Dyslexia

What is Dyslexia?

Dyslexia is a specific learning difficulty, mainly affecting reading and spelling. Dyslexic people
usually find it difficult to analyse and work with the sounds of spoken words, and many have
difficulties with short-term memory, sequencing and organisation. This means that it is more
difficult for them to learn how spoken sounds map onto letters, which affects the ability to
spell and the ability to decode or ‘sound out’ words. Although many dyslexic people can learn
to use phonic, decoding, skills they typically need a great deal of instruction, and they often
never reach a stage where these skills are fully automatic.

Dyslexia often causes problems in maths: many dyslexic people have difficulties with arithmetic
and with learning and recalling number facts.

The degree to which dyslexia causes problems, in learning and in everyday life, depends on many factors. These include the severity of the dyslexia, the other strengths and abilities
that a person has, and the kind of teaching and support they may have been given.