Dyslexia

Dyslexia is a specific learning difference that primarily impairs the decoding and spelling of words. The British Dyslexia Association estimate that around 10% of the population are dyslexic.

According to the Delphi definition (Holden, et al. 2024) ‘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)’. Phonological processing is the ability to manipulate and analyse sounds (phonemes) to process spoken and written language, it is crucial for skills like reading and writing.  

Dyslexia is also often impacted by weaknesses with working memory, processing speed and orthographic processing. It can affect the development of other skills such as mathematics and reading comprehension.

Dyslexia is likely to be present at birth and to be life-long in its effects. There is a genetic influence, and it is likely to be heritable. Literacy difficulties experienced are specific and persistent. They impact literacy attainment and are unexpected in relation to age, education, experience and other attainments. Dyslexic difficulties exist on a continuum and occur across the IQ range. 

Dyslexia frequently co-occurs with other developmental difficulties, including developmental coordination disorder (DCD/Dyspraxia), dyscalculia, developmental language disorder (DLD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Roughly 60% of individuals with dyslexia also have at least one other diagnosis (Darweesh et al., 2020).  

Dyslexia may present as:  

  • Challenges with decoding written words 
  • Difficulties with blending sounds 
  • Slow and inaccurate reading  
  • Poor reading fluency due to lack of automaticity with word reading 
  • Difficulty remembering spelling rules 
  • There may be weaknesses with reading comprehension  
  • Difficulty following instructions 
  • Poor handwriting 
  • Letter reversals 
  • When reading may skip words or lose their place 
  • Poor concentration  
  • Word finding difficulties  
  • Weak written work when compared with oral ability  
  • Mathematical difficulties, such as understanding place value and learning number facts  
  • Difficulties with sequences, e.g. days of the week, months of the year, alphabet, times tables 
  • Difficulties with learning to tell the time 
  • Challenges with organisation  
  • Directional confusion 

How is it diagnosed?

Dyslexia can be diagnosed by an Educational Psychologist or a Level 7 Assessor. In order to make a diagnosis psychologists and assessors will carry out a battery of assessments, that assess cognitive processes and academic attainments, whilst also taking into consideration background information and observations.  

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