In order to identify dyslexia, it is necessary to observe some common characteristics of this condition, such as the child hesitating to speak certain words and certain errors when identifying letters and numbers, as well as in reading and writing.
Dyslexic children of preschool age, up to 6 years of age, may present as characteristics the delay in speaking, they may present problems with articulation of words and difficulties in remembering the names of letters, numbers and colors. It is also common to find it difficult to combine sounds and rhyme words.
Common word and letter substitutions in Dyslexia
Many children with dyslexia confuse letters and words with similar ones, and it is common for letters to be reversed during writing, such as writing 'me' instead of 'em' or 'd' instead of 'b'. In the table below we give more examples:
| replace 'f' with 't' | replace 'w' with 'm' | exchange 'sound' for 'mos' |
| replace 'd' with 'b' | replace 'v' with 'f' | replace 'me' with 'in' |
| replace 'm' with 'n' | replace 'sun' with 'los' | replace 'n' with 'u' |
Another factor that must be taken into account is that dyslexia has a family component, so suspicion increases when one of the parents or grandparents has been diagnosed with dyslexia before.
How to confirm dyslexia
The best way to close the diagnosis of dyslexia is to do specific tests with the psychologist, according to the age of the child, teenager or adult.
The school teachers may suspect that the child is dyslexic due to the errors she presents in identifying letters and numbers and when she starts reading and writing in the 1st grade of elementary school. In this case, she should talk to the parents about this possibility and suggest a conversation with a psychologist or psychopedagogue to have the tests performed.
By the end of the 1st grade, it is common for all children not yet to be able to read and write and it is normal to confuse the letters, so the diagnosis is usually closed, when the child is already in the 2nd grade, around 8 years of age. age, because from that stage, reading and writing errors should be much smaller, which does not happen in children with dyslexia.
