Reeding & Spelling

People with dyslexia do not make random reading errors. They make very specific types of errors. Their spelling reflects the same types of errors. Watch for these errors:


Reading:
-can read a word on one page, but won't recognize it on the next page.
-knows phonics, but can't—or won't—sound out an unknown word. 
-slow, labored, inaccurate reading of single words in isolation (when there is no story line or pictures to provide clues)
-When they misread, they often say a word that has the same first and last letters, and the same shape, such as form-from or trial-trail.
-they may insert or leave out letters, such as could-cold or star-stair.
-they may say a word that has the same letters, but in a different sequence, such as who-how, lots-lost, saw-was, or girl-grill.
-when reading aloud, reads in a slow, choppy cadence (not in smooth phrases), and often ignores punctuation
-becomes visibly tired after reading for only a short time
-reading comprehension may be low due to spending so much energy trying to figure out the words. Listening comprehension is usually significantly higher than reading comprehension.
-directionality confusion shows up when reading and when writing
-Substitutes similar-looking words, even if it changes the meaning of the sentence, such as sunrise for surprise, house for horse, while for white, wanting for walking
Spelling:
-Their spelling is far worse than their reading. They sometimes flunk inventive spelling. They have extreme difficulty with vowel sounds, and often leave them out. 
-With enormous effort, they may be able to "memorize" Monday's spelling list long enough to pass Friday's spelling test, but they can't spell those very same words two hours later when writing those words in sentences. 
-Continually misspells high frequency sight words (nonphonetic but very common words) such as they, what, where, does and because—despite extensive practice.
-Misspells even when copying something from the board or from a book.