Dyslexia comprises a number of learning difficulties and concerns individuals who have difficulty reading, writing and spelling, incommensurate with their intellectual ability, age and educational opportunities. The characteristics of dyslexia vary from individual to individual. Some children undergo difficulties in many areas, while others have difficulties only in one area. However, if the majority of answers to the following questions are positive then it is likely that some form of dyslexia is present:

• Does the child have particular difficulty in reading and spelling?
• Does he/she confuse letters like ‘f’ with ‘th’, ‘b’ with ‘p’ both vocally and schematically?
• Does he/she omit, misplace or reverse letters and/or syllables or joins words together when he/she writes?
• Does he/she write letters back to front or confuse them with numbers (e.g. d instead of b)
• Does he/she unjustifiably and inexplicably make repeated mistakes in spelling?
• Does he/she have difficulty understanding the meaning of a text unless someone else reads or narrates it?
• Does he/she have difficulty learning tables (e.g. times tables) by heart or series (e.g. months of the year)?
• Does he/she have difficulty expressing him/herself in writing and/or orally?
• Does he/she show a lack of interest in books and anything that involves written discourse?
• Does he/she have difficulty copying from the board?
• Does he/she have difficulty managing his/her studies and time?

Dyslexia can be treated with special methods of teaching that take into account the cognitive disadvantages of dyslexic children and make learning easier. Each child needs a different approach and an individual therapeutic programme.