October is Dyslexia Awareness Month which means it’s a great time to shine light on what dyslexia really is, how to recognise it, and how speech pathologists can support children struggling with reading and writing. Below is a comprehensive guide to dyslexia, tailored for parents, educators, and caregivers.
1. What Is Dyslexia?
DSM-5 Definition / Classification
In the DSM-5 (Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition), “dyslexia” is not listed as a separate disorder. Instead, dyslexia falls under the umbrella term of Specific Learning Disorders (SLD), with a more specific impairment in reading and/or spelling.
- The four key criteria for diagnosing dyslexia are:
A. Difficulties with reading and/or spelling that persist for at least 6 months despite targeted intervention (i.e. targeted literacy sessions with a qualified Speech Pathologist).
B. Those academic skills are significantly below expectations for the child’s age, causing impairment in everyday or functioning. This can refer to difficulties accessing the school curriculum without support, or things like being able to read menus, texts or signage that would be appropriate for their age.
C. The onset of dyslexia is in the school-aged years (though it may become fully evident later when demands on spelling and reading increase).
D. The difficulties are not better explained by other conditions (e.g. intellectual disability, sensory impairments, inadequate instruction, or lack of language proficiency).
Prevalence of Dyslexia in Australia
- The Australian Dyslexia Association (ADA) suggests a conservative estimate of 10% of Australians may be affected by dyslexia.
- Many sources emphasise that this estimate is too low, as many individuals remain undiagnosed. Importantly, dyslexia does not relate to intelligence. Many individuals with dyslexia have average or above-average IQ and may excel in other domains.
2. How Is Dyslexia Diagnosed: What Must a Child Present With?
To be eligible for a formal diagnosis (commonly via a psychologist, educational psychologist, or speech pathologist), a child must generally:
1. Have received sufficient evidence-based instruction/intervention
- Before diagnosing dyslexia, there must be evidence that the child has had at least 6 months of explicit, targeted literacy instruction or intervention, and yet continues to lag behind their peers.
- This rule helps distinguish between a child who is behind because of inadequate instruction vs one with an underlying learning difference.
2. Meet the DSM-5 Criteria outlined above
- The child must show characteristic reading and/or spelling difficulties (accuracy, rate, fluency, comprehension) that persist despite intervention.
- The child’s skills are substantially below age expectations and interfere with attainment or daily life.
- Onset during school years is required.
- Other possible explanations (vision, hearing, intellectual, instruction quality, language proficiency) must be ruled out.
3. Complete a comprehensive assessment battery
- The assessor will typically gather a developmental history, educational history, family history, teacher reports, and details of prior intervention.
- Standardised tests of reading, spelling, decoding, fluency, comprehension are completed and your child’s results are compared with norms of peers of the same age.
- In addition, skills like phonological processing, working memory, processing speed, and rapid naming are usually assessed to determine your child’s strengths and weaknesses and help with intervention planning.
3. Common Indicators of Literacy Delay or Dyslexia
While every child is unique, here are some red flags or warning signs that may suggest literacy difficulties or dyslexia:
Early / Preschool Signs:
- Difficulty learning to rhyme or play with the sounds of words
- Trouble recognising letters or learning letter–sound correspondences
- Slow to learn to segment or blend phonemes (i.e. split words up into sounds to spell them, or blend them together to read words)
- Difficulty learning the alphabet or nursery rhymes
Primary School Signs:
- Reading is slow, effortful and contains lots of errors
- Poor spelling, with inconsistent attempts or words spelled phonetically
- Trouble remembering sight words
- Avoidance of reading and writing tasks
- Difficulties with understanding what they have read and answering questions about a text
Later / Upper Primary or Secondary Signs:
- Slow writing, spelling mistakes, and difficulty with writing texts
- Trouble summarising or extracting meaning from texts
- Difficulty with reading aloud fluently
- Struggles with note-taking or copying from the board
- Reluctance to read, frustration, or anxiety around reading/writing tasks
4. Common Myths About Dyslexia — And the Truth
Myth
“People with dyslexia are just lazy or not trying hard enough.”
Reality
Dyslexia is a neurobiological/neurodevelopmental difference in processing written language, not laziness.
Myth
“Dyslexia is just about reversing letters (b/d confusion).”
Reality
Letter reversals are common in typical developing readers. The core difficulties in dyslexia are phonological processing, accurate/automatic decoding, and spelling.
Myth
“People can ‘grow out’ of dyslexia.”
Reality
Dyslexia is generally lifelong. While interventions can dramatically improve reading and spelling, many people continue to benefit from strategies or accommodations.
Myth
“Coloured overlays / special fonts cure dyslexia.”
Reality
Coloured overlays may help with visual stress for some individuals, but they do not “fix” dyslexia.
Myth
“Only boys have dyslexia.”
Reality
Dyslexia affects all genders, though girls may be under-identified.
Breakthroughs in research (such as the new Delphi Definition of Dyslexia) emphasise dyslexia as a continuum of processing difficulties rather than a rigid “label,” and highlight varied profiles of reading and spelling weaknesses.
5. Why Speech Pathologists Are Key Allies in Literacy
As you may recall from our previous blog, Why a Speech therapist Is the Best Choice for Supporting Your Child’s Literacy, speech pathologists bring unique expertise in oral language, phonological awareness, and the building blocks of reading and writing.
Here’s how speech pathologists can support children with dyslexia or literacy delays:
- Phonological awareness training (e.g. phoneme segmentation, blending) is core to early reading success.
- Phonemic-level intervention helps bridge gaps in decoding skills.
- Oral language and vocabulary development support comprehension once decoding becomes more fluent.
- We can tailor intervention to each child’s language and cognitive profile (e.g. working memory, processing speed).
- Speech pathologists often collaborate with schools, teachers, and parents to embed strategies in classroom and home environments.
- Because dyslexia often co-occurs with other language-related profiles (e.g. language disorder, reading comprehension weaknesses), speech pathologists are well-placed to address the overlap.
If you suspect your child may have reading or spelling difficulties, or you want a professional literacy assessment or support plan, reach out to me through the contact details below.
Let’s make this Dyslexia Awareness Month the beginning of clearer reading journeys, more confident learners, and a more inclusive approach to literacy!