SEEING DYSLEXIA DIFFERENTLY!
WHAT IS DYSLEXIA?
Dyslexia is a lifelong neurological condition that affects how a person learns to read, spell and write.
It is not related to intelligence or effort. Dyslexia can be noticeable in early childhood when children begin learning to read. Other children are better at masking their difficulties so it may not be noticed until older.People with dyslexia may find it hard to recognise speech sounds and connect them to letters, which can make reading and spelling more difficult.
SIGNS OF DYSLEXIA
WRITING
Dyslexia can make writing harder and less enjoyable. People may struggle to organise their ideas, get them down on paper and find the right words to use. Grammar and punctuation can often be an area of challenge too.
READING
People with dyslexia may find it hard to blend words and keep their place when reading. They often need to reread text more than once. Understanding of what has been read can be impacted by reading and memory difficulties.
SPELLING
Dyslexia can impact how individuals break words into sounds and picture how words look. This can make spelling less accurate, as sounds may be confused or words may be hard to remember visually.
MEMORY DIFFICULTIES
Many people with dyslexia have difficulties with memory, such as recalling numbers, words or sequences like the days of the week or the alphabet. These memory challenges can affect everyday activities. This can make remembering spellings trickier too.
SEQUENCING DIFFICULTIES
Dyslexia can impact everyday skills like telling the time, knowing left from right and reading maps. Difficulties with sequencing can also make spelling harder, as letters and sounds may be mixed up.
LANGUAGE
Some people with dyslexia find it hard to recall words that they are less familiar. Sometimes they may alter a sound, or forget a sound, when learning a new word.
SOME CELEBRITIES HAVE DYSLEXIA TOO!
"We should support and celebrate all types of neurodiversity and encourage children's imagination, creativity and problem solving."
RICHARD BRANSON
Entrepreneur
“I am a slow reader. I always loved words, which is a strange thing given that I couldn't actually read them."
KEIRA KNIGHTLEY
Actress & Model
"I had to train myself to focus my attention. I became very visual and learned how to create mental images in order to comprehend what I read."
TOM CRUISE
Actor
THE DELPHI DEFINITION OF DYSLEXIA (2025)
Nature
The nature and developmental trajectory of dyslexia depends on multiple genetic and environmental influences.
Manifestation
Dyslexia is a set of processing difficulties that affect the acquisition of reading and spelling. The most commonly observed cognitive impairment in dyslexia is a difficulty in phonological processing (i.e. in phonological awareness, phonological processing speed or phonological memory). However, phonological difficulties do not fully explain the variability that is observed. Working memory, processing speed and orthographic skills can contribute to the impact of dyslexia.
Impact
In dyslexia, some or all aspects of literacy attainment are weak in relation to age, standard teaching and instruction, and level of other attainments. Across languages and age groups, difficulties in reading fluency and spelling are a key marker of dyslexia.
Variance & Co-occurence
Dyslexia difficulties exist on a continuum and can be experienced to various degrees of severity. Dyslexia can affect the acquisition of other skills, such as mathematics, reading comprehension or learning another language. Dyslexia frequently co-occurs with one or more other developmental difficulties, including developmental language disorder, dyscalculia, ADHD and developmental coordination disorder.
Carroll, J., Holden, C., Kirby, P., Snowling, M. J., & Thompson, P.A. (2025) Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.