Potential Warning Signs

Preschool 

• Speaks later than most children

• Pronunciation problems

• Slow vocabulary growth, often unable to find the right word

• Difficulty rhyming words

• Trouble learning numbers, alphabet, days of the week, colors, shapes

• Extremely restless and easily distracted

• Trouble interacting with peers

• Difficulty following directions or routines

• Fine motor skills slow to develop

 Grades K-4

• Slow to learn the connection between letters and sounds

• Confuses basic words ( run, eat, want )

• Makes consistent reading and spelling errors including letter reversals ( b / d ), inversions ( m / w ), transpositions ( felt / left ), and substitutions ( house / home )

• Transposes number sequences and confuses arithmetic signs (+, -, x, /, =)

• Slow to remember facts

• Slow to learn new skills, relies heavily on memorization

• Impulsive, difficulty planning

• Unstable pencil grip

• Trouble learning about time

• Poor coordination, unaware of physical surroundings, prone to accidents

 Grades 5-8

• Reverses letter sequences ( soiled / solid, left / felt )

• Slow to learn prefixes, suffixes, root words, and other spelling strategies

• Avoids reading aloud

• Trouble with word problems

• Difficulty with handwriting-awkward, fist-like, or tight pencil grip

• Avoids writing assignments

• Slow or poor recall of facts

• Difficulty making friends

• Trouble understanding body language and facial expressions

High School Students and Adults

• Continues to spell incorrectly, frequently spells the same word differently in a single piece of writing

• Avoids reading and writing tasks

• Trouble summarizing

• Trouble with open-ended questions on tests

• Weak memory skills

• Difficulty adjusting to new settings

• Works slowly

• Poor grasp of abstract concepts

• Either pays too little attention to details or focuses on them too much

• Misreads information