Recognising dyslexia
This information is also available as Factsheet 36 in PDF format (119 kb).
What is dyslexia?
Dyslexia can be defined in many ways, but there is an increasing body of research evidence that suggests that dyslexic people process information in a different way from non-dyslexic people. This has a range of effects, including difficulties with:
- Phonological processing (the way sounds within words are heard by the brain).
- Working/short-term memory (which can affect sequencing and multi-tasking).
- Visual processing (managing fast incoming visual information).
- Developing automaticity in reading and some other tasks.
This neurological difference can also confer strengths, such as skills in:
- Problem-solving
- Visualisation
- Creativity
- Spatial awareness
- Innovation and lateral thinking
In addition, dyslexia:
- Can vary from person to person.
- Involves different combinations of difficulties and strengths.
- Is a continuum: some people are mildly dyslexic and some more severely dyslexic.
- Can be identified at any age.
- Is not related to intelligence, motivation, education, income, class, gender or ethnic origin.
Dyslexia is usually identified by chartered psychologists or suitably qualified specific learning difficulties (SpLD) teachers. It is important that these professionals have experience of adult dyslexia.
What are the signs that someone might be dyslexic?
Dyslexic people will have all or some of the following:
- A higher oral ability than written ability.
- Difficulty with the structure and sequencing of written work.
- Unexpected and persistent difficulty with spelling.
- Slow reading speed.
- Difficulty in taking notes in lectures.
- Planning and organisational difficulties.
Further information
For additional information please see I think I’m dyslexic – What should I do? or browse our useful links.
Note: some of the documents on this page are in PDF format.
In order to view a PDF you will need
Adobe Acrobat Reader 