at ease. Click here to find out more or to book your dyslexia screening test. I look forward to helping you and your child move forward!

To find about more about Emerald Education Centre, visit our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/EmeraldEducationBundoran/