What is Dyslexia?

The NZ Ministry of Education describes dyslexia as "a range of persistent difficulties with reading and writing, and often including spelling, numeracy or musical notation. Students with dyslexia do not make expected progress in these areas in spite of good teaching and the type of extra support that would be helpful for most other children."

Some common signs of dyslexia in children are:

• • very poor reading, even of very familiar words

  • great difficulty spelling simple, common words

  • extremely messy handwriting - letters are poorly formed

  • often mixes up letters or figures (eg. b/d/p/q or 15 for 51)

  • highly disorganised - often doesn't know what day it is

  • finds learning sequences difficult (eg. months, seasons)

  • unsure of the sound a letter or combination makes (eg. "h" or "sh")

  • difficulty with things like tying laces, getting dressed quickly, clumsiness, confusing left and right.