Wondering whether your child has dyslexia? Learn what dyslexia is, common signs, why bright children can struggle with reading, how dyslexia is diagnosed, and how effective intervention can help.

If your child is bright but struggles with reading, writing, or math, you may wonder whether a learning disability is the cause. Learn the signs of dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia, what else can cause academic difficulties, and when a comprehensive evaluation may be helpful.

When people think about dyslexia, they often imagine someone who reverses letters or simply reads slowly. In reality, one of the most common patterns involves difficulty connecting sounds to letters, sounding out unfamiliar words, and decoding efficiently. This pattern is often referred to as phonological dyslexia.

What is dyscalculia? Learn the signs of this math learning disability, how it differs from simply struggling with math, and how a comprehensive evaluation can identify dyscalculia and guide effective support.

Orthographic dyslexia is often used to describe a pattern of reading difficulty involving weaknesses in recognizing and retaining written word forms automatically.

Individuals with this pattern may:

• rely heavily on sounding words out

• read slowly and effortfully

• struggle with rapid word recognition

• have difficulty remembering spelling patterns

• read accurately but inefficiently

• expend substantial mental energy during reading

Reading may be accurate while still feeling exhausting and slow.

Dysgraphia is a learning disorder that affects written output.

Writing difficulties can arise for different reasons. For some individuals, handwriting and written production are the primary concerns. For others, weaknesses in spelling, language formulation, executive functioning, attention, or other underlying skills contribute to the difficulty.

Understanding the source of the problem is often an important part of effective intervention.