Dyslexia signs in adults

Dyslexia is a lifelong condition that mainly affects reading and spelling. It’s also the most common learning disorder.¹ Still, many adults with dyslexia have never been diagnosed or treated.

If you suspect you have dyslexia, it helps to look at both the challenges you have now and ones you’ve had in the past. Signs can look different in adults than in kids. But since dyslexia is lifelong, you would have had symptoms in childhood.

Signs of dyslexia can appear as early as preschool, and become very clear in grade school. Still, many kids with dyslexia never get a formal diagnosis — or the support that should go with it.

That’s a key reason why so many adults don’t have answers about why they struggle with reading, spelling, and other skills that come naturally to others. 

Dyslexia signs show up in different ways in different people. Some adults face greater challenges than others. Here are some typical signs you might have as an adult with dyslexia:

Trouble with specific reading skills

Dyslexia affects a number of reading skills and creates different challenges over time. Understanding what these are can help you spot the difficulties you’ve had that may point to dyslexia.

Phonological awareness (recognizing and using sounds)

This skill is the foundation of learning how to read. It’s the ability to recognize and work with the sounds in spoken language. As an adult, you probably don’t show challenges with phonological awareness. But when you were a young child, you may have struggled with:

• Noticing and making rhymes (the appeal of Dr. Seuss might have escaped you)

• Counting or clapping out syllables in a word

• Recognizing repeated sounds in words (Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers)

• Being aware of individual sounds within words 

Decoding (sounding out words)

This is the ability to sound out and blend the letters in words. Decoding makes it possible to read words that you haven’t seen before. 

Here are signs of decoding challenges:

• Guessing at unfamiliar words

• Misreading or confusing similar words (switching “improper” with “imposter”)

• Skipping words or lines of text when reading

• Struggling to recognize words when they’re out of context

• Having difficulty reading aloud

• Reading aloud without expression, sounding flat or robot-like

• Reading very slowly because it takes time to identify and blend letter sounds

• Having trouble recalling and understanding what you’ve read because you’re so focused on figuring out each word

• Not remembering names of people and places  

Fluency (reading smoothly and at a good pace)

Reading fluency is the ability to read at a good pace and without difficulty. Fluent readers don’t need to work to decode letters and symbols. They can just focus on what the text means. 

With dyslexia, you may need to devote a lot more time, attention, and energy to decoding. And that can affect your quality of reading.

Here are what problems with reading fluency might look like:

• A slow reading pace 

• Poor recall of what you read

• Difficulty getting the “drift” of or understanding what you read

• Little or no interest in reading for pleasure

• A feeling of exhaustion after reading

• Trouble reading aloud and a tendency to stumble over your words

• Difficulty with different type fonts or font changes 

Spelling challenges

Dyslexia makes it hard to isolate sounds that make up words and to match those sounds with letters. This is one reason why spelling is such a common difficulty when you have dyslexia.

Here are some signs of spelling issues that can come with dyslexia:

• Trouble recalling and using basic spelling rules, like “i before e except after c”

• Mixing up letters that sound alike (spelling “dog” as “bog”) 

• Jumbling the order of letters (writing “siad” instead of “said”)

• Having trouble telling the direction letters face (writing “d” when you mean “b”)

• Spelling words the way they sound (spelling “said” as “sed” and “want” as “wont”)

• Being inconsistent in how you spell a word — sometimes right, sometimes wrong

• Relying heavily on spellcheck and grammar check when you’re writing on a phone or computer

Trouble with executive function skills

Adults with dyslexia often report that they struggle with non-reading skills.² These include:

• Planning

• Organization

• Attention

• Working memory

Difficulty with any of these executive function skills can make reading (and other activities) more difficult.

Co-occurring mental and emotional health issues

Living with learning challenges isn’t easy, especially when they’re not diagnosed or treated. Ongoing frustration, exhaustion, insecurity, and anger can take a toll.

People with dyslexia are more likely than others to have mental health issues like depression and anxiety.³ They’re also more likely to have low self-esteem and to withdraw socially.

Mental and emotional health issues aren’t symptoms of dyslexia. But it’s common for people to show signs of both. Knowing what’s behind these you can find ways to treat and manage them.

Signs of co-occurring conditions

It’s common for people with dyslexia to have at least one other learning challenge. Dyslexia also often co-occurs with ADHD and autism. 

Each condition has its own symptoms, some of which overlap. So, if you have dyslexia, it’s possible to show signs of other conditions as well.

Here are some of the conditions that most commonly occur with dyslexia:

• Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, affects the ability to focus, manage impulses, and remember information.

• Dyscalculia affects the ability to do math and tasks that involve math.

• Dysgraphia impacts skills like handwriting, typing, and spelling.

• Anxiety disorder may have a genetic link to learning disorders and ADHD.⁴

• Autism affects how people communicate and interact with others.

Knowing exactly what’s causing your symptoms lets you find the best ways to treat and manage them.

Next steps

The only way to know for sure if you have dyslexia is through an evaluation with a trained professional. Kids can get tested for free at school. It’s a different story for adults. 

Some insurance plans cover evaluations. But chances are you’ll have to pay for your own diagnosis and treatment.

You’ll probably have to find a specialist who evaluates adults. The Learning Disabilities Association of America is a good place to start your search.

It’s not too late to improve your reading skills. There are reading specialists and tutors who are trained to help people with dyslexia. But again, you’ll likely have to pay for it.

There are definite benefits, though. A formal diagnosis may help you get accommodations at work. And you’ll finally know that your struggles are “real” and have a name.

Even if you don’t get an evaluation, it can help to learn as much as you can about dyslexia. You may find answers to questions or doubts you’ve had for a long time.

Also, dyslexia runs in families. If you have kids, keep an eye out for signs that they may also have reading challenges. 

Summary

Dyslexia is a lifelong condition that mainly affects reading and spelling. Signs are usually clear in grade school. But many kids don’t get a diagnosis or the proper help. That means many adults with dyslexia are also undiagnosed and without support.

If you think you have dyslexia, it’s important to know the signs. In general, people with dyslexia read slowly and make mistakes. That makes it hard to understand what you’re reading.

You may also have noticed these signs and symptoms:

• Poor recall of what you read

• Mixing up words that look or sound similar

• Difficulty reading aloud

• Short-term memory problems

• Trouble telling right from left

Getting tested for dyslexia as an adult can be expensive. But there are real benefits. Having a formal diagnosis lets you know your struggles are “real.” You might also be able to get accommodations at work. A good place to start getting answers and help is the Learning Disabilities Association of America.