Expert: Norm Bishop - 11/4/2011

Question
As a child:
1. Problem reading says text moves, paragraph moves, lines move.
2. Very bad handwriting.
3. Difficulty learning tables.
4. Very weak in calculations.
5. Poor Spelling.
6. Very Naughty.
7. Very quiet.
8. Poor Eyesight.
9. Was always opening things to see how they work. Ex. opening electronic gadgets.
10. Highly unorganized.

As an adult:
1. Much of the child symptoms have gone.
2. Highly Determined.
3. Highly Creative.
4. Over Achiever.
5. Erratic behavior.(Sometimes)
6. Lonely.
7. Hides problems.
8. Reading problems though less often.
9. Spelling Mistakes though since he is into computers and always typing, there have been very less mistakes.
10. Low self esteem.(Sometimes)
11. Does not know how to talk on phone. Does not know what to say.
12. Sometimes pessimist.
13. Problem managing things, time, gets frustated, hopeless but somehow manages to complete the projects, though not always

What I think is that he is not dyslexic instead he is just careless and does not concentrate hard, But it be could dyslexia. So do these symptoms indicate dyslexia.

Answer
Yes, some of these are signs of dyslexia, which by the way is a medical term meaning "inability to read."  There are roughly 128 definitions of what dyslexia actually is.  The symptoms most connected that you have mentioned is the merging of text, paragraph moving, lines moving, and all the handwriting, reading learning difficulties.

However, the behavior related signs are not usually connected to dyslexia, although they can become a problem as the child struggles to learn.  Those you describe are directly related to Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder.

I think this young man has a brain dysfunction that manifests itself in difficulty learning to read and the mechanics of writing.  His frustration level is adding to the behavior problems and making him look like he doesn't care.  This description is very familiar to me, as what you describe, other than the extreme level of frustration, is part of my learning pattern.  I actually learned to read at a very young age, about 3 and a half, but learned to use a straight edge, like a ruler, under the text I read, that keeps the lines from blurring and jumping around.  I read varied speeds, getting slower when I reach the center of the page, reading very fast on the outside parts of the line.  My handwriting is barely legible and all of my fine motor finger coordination is bad.  When I discovered a typewriter, then a computer, I went from being considered a poor writer to a published author...finally my writing can go as fast as my brain, which it can't when it takes me forever to make a letter.  

I think that learning to compensate is best here.  First, he needs to be encouraged for working so hard to learn what comes easily for others!  A good reading tutor who understands compensation skills will help...but make sure the teacher understands dyslexia fully.  What helped me to master reading comprehension was taking a speed reading class.  While I never learned to read excessively fast, I learned to read so that I could understand.

My parents understood and I finally did when I trained to become a special education teacher.  It all made sense, which helped me improve even more.  There is hope, find strengths and passiona and let him pursue them.  If reading continues to be a struggle, get some good digital voice text to speech software and let him read along with the text he struggles to read alone.  Parents can read with him, taking turns from paragraph to paragraph (the model really helps).

I wish you luck