Dyslexia

Literacy practitioners, while untrained, play a role in diagnosing an adult learning disability. Often they are able to forward adults with dyslexia to appropriate health care professionals. During the screening, the practitioner will ask what their average ability is in some areas but limited in others, if they have poor vision or hearing, are there problems with reading, spelling, writing, handwriting and/or math, and are there certain behaviors or psychological barriers that may impede classroom learning? Next, an adult dyslexia test can be assessed by an educational diagnostician, psychiatrist, psychologist or counselor.

A test for adult dyslexia can be helpful to clarify one's condition. Often times, a person with dyslexia signs gets misdiagnosed. Right off the bat, many individuals are seen as "underachievers" who simply don't care about achieving quality marks in school or getting ahead in life. These stigmas and stereotypes can prevent a person from rising above the labels. Kids are often diagnosed with ADHD anxiety because they're perceived to be intelligent but fidgety and under-performing. Being put on Ritalin is no way to overcome basic reading difficulties. Others with dyslexia are even viewed as having adults Asperger syndrome, depression or even mild mental retardation because they appear "different" from others. With a proper diagnosis, individuals can expect more reasonable goals and achieve more than ever before.



There are certain dyslexia symptoms and signs that may prompt a person to ask about an adult dyslexia test. For instance, frequent problems with spelling -- even common or short words -- might indicate a problem with the brain's wiring. Common misspellings include words like friend, enough, they, because, any, said and many. Longer words are often spelled out phonetically. Secondly, many adults with dyslexia have trouble using a left finger to point to their right foot. Math sequences are also a real struggle. Dyslexic people are generally disorganized, have trouble retaining spoken words and have difficulty following directions. Some or all of these symptoms may be present in a dyslexic adult and to varying degrees as well.



A specific adult dyslexia test (ADT) is given to individuals who are over 18 years of age, compared to other tests like the Dyslexic Screener (grades 2-8), the Dyslexia Determination Test (grades 2-12) or the Pre-Dyslexia Letter Coding Test (kindergartners). Often, adults with dyslexia signs will take this test before college or at an adult literacy center. For adults, the results come from very specific instructions for assessing the type and severity of dyslexia, as well as recommendations for treating the individual. This is just one of several tests for adults that may be administered during a typical screening.