Adult Dyslexia

How would I know if I have dyslexia?

If you have dyslexia as an adult, you were probably diagnosed during the early years in school. After careful observation, classroom teachers usually refer students for testing to a special education teacher, psychologist, or other health care professional. One of the symptoms that might appear in the classroom is letter and number reversals. Letter and number reversals are very common in kindergarten and first grade students. If the problem has not remedied itself by the age of 7 or 8 then testing for dyslexia or other learning problems may be appropriate.

Other warning signs include difficulty copying from the white board or from a book, general disorganization of written school work, difficulty sequencing the events in a story, and lack of coordination on the playground. Kindergarten and first grade children with dyslexia may also have difficulty clapping and moving their bodies to the rhythm of a song or chant.

If you were not diagnosed as a child, you may have struggled through school and passed from grade to grade. Many realize during employment, however, that there is a problem. It may be difficult to read manuals or other materials associated with the job such as e-mails. Many adults with dyslexia have difficulty with organization and completing tasks and tend to be perfectionists. It would be easy to get overwhelmed and not accomplish anything..

1) Discover your strengths and weaknesses by trial and error. Consider keeping a daily journal.

2) Develop a supportive network of friends and colleagues.

3) Design your life to focus on your strengths

4) Be patient

5) Delegate and outsource

6) Use technology when possible (voice mail and GPS)

7) Find out about other people in the work place who have dyslexia. Listen to their stories and learn from them.

8} Take notes to help supplement your memory (as well as to write down new ideas). Mobile devices allow you to record important conversations, events, and postings in text, audio, video, or picture form.

9) Consider listening to books on MP3. Not only can this optimize your downtime, but can also help you learn in a way that is more meaningful to you.

10) Consider taking classes to help you strengthen your visual thinking skills.