Yes—finger plays, clapping games, and dance routines that use hand gestures all help. Combine rhythm and repetition for deeper learning.
Send home simple activity ideas, kits, or worksheets. Offer short instructions and encourage family involvement. Regular practice builds lasting progress.
Try origami, sticker scenes, stringing pasta, or painting with Q-tips. Crafts that use small pieces build precision and control.
Dyslexia is a learning condition that changes the way the brain handles written and spoken language. It is one of the most common causes of reading difficulties, and it can appear in both children and adults. People with dyslexia can be just as smart and capable as anyone else but it does make reading and writing more challenging.
For children, dyslexia often becomes noticeable when they begin to learn to read. They may struggle with phonological awareness, reading fluency, or comprehension, making schoolwork feel harder than it should. Adults with dyslexia may continue to experience difficulty reading and writing, slower processing speed, or challenges with reading abilities in the workplace and everyday life.
Dyslexia often affects more than just reading. It may influence spelling, writing, and even visual processing. Some people find it difficult to quickly name objects or recall words, while others may mix up letters and sounds. Because there are different types of dyslexia, such as phonological dyslexia, surface dyslexia, visual dyslexia, and deep dyslexia, each person’s experience is unique.
Understanding the different types of dyslexia and the categories of dyslexia that exist allows us to better support both children and adults, helping them develop stronger reading and writing skills and giving them the confidence to succeed.
Dyslexia is not the same for everyone. There are different types of dyslexia, each with its own causes, symptoms, and challenges. Knowing these categories of dyslexia helps parents, teachers, and adults recognize what kind of support may work best. Below are the most common dyslexia types explained in simple terms.
Surface dyslexia happens when a person has difficulty recognizing whole words by sight. Instead of instantly reading familiar words, people with surface dyslexia often sound them out letter by letter. This type is closely tied to visual processing challenges and can make irregular words like “yacht” or “colonel” very confusing.
Phonological dyslexia is the most common one. It occurs when someone struggles with phonological awareness—the ability to hear and manipulate the sounds in words. People with this type of dyslexia have difficulty reading unfamiliar words, breaking words into syllables, or matching sounds to letters.
Visual dyslexia involves challenges with visual processing, where the brain struggles to recognize or remember letters and words. People may reverse letters like b and d or misread words that look similar. This type often affects reading fluency and spelling.
Deep dyslexia is a more severe form that affects both meaning and sounds. People with deep dyslexia may substitute words with others that have a similar meaning (like reading “dog” instead of “cat”) or struggle with comprehension while reading aloud. It is often associated with acquired brain injuries but can also appear in developmental cases.
Double deficit dyslexia involves challenges in both phonological awareness and rapid naming skills. People with this type may have trouble both breaking down sounds in words and quickly naming letters, numbers, or objects. This can lead to stronger reading difficulties compared to other types.
Developmental dyslexia appears in childhood and is not caused by injury. It is linked to how the brain develops and processes written language. Children with this type of dyslexia often struggle when they first learn to read, showing challenges in reading and writing, comprehension, and spelling.
Secondary dyslexia, sometimes called developmental delay dyslexia, is thought to result from brain development problems before birth. It is less common but may be linked to processing speed issues and affects reading abilities as children grow.
Primary dyslexia is considered a lifelong condition caused by genetic factors. It impacts the brain’s left hemisphere, the region that manages language processing. People with primary dyslexia often show persistent reading difficulties throughout life, though with support they can build strong coping strategies.
Acquired dyslexia, unlike developmental or primary forms, develops after a brain injury, stroke, or traumatic event. A person who previously had typical reading and writing abilities may suddenly struggle with comprehension, spelling, or fluency.
Auditory dyslexia is connected to difficulty processing sounds rather than visuals. People may hear sounds incorrectly or struggle to separate them, making reading fluency and spelling harder. This is often linked with challenges in phonological awareness and auditory processing.
Rapid naming dyslexia happens when a person has difficulty quickly naming familiar things such as letters, numbers, colors, or everyday objects. This is not because they don’t know the words—it’s because their processing speed for retrieving and saying them is slower. As a result, people with this type of dyslexia often read more slowly and may struggle with reading fluency.
Since more effort is spent recognizing and naming words, comprehension may also be affected. Rapid naming dyslexia is often linked to the double deficit hypothesis, where someone has challenges with both phonological awareness and naming speed. When combined, these difficulties can create stronger reading difficulties compared to other dyslexia types.
When talking about dyslexia, it’s important to understand that there are categories of dyslexia which is different from the types of dyslexia in the previous entry. While the two terms may sound similar, they’re completely different.
To put it simply, categories of dyslexia describe the origin or cause of dyslexia. These are broader groups that explain whether dyslexia is inherited, developmental, or acquired later in life.
Here are the main categories:
This category is genetic and lifelong. Primary dyslexia is linked to differences in brain function, especially in the left hemisphere, which manages language. People with primary dyslexia often show persistent reading difficulties, challenges in reading fluency, and problems with phonological awareness.
Secondary dyslexia, also called developmental dyslexia, is believed to be related to delays or problems in brain development during pregnancy. This category can affect reading abilities, processing speed, and comprehension as a child grows. It may improve somewhat with the right support, but many people continue to experience difficulty reading and writing into adulthood.
Unlike the other two, acquired dyslexia develops after birth, usually following a brain injury, stroke, or trauma. Someone who once read fluently may suddenly struggle with reading and writing, visual processing, or comprehension. This category shows how dyslexia may appear later in life, even in adults who previously had no reading difficulties.
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Dyslexia is a learning disorder that primarily affects reading and writing, but it rarely appears in isolation. Many individuals with dyslexia experience other challenges or conditions that can make school, work, and daily life more difficult. These conditions don’t mean a person cannot succeed; rather, they simply highlight the importance of early recognition and the right support.
Some children with dyslexia also show signs of attention difficulties. Attentional dyslexia, for example, is a form of dyslexia where letters or words seem to “move” or blend on the page, making it harder to focus. More broadly, people with dyslexia may also have ADHD, which can affect concentration and learning pace.
People with dyslexia face challenges in processing speed, which means it may take longer to decode words or respond to written instructions. This slower pace can affect reading fluency and comprehension. A type of dyslexia affects words differently depending on whether it’s connected to phonological awareness, visual processing, or both.
Some individuals are diagnosed with math dyslexia (more commonly known as dyscalculia). While not the same as dyslexia, it often appears in children with dyslexia who also have trouble with numbers and sequences. Dyslexia may also overlap with speech or language delays, since both involve difficulties with processing sounds.
Because dyslexia is the most common learning disability, many people eventually receive a diagnosis of dyslexia. But before that happens, frustration and low confidence are common. A child whose parents have dyslexia may be more likely to inherit it, and without support, a child has dyslexia might feel discouraged in school. Adults may also face stigma at work. These emotional challenges are associated with dyslexia, even though they are not direct symptoms.
In some cases, dyslexia may also be linked with early developmental differences. Secondary dyslexia and other categories of dyslexia can appear alongside language delays. An acquired form of dyslexia, also known as trauma dyslexia, may occur later in life after brain injury, stroke, or neurological trauma, and it often overlaps with memory or attention issues.
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Dyslexia is often described as both. It is considered a learning disorder because it affects how the brain processes language, and it is also a learning disability because it can interfere with academic performance. The terms are used interchangeably, though some experts prefer learning difference to reduce stigma.
Yes. While developmental dyslexia refers to dyslexia that is present from birth, an acquired form of dyslexia (sometimes called trauma dyslexia) can appear after a brain injury, stroke, or neurological trauma. This is different from children with dyslexia who show symptoms early when they begin to learn to read.
Yes, but indirectly. Some people are diagnosed with math dyslexia, also known as dyscalculia. This is not the same as dyslexia, but the two can overlap. Individuals with dyslexia may struggle with sequencing, remembering math facts, or aligning numbers correctly on the page.
Yes. A child whose parents have dyslexia is more likely to develop it. Research suggests that dyslexia is strongly genetic, meaning it often runs in families. However, the way it affects each person can differ — for example, one sibling may have phonological dyslexia, while another has surface dyslexia.
The diagnosis of dyslexia involves testing reading abilities, comprehension, spelling, and sometimes processing speed. Evaluations may include tests of phonological awareness, rapid naming, and visual processing. Specialists such as educational psychologists often perform these assessments.
Yes. While dyslexia is present at birth and lifelong, people with dyslexia can learn effective strategies to improve reading fluency and comprehension. Structured literacy approaches, multisensory instruction, and technology tools can make a huge difference. In fact, many individuals with phonological dyslexia or people with deep dyslexia have gone on to become successful authors, entrepreneurs, and professionals.
Although people with dyslexia face challenges, they also tend to show strengths in creativity, problem-solving, and big-picture thinking. Some excel in art, design, storytelling, or hands-on work. The International Dyslexia Association emphasizes that dyslexia can be a challenge, but it also comes with unique abilities.
Yes. While most people are born with developmental dyslexia, there is also an acquired form of dyslexia that may result in dyslexia after trauma. This is sometimes called trauma dyslexia and can occur following a stroke, brain injury, or other neurological event. In these cases, a person who previously had no difficulties with reading may suddenly struggle with comprehension, reading fluency, or writing abilities. This is different from a child whose parents have dyslexia, since acquired dyslexia is not inherited but develops later in life.
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