Many families ask this question when they see their child finding reading harder than their classmates. Making mistakes while learning to read is normal. What may point to dyslexia is difficulties that persist over time, despite practice and support at school.
What dyslexia is
Dyslexia is a specific and persistent difficulty in learning to read fluently and accurately. It has a neurobiological basis and is not explained by a lack of intelligence, effort or opportunities to learn, nor by vision or hearing problems. In the diagnostic manuals (DSM) it is classed as a specific learning disorder with impairment in reading.
It mainly affects decoding —turning letters into sounds and recognising written words— and, as a result, reading speed, spelling and sometimes comprehension.
Signs in the early years (ages 4 and 5)
- Delayed speech or pronunciation difficulties that persist.
- Struggling to learn the names and sounds of letters.
- Struggling to play with sounds: finding rhymes, splitting a word into syllables or saying which sound it starts with.
- Struggling to remember sequences, such as the days of the week or the alphabet.
- A family history of reading difficulties.
Signs in the first years of primary school (ages 6 to 8)
- Finding it very hard to link each letter with its sound.
- Reading very slowly, syllable by syllable, with mistakes: swapping, leaving out or reversing letters and syllables.
- Mixing up similar letters (b and d, p and q) beyond the first year.
- “Guessing” words from the first letter or the picture.
- Understanding a story well when it is read to them, but not when they read it alone.
- Avoiding reading or tiring quickly.
Signs from age 8 or 9
- Reading accurately, but very slowly and with great effort.
- Struggling to understand what they read, because their energy goes into decoding.
- Making many spelling mistakes, even in familiar words.
- Finding it hard to learn other languages.
- Saying they do not like reading, getting frustrated or starting to think they are “no good at school”.
None of these signs on its own means a child has dyslexia. What matters is that several appear and that they persist.
When to seek advice
If several of these signs persist for months despite practice, or if you notice your child is struggling emotionally with reading, it is worth seeking advice. It is not worth waiting for them to “grow out of it”: early detection reduces the impact on the rest of their learning.
- Talk to the class teacher and the school’s support team. They see your child read every day and can share what they notice.
- Ask for a professional assessment. Only a professional —psychologist, neuropsychologist or speech and language therapist— can diagnose dyslexia, using specific tests and the child’s history.
What families can do
- Read aloud to your child and enjoy books together, so that reading is not just a chore.
- Choose short texts at their level, even if they seem easy for their age.
- Praise effort, not speed, and avoid comparisons with siblings or classmates.
- Short, regular sessions work better than long, occasional ones.
- Work with the school, so that support at home and in class pulls in the same direction.
How NeurekaLab can help
NeurekaLab does not diagnose. Its reading assessment separates the processes involved —the lexical route, the phonological route and reading comprehension— and shows which ones your child finds hardest. That information helps you decide whether to seek advice and guides support. After that, activities adapt to their level and progress, in short sessions of 15 minutes at most, with reports families can understand.
Find out more on NeurekaLab for families. To go further, read Early identification and prevention of dyslexia and Dyslexia: how to detect reading difficulties.