Dyslexia is a learning disability that is much more common than most people realise and at its mildest it is almost impossible to diagnose. Dyslexia was first identified as a specific learning difficulty more than 100 years ago, when it was originally termed “word blindness”. Yet despite affecting up to 10% of the UK population (4% severely), with similar statistics prevalent in the population of the United States it remains largely misunderstood.

Dyslexia is mainly perceived to be a problem with literacy skills, typically it affects reading, writing and spelling; although it is now widely accepted that dyslexia can affect a number of areas including memory, organisation and concentration. Although it is thought to be the result of a neurological difference, it is not an intellectual disability. Dyslexia is an inherited genetic disorder, diagnosed in people regardless of socio-economic status or race. It is not a disease that can be cured nor is it a condition that people will grow out of, although early diagnosis will help those affected overcome their disability.

Unlikely as it may seem to those unfamiliar with Dyslexia, history has provided some notable high achievers who have endured the condition. The former British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill was dyslexic and frustration with the condition may well have contributed to his more widely known bouts of depression, the story teller, Hans Christian Anderson, the artist and inventor Leonardo da Vinci, and two of the greatest minds of the early 20^th Century, Albert Einstein and Thomas Edison, all overcame Dyslexia to record their achievements.

 The symptoms of dyslexia can differ from person to person, and each person with the disability will have a unique pattern of strengths and weaknesses. It is a truism of Dyslexia that its most consistent factor in diagnosis, is its inconsistency of prevalent indicators in each individual case. At the earliest stage this makes it difficult to obtain a certain diagnosis of dyslexia before school age, but many dyslexic individuals have a history of difficulties that exhibit early. Because of the difficulties in diagnosing dyslexia, it is useful to look at indicators, not necessarily symptoms, that may be expressed at different age levels:

Pre-school indicators:

• a delay, or difficulty, in developing clear speech and a slowness to learn new words.
• mixing up certain words and phrases - for example, saying “aminal” rather than “Animal”.
• being unusually clumsy and uncoordinated.
• having persistent problems with dressing, typically fastening buttons or tying shoe laces.
• Has difficulty rhyming words, as in nursery rhymes.
• Is late in establishing a dominant hand.

Indicators in younger children:

• difficulty in learning the alphabet.
• difficulty with word retrieval and decoding words.
• difficulty in counting syllables in words.
• having problems writing properly.
• difficulty telling left from right, over from under, etc.
• problems remembering simple sequences, such as the days of the week.
• low attention span, and problems concentrating, leading to frustration and certain behavioural patterns which may not be associated directly with dyslexia.

Indicators in older children:

• poor progress at school compared to their classmates particularly in spelling accuracy or reading levels.  Reversals of letters (b for d) and a reversal of words (saw for was) are typical indicators.
• difficulty with time keeping, the concept of time and organisational skills.
• becoming frustrated at school, which can either lead to behavioural problems, or to them becoming quiet and withdrawn.
• inability to learn multiplication tables.
• problems following instructions, or remembering more than one thing at a time.
• Difficulty comprehending rapid instructions, following more than one command at a time or remembering the sequence of things.

Indicators in Teenagers:

• difficulty in organising work, especially on a time management basis.
• problems copying, or writing down, instructions.
• difficulty revising for, and coping with, exams.  
• taking much longer than average to do school work due to reading difficulties.
• persistent problems with spelling and writing.
• severe difficulties in learning a foreign language.
• Tests well orally, but performs less well in written tests.
• Learns quickly through observation, demonstrations, experimentation, visual aids but less quickly using text material.

Adult Indicators:

It is entirely possible for someone with dyslexia to reach adulthood without the condition being properly identified. It is also a life stage where coming to terms with the disability came be a difficult personal challenge. The range of adult indicators include:

• trying to avoid reading and writing whenever possible.
• trying to conceal any difficulties that you have with reading and writing from other people, perhaps avoiding helping  children with reading and mathematical homework.
• poor spelling.
• poor time management and organisational skills.
• An over reliance on memory and verbal skills, rather than reading or writing.

Managing Dyslexia depends on a multiple of variables and there is no one specific strategy or set of strategies which will work for all who have dyslexia. Each Country has adopted and developed a writing system of choice. Each country has their own Statutes relating to the provision of Education, and special educational needs. The statutory provision framework of support in each country is usually complemented by many independent and voluntary support agencies providing more specialised information and support.

In the United Kingdom the Education Act (1993) makes provision for secondary legislation known as a Code of Practice.  This gives practical guidance to local education authorities (LEAs) and the
governing bodies of all state maintained schools on their responsibilities towards all children with special educational needs (SEN). However the Code offers guidance to LEAs as to the circumstances in which assessments and statements might be made. It does not give a prescriptive list of disabilities covered and does not provide directions for individual cases.

If parents are concerned their child may be Dyslexic they are entitled to ask their local education authority to conduct a statutory assessment. A local education authority must comply with this request, unless an existing statutory assessment was made within six months of the date of the request. However a local education authority may conclude, upon examining all the available evidence, that a statutory assessment is not necessary. However, if you disagree you have the legal right to appeal to an independent special educational needs tribunal.

In the workplace, the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) makes it illegal to unreasonably discriminate against existing and potential service users on the basis of their ‘disability’. To stay within the law providers have to make ‘reasonable adjustments’. Specifically in relation to Dyslexia a professional assessment may be required to identify individual work needs. It is important to brief the specialist (usually an occupational psychologist) on your requirements from the assessment. For example you need to know how this will affect their work and what sort of adjustments may help the employee perform more effectively at work.

The following workplace adjustments are successful methods to avoid discriminating against people with Dyslexia. An individual may require one, some or indeed none of the following adjustments. The following suggestions are very generic, as seen in this article, Dyslexia is not a uniform disability.

Workplace Aids & Adjustments:

• Where feasible allow an employee to work from home occasionally.
• Provide a quiet working environment for a dyslexic employee by allocating private workspace areas.
• Hang a wall planner that visually highlights daily/monthly appointments, deadlines, tasks, and projects.
• Supply an alarm watch and encourage the employee to use the daily calendar and alarm features on his/her computer.
• Provide “talking” calculators.

Avoid written communications where possible:

• use verbal rather than written instructions.
• use voice mail as opposed to written memos.
• use voice recognition software.

Line management techniques:

• provide information on coloured paper (find out which colour helps the person to read best).
• set up a computer screen with a coloured background to documents.
• examine other ways of giving the same information to avoid reading.
• discuss instructions with the employee, be prepared to repeat key points.
• present information in other formats for example audio or videotape, drawings, diagrams and flowcharts.
• use tape recorders.
• give instructions one at a time.
• communicate instructions slowly and clearly.
• demonstrate and supervise tasks and projects.
• encourage the person to take notes and then check them.
• ask instructions to be repeated back, to confirm that the instruction has been understood correctly.
• Use a tape recorder or dictaphone to record important instructions.

Dyslexia is a complex disability. It is a disability undergoing constant and continuous research with new information being evaluated on a regular basis. This helps us evaluate the nature of the disability as well as formulate new strategies for overcoming it.  It is unrealistic to cover every aspect of the disability in a short article however apart from the statutory provision mentioned above, there is a considerable body of voluntary help available for people whose lives are affected by Dyslexia.