As academic demands increase in secondary school, some learners begin to find reading, writing and organisation increasingly challenging.

Common signs of dyslexia in teenagers may include:

Reading

• difficulty reading fluently and accurately

• avoiding reading aloud in class

• needing to reread text to understand it

Writing

• slow writing speed

• difficulty organising ideas in written work

• problems structuring essays or longer answers

• spelling that remains inconsistent

Organisation

• difficulty organising homework or coursework

• problems with note-taking during lessons

• forgetting instructions or deadlines

Memory

• difficulty remembering facts or sequences such as formulas or dates

• problems recalling information learned previously

Confidence and Behaviour

Some students may:

• avoid written tasks

• lose confidence academically

• appear disengaged despite having strong verbal reasoning abilities

Many dyslexic learners also show strengths such as creative thinking, strong verbal skills and good problem solving abilities.

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These indicators are based on guidance from the British Dyslexia Association.

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