Doesn’t recognize rhyming patterns like cat, bat, rat
Kindergarten & First Grade
Reading
Reading errors that show no connection to the sounds of the letters on the page—will say “puppy” instead of the written word “dog” in an illustrated page with a dog shown
Does not understand that words come apart
Complains about how hard reading is, or “disappearing” when it is time to read
A history of reading problems in parents or siblings.
Speaking
Cannot sound out even simple words like cat, map, nap
Does not associate letters with sounds, such as the letter b with the “b” sound
Strengths
Curiosity
A great imagination
The ability to figure things out
Eager embrace of new ideas
Getting the gist of things
A good understanding of new concepts
Surprising maturity
A larger vocabulary for the age group
Enjoyment in solving puzzles
Talent at building models
Excellent comprehension of stories read or told to him
Second Grade and Up
Reading
Very slow in acquiring reading skills. Reading is slow and awkward
Trouble reading unfamiliar words, often making wild guesses because he cannot sound out the word.
Doesn’t seem to have a strategy for reading new words
Avoids reading out loud
Speaking
Searches for a specific word and ends up using vague language such as “stuff” or “thing” a lot, without name the object?
Pauses, hesitates, and/or uses lots of “umm’s” when speaking
Confuses words that sound alike, such as saying “tornado” for “volcano,” substituting “lotion” for “ocean.”
Mispronunciation of long, unfamiliar, or complicated words
Seems to need extra time to respond to questions.
School and Life
Trouble with remembering dates, names, telephone numbers, random lists.
Has trouble finishing tests on time
Extreme difficulty learning a foreign language
Messy handwriting
Low self-esteem that may not be immediately visible
Learning that is accomplished best through meaning rather than rote memorization
Ability to get the “big picture”
A high level of understanding of what is read to him
The ability to read and to understand at a high level overlearned (that is, highly practiced) words in a special area of interest; for example, if his hobby is restoring cars, he may be able to read auto mechanic magazines
Improvement as an area of interest becomes more specialized and focused, when he develops a miniature vocabulary that he can read
A surprisingly sophisticated listening vocabulary
Excellence in areas not dependent on reading, such as math, computers, and visual arts, or excellence in more conceptual (versus factoid-driven) subjects such as philosophy, biology, social studies, neuroscience, and creative writing
Young Adults & Adults
Reading
A childhood history of reading and spelling difficulties
While reading skills have developed over time, reading still requires great effort and is done at a slow pace
Rarely reads for pleasure
Slow reading of most materials—books, manuals, subtitles in films
Avoids reading aloud
Speaking
Not fluent, not glib, often anxious while speaking
Pausing or hesitating often when speaking
using lots of “um’s” during speaking, lack of glibness
using imprecise language, for example, “stuff,” “things,” instead of the proper name of an object
Often pronounces the names of people and places incorrectly; trips over parts of words
Difficulty remembering names of people and places; confuses names that sound alike
Struggles to retrieve words; has the “it was on the tip of my tongue” moment frequently
Rarely has a fast response in conversations and/or writing; struggles when put on the spot
Spoken vocabulary is smaller than listening vocabulary
Avoids saying words that might be mispronounced
Earlier oral language difficulties persist
School & Life
Despite good grades, will often say that she is dumb or is concerned that peers think that she is dumb
Penalized by multiple choice tests
Frequently sacrifices social life for studying
Suffers extreme fatigue when reading
Performs rote clerical tasks poorly
Strengths
The maintenance of strengths noted in the school-age period
A high learning capability
A noticeable improvement when given additional time on multiple-choice examinations
Noticeable excellence when focused on a highly specialized area such as medicine, law, public policy, finance, architecture, or basic science
Excellence in writing if content and not spelling is important
A noticeable articulateness in the expression of ideas and feelings
Exceptional empathy and warmth, and feeling for others
Success in areas not dependent on rote memory
A talent for high-level conceptualization and the ability to come up with original insights