What are the signs of dyslexia in children? If your child reverses letters, mixes up sounds when reading out loud, or falls behind in his class despite trying their hardest, it may be pointing to dyslexia.
Knowing the signs to look out for can make a real difference in getting the support they need early on.
Dyslexia is one of the most common learning difficulties among Australian children, affecting how the brain processes the sounds and symbols that make up written language. It has nothing to do with intelligence or effort. Many children with dyslexia are bright, curious and hardworking, they simply process written language differently to their peers.
Dyslexia is usually lifelong, but with the right support most children learn to read and spell confidently. Because it is rooted in spoken language skills, a speech pathologist is often one of the first people who can help make sense of what is going on, well before any formal diagnosis is in place. The earlier it is picked up, the more time your child has to build strategies that work for them at school and at home.
So what does dyslexia look like in a classroom or at the kitchen table doing homework? Common signs of dyslexia in children include:
These are the same patterns a speech pathologist listens and looks for when they first meet your child. None of these signs on their own point to dyslexia, children learn to read at their own pace, but a consistent pattern across the above areas is worth exploring with a professional.
Signs of dyslexia in a 7 year old often look a little different to an older child, simply because reading is still such a new skill. At this age you might notice your child avoiding reading time altogether, guessing at words rather than sounding them out, or seeming far more tired after reading than after other schoolwork.
Teachers are often the first to notice a gap opening up between a child’s spoken vocabulary, which can be excellent, and their reading level, which lags behind. A paediatric speech pathologist can help work out whether this is simply part of learning to read or something worth exploring further.
If this sounds like your child, a formal diagnosis is usually made by an educational or clinical psychologist, sometimes alongside your child’s paediatrician or GP, who can talk you through the assessment process.
You do not need to wait for that process to finish before getting support in place. A speech pathologist can begin working on your child’s reading and language skills alongside the diagnostic process, rather than waiting for it to catch up, and ChatAbout regularly supports children who are partway through an assessment or who have recently been diagnosed.
Reading is built on spoken language skills, hearing and manipulating the sounds in words, building vocabulary, and understanding how sentences fit together, which is exactly where a speech pathologist comes in. Rather than focusing on the diagnosis itself, therapy is built around the specific skills your child finds hardest, whether that is blending sounds together, recognising patterns in spelling, or building reading fluency and comprehension.
For many families, this works alongside a psychologist’s report and the school’s own literacy support, with your speech pathologist filling in the language foundations that a diagnosis alone does not address.
Parents often ask what they can do at home, and the honest answer is patience, consistency and taking the pressure off reading wherever you can. Reading together without correcting every mistake, trying audiobooks alongside printed books, and praising effort rather than accuracy all help.
At ChatAbout, our speech pathologists support children with dyslexia and other reading difficulties across our Sydney clinics in Mount Pritchard, Blacktown, West Ryde, Canterbury and Casula, as well as by telehealth for families further afield. Every child is assessed individually, with therapy built around their own strengths and the specific reading and language skills they find hardest.
If a teacher or psychologist has raised dyslexia, or you have simply noticed the signs yourself, the best next step is a conversation with our team. We’re here when you’re ready.
