Dyslexia in children
Find out more about dyslexia in children, including symptoms, how to get your child diagnosed, and what support is available from your school and local authority.
There is separate information about dyslexia in adults.
Dyslexia mainly affects a child's reading, writing and spelling. It can also affect other abilities like understanding and remembering information, using numbers, planning and organising. It does not affect intelligence.
Signs of dyslexia in children can include:
- learning to speak later than other children
- not being interested in activities around language, like saying the alphabet
- reading at a level below what's expected at their age
- having difficulty with numbers, telling the time, and remembering the order of things, like days of the week
- written work that looks messy and has lots of spelling mistakes
- being slow and hesitant when reading aloud
- finding it challenging to plan and organise schoolwork
Children living with dyslexia may become frustrated. This can sometimes lead to disruptive behaviour, or make a child become withdrawn at school and home.
Find out more
If you think your child may have dyslexia, a useful first step is to talk to their school's special educational needs coordinator (SENCO).
The SENCO may suggest you contact your GP for advice. A GP cannot diagnose dyslexia, but they can check for other conditions that may affect your child's performance at school, like problems with their hearing. They may also suggest an eye test to check your child's vision.
The SENCO can arrange a dyslexia screening test at school. They'll look at your child's behaviour to see if they're showing signs of dyslexia. Your child may be offered extra support if they need it.
Dyslexia assessment
A dyslexia assessment may be useful if your child continues to find school difficult with extra support.
The assessment can give a detailed picture of your child's abilities and help identify more effective ways to support them.
An educational psychologist or a specialist teacher will usually do a dyslexia assessment, not a doctor.
You can ask for an assessment directly from the British Dyslexia Association or an assessment service. Or your child's school may be able to help refer your child for an assessment. Most people have to pay for an assessment.
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Parents and carers can support a child with dyslexia by helping build their confidence and self-esteem.
Do
help your child try different activities so they can find things they enjoy
try to make learning fun for children – the British Dyslexia Association has advice for parents and carers
help your child to be physically active as exercise can improve mood and self-confidence
If your child has additional educational needs, the school will work with you to help create a plan to meet their needs.
Some ways of teaching reading and spelling can work well for children with dyslexia. These include:
- using visual aids or technology to help, for example making screens easier to read
- learning in smaller groups or 1 to 1 sessions
The school's special educational needs coordinator (SENCO) can give you more information on ways the school can help.
Educational health and care plans
If you feel your child needs more support than their school can offer you can apply for an educational health and care plan (EHCP) from your local authority.
If a child's needs cannot be met at a mainstream school, an EHCP explains what support is needed from the local authority to meet those needs.
The school's SENCO can give you more information about EHCPs and how to apply for them.
Find out more
The British Dyslexia Association is a leading charity for people with dyslexia.
There are also many local voluntary organisations that offer support for people with dyslexia that can be found by searching online.
