Do you know someone who:

• Guesses at words while reading, particularly based upon context or the first letter of the word?
• Simply skips the word if he does not know it, not even attempting to decode the word?
• Has learned to read by memorization, rather than decoding?
• Has learned to read by the shape of the word, rather than decoding, such as reading skate for shade?
• Adds sounds to words, deletes sounds in words, skips whole syllables, moves sounds around within words?
• Often misreads or skips small words such as: the, from, to and of?
• Lacks fluency in oral reading, and in turn the lack of fluency then interferes with comprehension?
• May appear to comprehend what they have read, especially if reading silently?
• Has better comprehension if they read silently rather than out loud?
• Is easily distracted when reading?
• Often skips whole lines and loses his place while reading?
• Has troubles with rapid naming tasks?
• Has difficulties with word retrieval skills in conversation, often using vague words such as “thing” and “stuff” and uses many “um’s” while trying to think of what the word is or possibly trying to formulate his thoughts in his head?
• Often misspeaks words such as: ‘fork for spoon’ or ‘pasghetti for spaghetti’ or ‘boat house for house boat’?
• Confuses similar sounding words in meaning?
• Does not understand jokes and takes language very literally?
• Homework takes an exceptionally long time to complete?
• Hates to read out loud?
• Has difficulties with pencil grip and handwriting skills?
• Has a low frustration tolerance when it comes to Reading, Writing and Spelling?
• Has had their self esteem impacted because of difficulties in Reading, Writing and Spelling?
• Has difficulties memorizing Math Facts, but understands the concepts of Math?
• Has or had a difficult time learning to tell time?
• Has difficulties distinguishing between left and right immediately ?
• Gets lost easily?
• Has difficulties with rhyming skills and remembering nursery rhymes, as well as difficulties with rhythms?
• Is past First Grade and still confuses letters and numbers with similar appearances, such as: /6/ and /9/, /b/ and /d/, /p/ and /q/, /u/ and /n/? (Reversals are typical in young children, but after completing First Grade, reversals have usually disappeared?)
• Has difficulties remembering sight words for Reading and Spelling?
• Has inconsistent spelling patterns, spelling the same word in different ways throughout a paper?
• Likes to be read to, but dislikes reading himself?
• Has or had unusual speech patterns? (Delayed speech is often the first sign of Dyslexia.)
• Started talking later than the typical child, despite developing typically in all other ways?
• Has difficulties sequencing and remembering long strings of words or numbers?
• Has difficulties doing story problems in Math class?
• Has had other outside tutoring or extra help at home and has not made the expected progress?
• Has been known to say often, “I have to work so much harder than everyone else! And then they still do better than me on the test!" Yet, this person can tell you the information?
• Has difficulties with test taking?
• Has At Least low average intelligence?
• Has decreased mechanics of writing in their written language skills such as spelling, capitalization, punctuation, sentence structure, use of tense, etc?