When a new student arrives in my office, they may or may not have a dyslexia diagnosis. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter in terms of how I approach the first session. Recently, a ten-year-old boy sat across the table from me, shoulders up near his ears, a little uncomfortable in a brand new situation. I began our first session the way I start every first session, with an Orton Gillingham assessment. It didn’t take long to see the truth. Beyond a handful of simple words, he wasn’t yet able to read. Writing words was equally challenging.

So I put the assessment away. We just dove in. Letter sound identification. Tracing. Blending sounds together to read a word, then breaking that word back apart to spell it. All the good stuff, the instruction his brain had been waiting for someone to provide him directly instead of expecting him to guess at it on his own.

Within a year, that same boy was reading multisyllable words. He was writing increasingly complex sentences, and actually enjoying the process. He was reading books outside of our sessions because he wanted to.  There was hard work along the way for sure.  This student did the work, and did it well.  But with the right instruction, he soared.

I think about him whenever a parent tells me they’ve had the feeling for a while now that something just wasn’t right.  But, they didn’t know what to do with that feeling, especially when the school said everything was fine.  I get it. I’ve sat across from parents feeling that moment more times than I can count, first as a special education teacher, then as a Wilson certified dyslexia practitioner and now also as an Associate with the Orton Gillingham Academy. And I’ve sat on the other side of the table too, as a parent watching my own child struggle albeit not with reading specifically.

Roughly 15 to 20% of the population shows some symptoms of dyslexia (International Dyslexia Association), which means that many parents are almost certainly not imagining what they’re seeing. You’re just not sure yet what it means or what to do about it (yet).

This post walks through the specific, concrete signs of dyslexia that show up in the preschool through early elementary years.  The ones that are easy to miss because they look like a dozen other things. The sooner these signs are identified, the shorter the road to reading success like the one this boy walked, looks.  Then, we’ll cover what to actually do next.

What Is Dyslexia, In Plain Language?

Dyslexia is a language-based learning difference that makes it hard for the brain to connect letters to sounds, even when a child is bright, curious, and trying their hardest. The International Dyslexia Association defines it as a specific learning disability that’s neurological in origin, and it has nothing to do with intelligence or effort.

Why is structured literacy instruction so important for kids with dyslexia?  They’re living in classrooms full of kids that naturally “get reading”.  And they don’t.  They need a step by step instruction plan that is diagnostic and structured to meet their individual learning needs.  After all, no two students with dyslexia are exactly the same.  The Orton Gillingham or structured literacy approach provides that learning plan: it hands the brain those directions instead of hoping kids figure it out on their own.

Symptoms of Dyslexia in Preschool (Ages 3-5)

The earliest signs of dyslexia usually show up in speech and sound play, not necessarily reading as most preschoolers aren’t reading yet. A preschooler at risk for a dyslexia diagnosis might struggle with learning nursery rhymes, has trouble naming letters even after a lot of repetition, and has trouble recognizing the letters in his own name (Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity).

Watch for these specific patterns:

• Trouble hearing that “cat,” “bat,” and “rat” rhyme
• Mispronouncing everyday words well past the age most kids grow out of it
• Difficulty learning and retaining the names of letters, even with repeated practice
• A parent or sibling with a history of reading or spelling struggles (dyslexia runs in families)

None of these on is a red flag. A child who mixes up a few letter names at four is completely normal. But if your child is displaying several of these symptoms and you’re starting to feel that a pattern is forming, that’s when it’s important to note and consider looking deeper.

Symptoms of Dyslexia in Early Childhood (5-7 years old)

By kindergarten and first grade, the signs move from sound play into actual reading instruction.  A child might guess at words based on the picture or the first letter, say “puppy” for “dog,” and seem not to grasp that spoken words are made of smaller sounds that come apart and go back together (Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity).  Now, some reading programs teach reading this way so it is important to consider your child’s school based reading program for this particular example. 

Common signs of dyslexia at this stage include:

• Can’t sound out simple, phonetic words like “cat” or “map”
• Reads a word correctly on one page and not the next
• Avoids reading activities, or gets upset when asked to read aloud
• Doesn’t reliably connect a letter to the sound it makes
• Strong listening comprehension that doesn’t match weak decoding skills.  This means your child understands a story just fine when it’s read aloud, but can’t decode the words to read it to himself 

That last one trips a lot of parents up. A bright, verbal kid who can’t seem to read is one of the clearest dyslexia patterns there is, not a contradiction. Dyslexia affects the mechanics of decoding, not comprehension or intelligence.  Kids with dyslexia frequently have excellent story comprehension, strong vocabularies, and real problem-solving skills that they display in other aspects of their life.  But when it’s time for reading, they struggle.  (Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity).

Signs of Dyslexia That Show Up Beyond Reading

Dyslexia rarely stays confined to reading. It tends to show up in spelling, in writing, and sometimes even in math.  Wait, isn’t dyslexia a reading disability?  It is, but math has a language of its own.  By late elementary school, kids are reading and solving word problems.  So a struggling reader begins to have difficulty in math when they don’t have the necessary reading skills to decode the word problems.  The math connection is surprisingly common.  If word problems, remembering multi-step procedures, or keeping numbers lined up on the page feels like its own daily battle, I wrote a full breakdown of how dyslexia affects math skills that’s worth reading next.

Dyslexia impacts writing as well. Handwriting that takes a tremendous amount of effort to write and spelling that doesn’t match the sounds in the words are common indicators. You also might observe written work that’s much shorter and simpler than the child could tell you if you were having a conversation.  Again, just one symptom is not a red flag by itself.  But a collection of symptoms begins to paint a picture, a picture worth looking into.

Why Getting an Early Answer Matters So Much

The earlier a child gets the right kind of instruction, the more efficiently the brain builds those reading pathways. The NICHD puts it simply: the earlier children receive help, the better the results tend to be. Waiting doesn’t make a reading difference go away, it just means more time spent without a system that works.

This is where structured, sequential, multisensory instruction used in the Orton-Gillingham approach matters. A structured multisensory approach doesn’t ask a struggling reader to guess at or memorize whole words. It teaches the code to reading success explicitly, in a sequence that makes sense to your child with constant review. 

I often describe this process to parents in consultations as the creation of a layer cake.  Each layer adds the one before it, but because each skill is focused on in isolation, the overall experience lacks the frustration often seen in struggling readers with other reading programs.   I’ve written before about why balanced literacy alone often isn’t enough for kids whose brains need this more explicit path. One piece of that instruction, the Orton-Gillingham visual drill, is a good example of just how concrete and multisensory this work has to be to actually stick.

My child has dyslexia, now what?

I say this to almost every parent who sits across from me for the first time: progress is rarely a straight line. Progress with a dyslexic reader tends to come in stretches and plateaus, not a smooth climb.  And that’s normal, not a sign that something isn’t working. What matters is the direction over months, not the shape of any single week.  After all, structured literacy instruction is not a quick fix.  It can take years to fill in the missing knowledge to bring the child up to reading success. That’s not to say there won’t be victories like reading a birthday card or choosing to read books along the way.  There will be.  But it’s a journey, not a quick fix. 

As a special needs parent myself, I feel the worry parents bring into that first conversation strongly. I reassure parents that you’re not being dramatic. You’re not overreacting to normal kid stuff. You’re paying close attention. That’s exactly the instinct that gets a child the right help sooner whether that help is at school or through private tutoring. 

FAQs: Signs of Dyslexia

Q: At what age can dyslexia be identified? A: Signs often show up as early as preschool, in rhyming and letter naming, and become clearer by kindergarten and first grade once formal reading instruction starts. A full evaluation is typically most reliable from kindergarten on, but you don’t need to wait for a diagnosis to start supportive instruction.  After all, 60% of kids need structured literacy instruction to be successful.  That percentage is bigger than the number of kids with dyslexia, but if your child falls in that 60% but is not getting the right instruction, they will still struggle. (US News)

Q: Can a child be dyslexic and still comprehend stories well? A: Yes, and this actually quite common. Dyslexia is a language based learning disability that impacts the a student’s ability to connect the sounds of letters to the graphemes that represent them so as to read and spell words. It does not directly impact a student’s comprehension skills, although decoding delays may have that effect, or intelligence. Many dyslexic kids love listening to stories read aloud to them that are far beyond their actual decoding level.  In fact, reading to your child or introducing them to audio books is recommended so that they continue to develop vocabulary and comprehension skills that aren’t tied to their decoding skills.

Q: Does dyslexia run in families? A: Yes. A family history of reading or spelling struggles is a recognized early indicator, since dyslexia has a strong genetic component (International Dyslexia Association).  If a relative struggled with learning to read or has a dyslexia diagnosis, this increases the possibility your child might as well. 

Q: What should I do if I notice several of these signs? A: The first step is to touch base with your child’s teacher or school reading specialist.  What are they seeing at school, and do they have any concerns?  Next, request a free educational evaluation from your school district to learn more about your child’s learning needs.  Finally, you might consider a private evaluation if you want a fuller picture or a diagnosis.  But, all of these steps take time.  You don’t have to wait for a formal diagnosis of dyslexia to begin structured literacy reading support.  In fact, the longer you wait, the harder it will be for your child to catch up.  Beginning reading support as soon as important is essential! 

Q: Is dyslexia a sign of low intelligence? A: No. Dyslexia is a language-based difference in how the brain processes print, not a measure of intelligence. Many dyslexic kids are strong verbal thinkers with excellent comprehension and creative problem-solving skills (NICHD).

What to do if your child is dyslexic

If you read this list and kept nodding, that nod means something. You know your child better than any checklist does. I still think about that ten-year-old boy, how uncomfortable he was that first day, how far he’d already had to go without the instruction his brain needed. Watching his confidence grow as he gained the skills he needed was one of the highlights of my career.  But, waiting until your child doesn’t have to wait until ten. The earlier your child receives the structured literacy support they need to learn, the shorter and easier that climb becomes.

I’d love for you to reach out for a free consultation so we can talk through exactly what you’re seeing and what comes next.  That could be your decision to let the certified tutors in our practice provide your child with the structured literacy instruction they need.  Or, it could be pointing you to your next first step with your school district.  But even if New Paltz Multisensory isn’t the right fit for your family, I hope you’ve now got a clearer understand of the signs of dyslexia, and how to take next steps to support your child’s reading.