Dyslexia Test for Kids
Questions: 73 · 10 minutes
1. My child needs to sound out the same word again and again, even after seeing it many times.
Never
Sometimes
Often
Almost always
2. My child has trouble sounding out new or made-up words (like “mip” or “sog”).
Never
Sometimes
Often
Almost always
3. I feel nervous when there is a spelling test or a writing assignment.
Strongly disagree
Disagree
Not sure
Agree
4. It is hard for me to tell what sound a word starts with (like “ball” starts with /b/).
Never true for me
Sometimes true
Often true
Almost always true
5. I get upset or angry when I cannot sound out a word while reading.
Strongly disagree
Disagree
Not sure
Agree
6. I avoid starting homework when I know it has a lot of reading or writing.
Strongly disagree
Disagree
Not sure
Agree
7. I feel like I have to try much harder than other kids just to keep up with reading and writing.
Strongly disagree
Disagree
Not sure
Agree
8. It is hard for me to tell whether two words rhyme (like “cat” and “hat”).
Never true for me
Sometimes true
Often true
Almost always true
9. When I make spelling mistakes, I feel upset about myself.
Strongly disagree
Disagree
Not sure
Agree
10. I mix up words that sound alike (like “bag” and “back”) when I’m listening or speaking.
Never true for me
Sometimes true
Often true
Almost always true
11. When a teacher asks for a word that rhymes with a word, I get stuck.
Never true for me
Sometimes true
Often true
Almost always true
12. I avoid choosing books or reading activities at school because they feel too hard.
Strongly disagree
Disagree
Not sure
Agree
13. I get in trouble or lose points because my work is incomplete due to reading or writing taking too long.
Strongly disagree
Disagree
Not sure
Agree
14. My child has difficulty reading short, common words quickly (like “the,” “and,” “because”).
Never
Sometimes
Often
Almost always
15. My child reads slowly compared with classmates or siblings of a similar age.
Never
Sometimes
Often
Almost always
16. My child reads one word at a time and has trouble reading smoothly in phrases.
Never
Sometimes
Often
Almost always
17. My child mixes up similar-looking words while reading (for example, “from”/“for,” “was”/“saw”).
Never
Sometimes
Often
Almost always
18. I ask for help with reading or writing because I feel stuck, and it happens often.
Strongly disagree
Disagree
Not sure
Agree
19. I feel worried before school on days when we will do a lot of reading or writing.
Strongly disagree
Disagree
Not sure
Agree
20. My child loses their place on the page while reading and needs a finger or ruler to track.
Never
Sometimes
Often
Almost always
21. Reading in class (out loud or silently) makes school feel harder for me than it should.
Strongly disagree
Disagree
Not sure
Agree
22. When I try to sound out a new word, I lose track of the sounds in the middle.
Never true for me
Sometimes true
Often true
Almost always true
23. When I read, I lose my place or need to reread lines, and it makes me annoyed.
Strongly disagree
Disagree
Not sure
Agree
24. If someone says the sounds slowly (like /c/ /a/ /t/), it is hard for me to blend them into a word (“cat”).
Never true for me
Sometimes true
Often true
Almost always true
25. I get frustrated when I have to copy words from the board or a book.
Strongly disagree
Disagree
Not sure
Agree
26. I feel confident about reading and writing at school.
Strongly disagree
Disagree
Not sure
Agree
27. My child has trouble spelling words with double consonants (like “happy,” “letter,” “rabbit”).
Never
Sometimes
Often
Almost always
28. My child has difficulty spelling common sight words (like “because,” “said,” “where”).
Never
Sometimes
Often
Almost always
29. If someone asks me which word has a different beginning sound (like “sun, sock, map”), it is hard for me to answer.
Never true for me
Sometimes true
Often true
Almost always true
30. If someone asks me which word has a different ending sound, I often feel confused.
Never true for me
Sometimes true
Often true
Almost always true
31. When spelling, my child writes words the way they sound but misses important spelling patterns (for example, “sed” for “said”).
Never
Sometimes
Often
Almost always
32. Homework that involves reading takes me much longer than it takes other kids.
Strongly disagree
Disagree
Not sure
Agree
33. My child leaves out letters or adds extra letters when spelling (for example, “jumpt” or “jumped” as “juped”).
Never
Sometimes
Often
Almost always
34. I rush through reading or writing work just to be done, even if it is not my best.
Strongly disagree
Disagree
Not sure
Agree
35. I often leave out or add sounds when I say or spell longer words.
Never true for me
Sometimes true
Often true
Almost always true
36. My child can explain a story well when it is read to them, but struggles when they have to read it themselves.
Never
Sometimes
Often
Almost always
37. When reading out loud, my child skips words or lines.
Never
Sometimes
Often
Almost always
38. If I take away the first sound in a word (like “smile” without /s/), it is hard to say the new word (“mile”).
Never true for me
Sometimes true
Often true
Almost always true
39. When I try to sound out a word, I can’t easily hold all the sounds in my head long enough to blend them.
Never true for me
Sometimes true
Often true
Almost always true
40. I get confused when a word has consonant blends (like “sp,” “tr,” or “bl”).
Never true for me
Sometimes true
Often true
Almost always true
41. Changing one sound in a word to make a new word is hard for me (like change “cat” to “cap”).
Never true for me
Sometimes true
Often true
Almost always true
42. Clapping the beats/syllables in long words is hard for me (like “ba-na-na”).
Never true for me
Sometimes true
Often true
Almost always true
43. Remembering and repeating made-up words (nonsense words) is hard for me.
Never true for me
Sometimes true
Often true
Almost always true
44. My child struggles to decode words with blends or digraphs (like “ship,” “chop,” “stop,” “bring”).
Never
Sometimes
Often
Almost always
45. It is hard for me to break a word into its sounds (like “ship” = /sh/ /i/ /p/).
Never true for me
Sometimes true
Often true
Almost always true
46. I try to get out of reading aloud (for example, by asking to go to the bathroom or staying quiet).
Strongly disagree
Disagree
Not sure
Agree
47. I would rather do almost any other kind of schoolwork than reading or writing.
Strongly disagree
Disagree
Not sure
Agree
48. My child has trouble remembering spelling words, even after studying.
Never
Sometimes
Often
Almost always
49. My child struggles to read longer words and may leave off endings (like -ed, -ing, -s).
Never
Sometimes
Often
Almost always
50. It is hard for me to tell what sound a word ends with (like “sock” ends with /k/).
Never true for me
Sometimes true
Often true
Almost always true
51. My child confuses letter sounds when reading (for example, /b/ and /d/, /p/ and /b/, /t/ and /d/).
Never
Sometimes
Often
Almost always
52. My child often mixes up the order of letters when spelling (for example, “littel” for “little”).
Never
Sometimes
Often
Almost always
53. My child has trouble reading words with prefixes or suffixes (like “unhappy,” “careful,” “played”).
Never
Sometimes
Often
Almost always
54. I have trouble telling the difference between short vowel sounds (like /i/ in “sit” and /e/ in “set”).
Never true for me
Sometimes true
Often true
Almost always true
55. My child reads a sentence but does not notice when it doesn't make sense because of a misread word.
Never
Sometimes
Often
Almost always
56. I feel embarrassed when the teacher corrects my reading or spelling.
Strongly disagree
Disagree
Not sure
Agree
57. My child often guesses a word based on the first letter or the picture instead of sounding it out.
Never
Sometimes
Often
Almost always
58. If I have to say the sounds in a word backward or switch sounds around, it is very hard for me.
Never true for me
Sometimes true
Often true
Almost always true
59. I worry I will make mistakes when I have to read in front of others.
Strongly disagree
Disagree
Not sure
Agree
60. I feel tired or worn out after doing reading or writing at school.
Strongly disagree
Disagree
Not sure
Agree
61. When I spell, I struggle to match the sounds I hear to the letters I need.
Never true for me
Sometimes true
Often true
Almost always true
62. My child avoids reading for fun or chooses much easier books than expected for their age.
Never
Sometimes
Often
Almost always
63. I have a hard time finishing tests or assignments on time because of reading or writing.
Strongly disagree
Disagree
Not sure
Agree
64. My child makes many mistakes when reading, even when the text seems easy.
Never
Sometimes
Often
Almost always
65. I feel frustrated when I have to write sentences or stories for school.
Strongly disagree
Disagree
Not sure
Agree
66. My child needs extra time to finish reading or spelling work compared with peers.
Never
Sometimes
Often
Almost always
67. I find it hard to say a word when I hear only part of it (like hearing “-ake” and thinking of “cake”).
Never true for me
Sometimes true
Often true
Almost always true
68. I feel stressed when directions are only written and I have to read them by myself.
Strongly disagree
Disagree
Not sure
Agree
69. My child struggles to spell words with vowel teams or tricky vowels (like “train,” “boat,” “night”).
Never
Sometimes
Often
Almost always
70. I have trouble hearing the difference between similar sounds (like /p/ and /b/ or /t/ and /d/).
Never true for me
Sometimes true
Often true
Almost always true
71. When I hear a word, it is hard for me to count how many sounds are in it.
Never true for me
Sometimes true
Often true
Almost always true
72. I think I am not as smart as other kids because reading or spelling is hard for me.
Strongly disagree
Disagree
Not sure
Agree
73. My child often spells the same word different ways in the same day (for example, “frend” and “friend”).
Never
Sometimes
Often
Almost always