Symptoms:

A person with DRD may have trouble rhyming and separating sounds that make up spoken words. These abilities appear to be critical in the process of learning to read. A child's initial reading skills are based on word recognition, which involves being able to separate out the sounds in words and match them with letters and groups of letters.

Because people with DRD have difficulty connecting the sounds of language to the letters of words, they may have difficulty understanding sentences.

True dyslexia is much broader than simply confusing or transposing letters, for example mistaking ”b” and “d.".

In general, symptoms of DRD may include:

• Difficulty determining the meaning (idea content) of a simple sentence
• Difficulty learning to recognize written words
• Difficulty rhyming

DRD may occur in combination with writing or math learning problems.

Signs and tests:

Other causes of learning disability and, in particular, reading disability, must be ruled out before a diagnosis of DRD can be made. Emotional disorders, mental retardation, diseases of the brain, and certain cultural and education factors can cause learning disabilities.

Before diagnosing DRD, the health care provider will:

• Perform a complete medical exam, including a neurological exam
• Ask questions about the person's developmental, social, and school performance
• Ask if anyone else in the family has had dyslexia

Psychoeducational testing and psychological assessment may be done.