General
 | Appears bright, highly
intelligent, and articulate but unable to read, write, or spell at
grade level.
|
| Labeled lazy, dumb, careless,
immature, "not trying hard enough," or "behavior
problem."
|
| Isn't "behind
enough" or "bad enough" to be helped in the school
setting.
|
| High in IQ, yet may not test
well academically; tests well orally, but not written.
|
| Feels dumb; has poor
self-esteem; hides or covers up weaknesses with ingenious
compensatory strategies; easily frustrated and emotional about
school reading or testing.
|
| Talented in art, drama, music,
sports, mechanics, story-telling, sales, business, designing,
building, or engineering.
|
| Seems to "Zone out"
or daydream often; gets lost easily or loses track of time.
|
| Difficulty sustaining
attention; seems "hyper" or "daydreamer."
|
| Learns best through hands-on
experience, demonstrations, experimentation, observation, and visual
aids. |
Vision, Reading, and Spelling
| Complains of dizziness,
headaches or stomach aches while reading.
|
| Confused by letters, numbers,
words, sequences, or verbal explanations.
|
| Reading or writing shows
repetitions, additions, transpositions, omissions, substitutions,
and reversals in letters, numbers and/or words.
|
| Complains of feeling or seeing
non-existent movement while reading, writing, or copying.
|
| Seems to have difficulty with
vision, yet eye exams don't reveal a problem.
|
| Extremely keen sighted and
observant, or lacks depth perception and peripheral vision.
|
| Reads and rereads with little
comprehension.
|
| Spells phonetically and
inconsistently. |
Hearing and Speech
| Has extended hearing; hears things not said or apparent to others;
easily distracted by sounds.
|
| Difficulty
putting thoughts into words; speaks in halting phrases; leaves
sentences incomplete; stutters under stress; mispronounces long
words, or transposes phrases, words, and syllables when speaking. |
|
Writing and Motor Skills
| Trouble with writing or
copying; pencil grip is unusual; handwriting varies or is illegible.
|
| Clumsy, uncoordinated, poor at
ball or team sports; difficulties with fine and/or gross motor
skills and tasks; prone to motion-sickness.
|
| Can be ambidextrous, and often
confuses left/right, over/under. |
Math and Time Management
| Has difficulty telling time,
managing time, learning sequenced information or tasks, or being on
time.
|
| Computing math shows
dependence on finger counting and other tricks; knows answers, but
can't do it on paper.
|
| Can count, but has difficulty
counting objects and dealing with money.
|
| Can do arithmetic, but fails
word problems; cannot grasp algebra or higher math. |
Memory and Cognition
| Excellent long-term memory for
experiences, locations, and faces.
|
| Poor memory for sequences,
facts and information that has not been experienced.
|
| Thinks primarily with images
and feeling, not sounds or words (little internal dialogue). |
Behavior, Health, Development and
Personality
| Extremely disorderly or
compulsively orderly.
|
| Can be class clown,
trouble-maker, or too quiet.
|
| Had unusually early or late
developmental stages (talking, crawling, walking, tying shoes).
|
| Prone to ear infections;
sensitive to foods, additives, and chemical products.
|
| Can be an extra deep or light
sleeper; bedwetting beyond appropriate age.
|
| Unusually high or low
tolerance for pain.
|
| Strong sense of justice;
emotionally sensitive; strives for perfection.
|
| Mistakes
and symptoms increase dramatically with confusion, time pressure,
emotional stress, or poor health. |
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