The Primary School Signs: Ages 7-12 Years

Pupil’s Name: _________________________________

Date: _____________


The Primary School Signs: Ages 7-12 Years.

If a pupil, between 7 and 12 years of age, displays any of the following characteristics, the teacher should intervene. The presence of a number of these characteristics or those on the previous checklist for 5-7 year olds may indicate that the child has dyslexic learning difficulties. When considering these characteristics, it is important to remain mindful of the following:

a.     No child will have all these characteristics.

b.    Some characteristics are more common than others.





1.    ___Has continued difficulty reading text aloud or silently

2.   ___Reading achievement is below expectation

3.     ___Is slow at discerning and learning prefixes, suffixes, root words and other morphemes as part of reading and spelling strategies

4.     ___Poor reading accuracy, fluency or speed interferes with reading comprehension



1.  ___Spelling is inappropriate for age and general ability (e.g., spelling the same word differently on the same page, use of bizarre spelling patterns, frequent letter omissions, additions and transpositions)

2.    ___Poor spelling contributes to poor written expression (e.g., may avoid use of unfamiliar words)


Arithmetic: difficulty in performing arithmetic operations or in understanding basic concepts

1.    ___Experiences language-related problems in math (e.g., when reading word problems and directions, confuses numbers and symbols)



1.     ___Still confuses letter sequences (e.g., soiled for solid; left for felt

2.     ___Is unable to learn multiplication tables by rote

3.     ___Still confuses some directional words (e.g., left and right)

4.     ___Has slow or poor recall of facts

5.     ___Forgets to bring in or hand in homework

6.    ___Has difficulty remembering what day or month it is

7.    ___Has difficulty remembering his/her own telephone number or birthday


Reasoning: difficulty in organising and integrating thoughts

1.   ___Lacks understanding of other people’s body language and facial expressions

2.   ___Has trouble with non-literal or figurative language (e.g., idioms, proverbs)

3.   ___Has poor planning and organisational skills

4.   ___Has poor time management


Motor coordination: difficulty coordinating eye and hand

1. ___Has slow, dysfluent and/or illegible handwriting



1.   ___Uses avoidance tactics when asked to read orally or write

2.     ___Lacks self-confidence and has a poor self-image