Child dyslexia signs and diagnosis

Dyslexia is a learning difficulty that affects a person’s ability to read and write. A dyslexic child may also struggle with organisation, planning and following directions or step by step instructions. If you’ve noticed your child struggling, you might wonder if they are dyslexic. Spotting the signs and getting the right help can make a big difference to your child’s learning.

If your child is dyslexic, that doesn’t mean they’re not intelligent. Dyslexic children can be highly creative problem-solvers and storytellers. Understanding how they process information can help you to support them to learn and achieve their potential. Read our advice on supporting dyslexic children.

If your child is showing signs of dyslexia, their class teachers will usually identify these in their early years of school. You might notice some signs at home from a very young age while others could go unnoticed until your child is older.

Early years

When your child is as young as 2, you might notice differences in the way they follow instructions or routines. They might have problems forming words or recognising patterns. These early indicators don’t always mean they are dyslexic, but they can show a developmental pattern worth watching.

Primary school

Signs of dyslexia become clearer once your child starts reading and writing. There are different ways your child might show they are struggling. They might:

• fall behind their classmates in phonics, letter recognition or blending sounds
• be able to sound out letters but unable to blend them into words
• avoid or disengage from reading tasks
• mask their struggles through behaviours like running around or refusing to join in
• reverse letters, or read or write things in unusual ways
• read well but have disorganised writing

Secondary school and beyond

If signs of dyslexia aren’t picked up early, they could become more noticeable when your child goes to secondary school. Sometimes they ‘coast’ through primary school by copying others but this becomes harder when the work becomes more demanding. They might have significant difficulty keeping up with subjects that require a lot of reading and processing. They can become exhausted from trying to keep up and they may disengage or show signs of low self-esteem.

The British Dyslexia Association website has more signs of dyslexia at different ages.

Sometimes signs of dyslexia are mistaken for a lack of interest or misbehaviour. Problems with reading and writing can also cause anxiety and low self-esteem which might mean their mental health needs are noticed before their dyslexia.

If your child speaks more than one language or has only just started learning English, it might take longer to notice they are having problems with reading and writing. If your child is dyslexic, the signs will be noticeable in all languages they use.

Sometimes signs of dyslexia are mistaken for signs of other conditions. It’s possible your child could be dyslexic as well as showing other signs of neurodiversity.

ADHD

ADHD and dyslexia often occur together. Sometimes the school might mistake signs of dyslexia for ADHD because both can show as:

• lack of attention or focus
• avoidance of tasks
• disruptive behaviour in the classroom
• difficulty following instructions
• Learn more about signs of ADHD.

Dyspraxia

Dyslexia and dyspraxia are often linked. Both can appear as:

• difficulties with planning and organising work
• slow or messy handwriting
• trouble breaking tasks into steps
• problems remembering instructions

Autism

Some autistic traits can make it hard to spot signs of dyslexia. If an autistic child is struggling with reading and writing, it might be assumed this is due to their autism.

Some autistic children have a strong visual memory. This means they can remember whole words by how they look, like a picture. Because of this, it is hard to notice if a child is relying on their visual memory of a word, instead of sounding it out with phonics.

If an autistic child has a hyper-fixation or special interest, they might be keen to read about the topic. They can be interested in reading, even if they are struggling with it.

If a child is both autistic and dyslexic, they might be able to recognise a word but it can easily become mixed up with another word. Because of this, the meaning can get confused, and the text becomes harder to understand.

If the school have noticed your child struggling with reading and writing, they should talk to you about their concerns and what they can do to help them.

If you have concerns about your child’s reading and writing, but the school haven’t spoken to you, it’s important to raise it with them. Dyslexia looks different in every child and children can be dyslexic without showing typical signs. Sometimes children mask their struggles at school, and you might notice differences at home.

You can ask for a meeting with their class teacher or the school Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo). They should work on a support plan.

You don’t need a diagnosis to get support for your child. If your child is showing signs of dyslexia, the school can try strategies to support them. They will usually do this first because in the UK, children usually need to be 8 years old for a dyslexia assessment.

Your child can be referred for a dyslexia assessment by:

• their school SENCo
• an educational psychologist from the local authority
• a private educational psychologist

You can also contact a national or local dyslexia charity for help arranging an assessment.

The British Dyslexia Association has information on types of assessment and how to apply.

Your child will be assessed by an educational psychologist or a qualified specialist dyslexia teacher. This might be in person or online.

The assessment will take 2 to 3 hours and look at how your child:

• reads and writes
• understands and uses language
• solves problems
• remembers information
• processes what they see and hear
• organises themselves
• approaches learning

The assessment will confirm if your child is dyslexic or not and recommend support or adjustments. If your child is not dyslexic, they might recommend assessment for another condition.

It’s important to talk to your child about the outcome of the assessment and let them know that this doesn’t change anything about them but will help them to get the right support.

Page last reviewed: March 2026
Next review due: March 2029