Dyslexia in Adults:  The Signs and Symptoms

Do you read slowly or with great effort? Are you good at many things but find it especially difficult to understand a page of text without reading it through a few times? Do you have poor spelling and have difficulty planning written work? Dyslexia is a relatively common condition, affecting up to 1 in 10 people. It is characterized by specific difficulties in reading, spelling or writing despite adequate instruction, intelligence and socio-cultural opportunities. It might be exhibited differently across the individual’s lifespan. While children with dyslexia might have trouble reading accurately, most can read by the time they are adults, but usually with slower speed and with greater effort. Evidence from brain research shows that compared to non-dyslexic readers, dyslexic readers activate different brain circuits than the ones usually used for reading. This allows them to read, but with less automaticity.

Due to lack of awareness of dyslexia in the past, many individuals might have been undiagnosed as children and continue struggling with dyslexia as adults today. Many bright dyslexic individuals are often able to compensate for their difficulties and therefore remain unidentified. Some dyslexic individuals might have managed to do well in school, but this is often achieved with a disproportionate amount of effort and time. For example, a bright adult with dyslexia may understand things quickly, but may spend twice the amount of time reading and re-reading text to understand it. A bright adult dyslexic could be expending twice the effort of his peers to remember information, or to plan and write an essay.

Difficulties with reading and writing, along with other issues associated with dyslexia, such as difficulties with organization, sequencing and poor memory could show up in various forms in higher education or the workplace. This could be having difficulties retaining information given in lectures/presentations making spelling/copying errors, struggling with timed tasks or forgetting appointments and deadlines. Whether as students going through tertiary education or as working adults, dyslexia can lead to underperformance and frustration which can affect an individual’s self-esteem.

The good news is that with an understanding of and the development of strategies the difficulties experienced can be compensated.

Here are some signs and symptoms that could suggest dyslexia : • Making many mistakes when filling out forms and writing cheques • Tend to get numbers mixed up when you dial the telephone • Poor spelling • Much better orally than when writing on paper • Intelligent but have poor spelling • Mix up dates, numbers, times, and miss appointments • Get confused when you have to speak in public or read aloud • Take longer than others to read a page in a book • Difficulty passing on telephone messages accurately • Work twice as hard as most people to understand a passage you’ve read

Researchers have discovered ways of coping with dyslexia, through various intervention strategies. If you suspect you have dyslexia, first, have a psychological assessment with a Psychologist. This will help identify your strengths and weaknesses, learning profile, and determine evidence of dyslexia. This will then help the psychologist to recommend strategies to help you cope with dyslexia based on your cognitive profile. You can both also discuss possible intervention and accommodations to help you excel.

If you, or someone you know has some of the difficulties stated, you may want to consider an assessment.