Imagine you’re walking down a street you know like the back of your hand, and suddenly all the signs are written in a language you almost understand, but not quite. The letters shift slightly, some look too similar, and reading a simple traffic sign takes you three times as long as the person next to you. This is how many children with dyslexia describe what it feels like every time they open a textbook. And the most curious, and also the saddest, thing is that they often carry this feeling for years before someone gives it a name.
Dyslexia is a neurobiological condition that affects how the brain processes written language, especially word decoding, reading fluency, and sometimes spelling. It has nothing to do with intelligence, and this is worth repeating in capital letters in the mind of any adult who supports a child during this stage. In fact, many children with dyslexia are extremely creative, possess powerful visual thinking skills, and weave complex ideas with surprising ease. However, when it comes to putting those ideas on paper using the alphabet, the process stalls.
The problem is that dyslexia is often detected late, and by late, I mean that in many cases, several school years pass before a proper evaluation is conducted. Why does this happen? For several reasons that are intertwined like threads in a knot. First, because in the early years of primary school, it’s normal for all children to make mistakes when reading and writing, so it’s difficult to distinguish what is part of the natural learning process from what could be a warning sign. Second, because many teachers, despite their immense dedication, don’t always have the specific training to identify early indicators of dyslexia in classrooms with thirty or more students. Third, because as a society we still carry the idea that if a child reads poorly it’s because they aren’t trying hard enough, and this belief delays seeking professional help far more than we imagine.
The consequences of this delay are significant. When a child spends years trying to read at the same pace as their classmates without succeeding and without understanding why, they begin to construct a narrative about themselves that goes something like this: I’m stupid, I’m no good at studying, something is wrong with me. This narrative takes deep root and often generates anxiety about schoolwork, avoidance of reading, low self-esteem, and even depressive symptoms in adolescence. As a psychologist who works with children and adolescents, I can assure you that the emotional wound left by dyslexia that goes undetected often hurts more and lasts longer than the reading difficulty itself.
So, what signs can help us suspect something before years go by? A preschool child who has difficulty recognizing rhymes, remembering letter names, or associating sounds with symbols deserves close attention. In elementary school, when reading remains very slow, when visually similar letters like b and d are confused, when spelling is very difficult, or when the child avoids reading aloud with seemingly disproportionate anxiety, there’s an important clue. And something many overlook is that dyslexia often has a familial component, so if a parent, uncle, or grandparent had similar difficulties in school, that information also counts as a piece of the puzzle.
The good news—and I want to emphasize this because it’s truly good—is that the earlier dyslexia is identified, the better the brain responds to interventions. Brain plasticity in childhood is astonishing, and with an appropriate psychoeducational approach, multisensory reading strategies, and the right emotional support, children with dyslexia not only learn to read, but many end up developing such effective strategies that their difficulties go almost unnoticed in adulthood.
That’s why, as a psychologist and also as someone who has witnessed firsthand the relief families feel when they finally find an explanation, my invitation is to trust our intuition when something doesn’t add up. If you feel that your child or student is trying incredibly hard and still the results aren’t coming, don’t wait for time to resolve it on its own. Seek a psychoeducational evaluation with qualified professionals. It’s not about labeling, but about opening doors. Putting a name to what a child is experiencing doesn’t limit them; it liberates them, because from then on, they no longer have to carry the burden of wondering what’s wrong with them alone. Instead, they can begin to build, together with the adults around them, the path that actually works for them. And believe me, that path exists; you just have to find it in time.
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