As a qualified dyslexia and literacy specialist, plus a former classroom teacher for mixed year 1 and 2 children, it was my job to teach my class to read and write. It was also my job to identify the children potentially on the dyslexia spectrum. But how do you identify dyslexia before children can read and write? Here are some of the things I was looking out for:

1. not being able to keep the beat or rhythm easily

Being able to keep a beat or rhythm is about it hearing it enough times for it to become automatic. And learners who are potentially on the dyslexia spectrum have to work a lot harder for things to become automatic, so noticing how they respond to early music activities is a key clue.  

2. not recognising rhyming words all the time

Recognising rhyming words is a complex process. It involves holding a word in memory, segmenting it to identify the end part that will be the rhyming part, then segmenting other potential rhymes, holding the original (segmented) word in memory and performing multiple matches with other (segmented) words to see which ones actually do rhyme. What can happen with dyslexics is that the original word evaporates, so there’s nowhere to start the complex process of figuring out the rhyme. Or the process starts, but because dyslexics have less robust memory systems, they run out of processing power to complete the task.  

3. finding some word games hard

Children on the dyslexia spectrum will be noticeably weak at holding sounds in their head and manipulating them. So if the word is man, and you take away the m and put in f, what is the word? It’s immediately clear to non-dyslexics that it’s fan, but children on the dyslexia spectrum will find this very difficult. The ability to substitute and manipulate sounds is called phonemic awareness, and weak phonemic awareness is a key indicator of dyslexia.   

4. less robust memory

When there is a task that has more than one step, you typically show the children what to do and explain it at the same time. If a child goes away and has no clue where to start, or forgets later steps, or is very reliant on a partner to navigate them through the task, this weak short-term or working memory can be a strong indicator of dyslexia.   

5. ordering and sequencing difficulties

Children on the dyslexia spectrum are noticeably less able to recall the order of story that has been told to them, even if it was only two minutes ago. Other sequencing difficulties, like difficulty knowing the order of the alphabet, or being able to tie shoelaces, could also be indicators.

6. word-finding difficulties when speaking

Listening carefully to how a child speaks tells you a lot about how they process language. 

• Look out for how well children can actually get the words out that they want to say. That word on the “tip of the tongue” experience is typically much more frequent for dyslexic learners. 

• Their choice of words may be in the right area, but won’t be quite correct. They might say pizza when they mean pasta, for example. 

• Or they might not be able to recall the word but will describe it, prompting the listener to provide it, for example:
  
  

• We had that meat thing last night, you know … the meat thing (making hand gestures to indicate layers) with the white sauce on top.

• You mean lasagne?

• That's it! Lasagne!     

And finally … It's a shock if your child is identified as being on the dyslexia spectrum. But channel your energy away from worrying about it and into finding out as much as you can about dyslexia. That way, you will be able to work with the teachers and tutors who support your child’s learning. A lot is known about dyslexia, and there are helpful interventions that can be put in place. But it’s important to identify dyslexia early because earlier support means better outcomes.