Dyslexia is a common learning difficulty that mainly causes problems with reading, writing and spelling.

It's a specific learning difficulty, which means it causes problems with certain abilities used for learning, such as reading and writing.

Unlike a learning disability, intelligence isn't affected.

It's estimated up to 1 in every 10 people in the UK has some degree of dyslexia.

Dyslexia is a lifelong problem that can present challenges on a daily basis, but support is available to improve reading and writing skills and help those with the problem be successful at school and work.

What are the signs of dyslexia?

Signs of dyslexia usually become apparent when a child starts school and begins to focus more on learning how to read and write.

A person with dyslexia may:

• read and write very slowly
• confuse the order of letters in words
• be confused by letters that look similar and write letters the wrong way round (such as "b" and "d")
• have poor or inconsistent spelling
• understand information when told verbally, but have difficulty with information that's written down
• find it hard to carry out a sequence of directions
• struggle with planning and organisation

But people with dyslexia often have good skills in other areas, such as creative thinking and problem solving.

Getting help

If you think your child may have dyslexia, the first step is to speak to their teacher or the Additional Learning Needs Coordinator (ALNCo)