Do I Have Dyslexia?

Take this quiz to see if your experiences line up with symptoms of dyslexia.

Dyslexia is a learning disability that impacts a person’s ability to interpret and process language, which can lead to challenges with skills like reading and writing. If you’ve struggled with language skills like these, you might be wondering if your experiences could be related to dyslexia.

While only a trained professional (like a healthcare provider) can officially diagnose this learning disorder, this quiz will help you do a little self-reflection in the meantime. Let’s get started.

Disclaimer: This quiz is not meant to be a diagnostic tool and should not be used as such.

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Questions Overview

1. Do you find you take a lot longer than your peers to read through things?
  1. Yes, I find this much harder than others do.
  2. I find this about as hard as others do.
  3. I find this easier than others to do.
  4. I’m not sure.
2. Do you have significant trouble reading things aloud to other people—so much so that you’re afraid to?
  1. Yes, I find this much harder than others do.
  2. I find this about as hard as others do.
  3. I find this easier than others to do.
  4. I’m not sure.
3. Do you have a lot of trouble reading long words with lots of syllables compared to your peers?
  1. Yes, I find this much harder than others do.
  2. I find this about as hard as others do.
  3. I find this easier than others to do.
  4. I’m not sure.
4. Do you struggle with constant spelling errors in your writing? (Or, when you write something down, do you expect to have some spelling errors?)
  1. Yes, I really relate to this.
  2. I kind of relate to this.
  3. No, I don't relate to this.
  4. I’m not sure.
5. Does it typically take you a few tries to read through a paragraph before you totally get what it’s saying?
  1. Yes, I definitely struggle with this.
  2. I struggle with this sometimes.
  3. I don’t struggle with this at all.
  4. I’m not sure.
6. Do you actively avoid projects or challenges that involve a lot of reading because you know that you’ll struggle?
  1. Yes, I struggle with this much more than others do.
  2. I probably struggle with this about as much as others do.
  3. I struggle with this less than others do.
  4. I’m not sure.
7. Do you feel like it’s a lot easier for you to learn through non-reading means, like listening to a lecture or watching a video?
  1. Yes, I always find it’s a lot easier to learn when I don’t have to read.
  2. I sometimes find it easier to learn through non-reading methods, but not always.
  3. No, I find reading to be the easiest way to read.
  4. I’m not sure.
8. Do you find that it takes you a lot longer to write things down compared to your peers?
  1. Yes, it definitely takes me longer to write things down.
  2. It sometimes takes me longer to write things down.
  3. No, it doesn’t take me longer to write things down.
  4. I’m not sure.
9. Do you like reading shorter content with less text compared to longer books/novels?
  1. Yes, I definitely like reading content with less text.
  2. I sometimes prefer reading content with less text.
  3. No, I don’t prefer reading shorter content to longer books and novels.
  4. I’m not sure.
10. Did you find subjects like reading to be especially challenging in your early school years?
  1. Yes, I definitely found these subjects to be challenging.
  2. These subjects were a little bit challenging for me.
  3. No, I didn’t find these subjects to be challenging.
  4. I’m not sure.
11. When you were younger, did you have a lot of trouble understanding the concept of left and right?
  1. Yes, I definitely struggled with this as a kid.
  2. I sometimes struggled with this as a kid.
  3. No, I never really struggled with this.
  4. I’m not sure.
12. Do you find it really difficult to study new languages?
  1. Yes, I definitely find it very difficult to study new languages.
  2. I find it a bit tricky to study new languages.
  3. No, I don’t find it that difficult to study new languages.
  4. I’m not sure.

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What do I do next?<\/b>
Besides meeting with a healthcare provider, learning a little more about dyslexia and how it affects different individuals can be a great start. Trustworthy sites like the International Dyslexia Association<\/a>, Mayo Clinic<\/a>, Cleveland Clinic<\/a>, and Understood<\/a> are all valuable resources to check out as you learn more. You can also check out some of these helpful wikiHow articles, which outline plenty of tips and strategies for living with symptoms of dyslexia:

Myths & Facts About Dyslexia

Dyslexia is a fairly common learning disorder that impacts a person’s language abilities, especially when it comes to skills like reading. Although dyslexia is well-known within the education community, there’s still plenty of misinformation surrounding dyslexia and how it does (and doesn’t) impact people. We’re here to break down some of the most common myths out there:

Myth: Dyslexia impacts a person’s intelligence levels.
Fact: Dyslexia has no influence on how smart a person is. Dyslexia refers to a person’s difficulties with certain language skills, but it has nothing to do with their intelligence as a whole.

Myth: Only kids can get diagnosed with dyslexia.
Fact: Anyone can get diagnosed with dyslexia, regardless of their age. From an educational standpoint, it’s definitely helpful to get a dyslexia diagnosis sooner rather than later. However, this doesn’t mean that only kids can be diagnosed—adults can as well.

Myth: People with dyslexia all share the same symptoms.
Fact: Dyslexia can manifest in a variety of different ways. Some dyslexic people might have symptoms and experiences in common, while others might have completely different experiences. It’s important to recognize and appreciate these differences rather than expecting all dyslexic people to fit a certain mold. Some symptoms may include:

  • Having trouble coordinating letters with the matching sounds
  • Struggling to read texts aloud
  • Struggling to spell words correctly
  • Steering clear of reading-centric activities
  • Having difficulty studying a different language
  • Struggling with word-centric math problems

Myth: People with dyslexia just aren’t trying hard enough to read.
Fact: A dyslexic person has a different brain structure from a non-dyslexic person. Dyslexic and non-dyslexic individuals have different biological experiences when it comes to reading—and recent brain research proves it. What matters most is the way dyslexic individuals are taught how to read (for instance, having different senses incorporated into the lessons, like hearing, seeing, and touching).

Myth: Dyslexia isn’t a problem once someone learns how to read.
Fact: Dyslexia can still impact someone’s ability to read, spell, and write, even if they’ve formally learned these skills already. It can fundamentally impact the way a person processes language, which goes beyond learned skills.

Myth: Almost no one has dyslexia.
Fact: Around 20% of all Americans live with dyslexia, according to the Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity . If you’re concerned that you might have dyslexia, you’re not alone—plenty of other bright and successful individuals such as yourself share the diagnosis.

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    May 14

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