Dyslexia: Just the facts

Dyslexia is a common learning difference that can cause long term problems with reading, writing and spelling. It affects around 1 in 10 people in the UK and can impact young people of all abilities, so it’s not related to a person’s intelligence. In fact, those with dyslexia are often skilled in other areas such as creative thinking.

There are a lot of famous people that have dyslexia.

Depending on the severity of dyslexia, those affected can find it difficult to match letters to sounds, spell certain words and might even see letters moving around when they’re reading.

Everyone is affected differently by dyslexia, other difficulties can include:

• Reading or writing very slowly
• Having trouble telling left from right
• Remembering complex instructions or sequences
• Requiring lots of thinking time to remember words
• Finding it hard to write by hand, for example writing letters such as “b” and “d” the wrong way round
• Issues with organisation and planning

Getting support

If you think you may have dyslexia, speak to somebody at school who can arrange for you to have the right support,

If you’re still struggling following extra support in school, then the school may be able to request an additional assessment from a specialist teacher or educational psychologist.

Charities such as the British Dyslexia Association can offer support and resources for those affected, there may even be a local dyslexia association near you.

Take a look at this video about dyslexia from the British Dyslexia Association:

This video was not produced by Health for Teens and may contain adverts.

How to get help

If you have any more questions on this area or would like to speak to somebody about this topic, have a look at the links or search for your local services in the blue box below. Alternatively you can always contact your school nurse.

• w: NHS - Dyslexia
  
• w: British Dyslexia Association