General
- Appears bright,
highly intelligent, and articulate but unable to read, write, or spell
at grade level.
- Labelled
lazy, dumb, careless, immature, "not trying hard enough," or
"behavior problem."
- Isn't "behind
enough" or "bad enough" to be helped in the school
setting.
- High in IQ, yet may
not test well academically; tests well orally, but not written.
- Feels dumb; has poor
self-esteem; hides or covers up weaknesses with ingenious compensatory
strategies; easily frustrated and emotional about school reading or
testing.
- Talented in art,
drama, music, sports, mechanics, story-telling, sales, business,
designing, building, or engineering.
- Seems to "Zone
out" or daydream often; gets lost easily or loses track of time.
- Difficulty
sustaining attention; seems "hyper" or "daydreamer."
- Learns best through
hands-on experience, demonstrations, experimentation, observation, and
visual aids.
Vision, Reading, and Spelling
- Complains of
dizziness, headaches or stomach aches while reading.
- Confused by letters,
numbers, words, sequences, or verbal explanations.
- Reading
or writing shows repetitions, additions, transpositions, omissions,
substitutions, and reversals in letters, numbers and/or words.
- Complains of feeling
or seeing non-existent movement while reading, writing, or copying.
- Seems to have
difficulty with vision, yet eye exams don't reveal a problem.
- Extremely keen
sighted and observant, or lacks depth perception and peripheral vision.
- Reads and rereads
with little comprehension.
- Spells phonetically
and inconsistently.
Hearing and Speech
- Has extended
hearing; hears things not said or apparent to others; easily distracted
by sounds.
- Difficulty putting
thoughts into words; speaks in halting phrases; leaves sentences
incomplete; stutters under stress; mispronounces long words, or
transposes phrases, words, and syllables when speaking.
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Writing and Motor
Skills
- Trouble with writing
or copying; pencil grip is unusual; handwriting varies or is illegible.
- Clumsy,
uncoordinated, poor at ball or team sports; difficulties with fine
and/or gross motor skills and tasks; prone to motion-sickness.
- Can be ambidextrous,
and often confuses left/right, over/under.
Math and Time
Management
- Has difficulty
telling time, managing time, learning sequenced information or tasks, or
being on time.
- Computing math shows
dependence on finger counting and other tricks; knows answers, but can't
do it on paper.
- Can count, but has
difficulty counting objects and dealing with money.
- Can do arithmetic,
but fails word problems; cannot grasp algebra or higher math.
Memory and
Cognition
- Excellent long-term
memory for experiences, locations, and faces.
- Poor memory for
sequences, facts and information that has not been experienced.
- Thinks primarily
with images and feeling, not sounds or words (little internal dialogue).
Behavior, Health,
Development and Personality
- Extremely disorderly
or compulsively orderly.
- Can be class clown,
trouble-maker, or too quiet.
- Had unusually early
or late developmental stages (talking, crawling, walking, tying shoes).
- Prone to ear
infections; sensitive to foods, additives, and chemical products.
- Can be an extra deep
or light sleeper; bedwetting beyond appropriate age.
- Unusually high or
low tolerance for pain.
- Strong sense of
justice; emotionally sensitive; strives for perfection.
- Mistakes and
symptoms increase dramatically with confusion, time pressure, emotional
stress, or poor health.
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