Adult Dyslexia Test

Dyslexia is most commonly understood as a learning disability in which an individual's ability to read, write and spell words, which is considered normal at their age, is compromised. It is believed to be a neurological problem and can be caused due to genetic or hormonal reasons. In very rare cases, trauma to the brain can also cause one to suffer from dyslexia. Though not an intellectual drawback, dyslexia can be quite a debilitating problem for adults, especially for those who live on their own. This problem will be clear once we know the questions that are commonly included in adult dyslexia tests.

What are Adult Dyslexia Tests?

Understanding dyslexia has seen a spurt only in recent times. No wonder then, that more and more adults are being diagnosed with this disability. There are a number tests for adults by which individuals can determine if they are dyslexic or not. These tests may evaluate one's ability to spell words. Dyslexic individuals misspell simple words like friend, enough, island and said. They spell most words as if English were a phonetic language. For example, they spell journey as jerney, does as dus, friend as frend and enough as enuf. The testing includes determining if an adult can distinguish between right and left as dyslexic adults often have problems in recognizing directions. It is extremely difficult for people with dyslexia to follow instructions. More the number of sequences in a set of instructions in a dyslexia test, greater the difficulty in following them. Some tests include determining comprehension abilities of an adult. The test taker may be required to repeat what was told to him. If he is dyslexic, he will find it difficult to repeat the words in the same sequence as was told to him. Certain simple problems in mathematics may also be given during the test that an adult suffering from this condition may find difficult to solve. Dyslexia doesn't only affect one's language skills but also hinders one's ability to understand basic mathematical operations, like addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.

Signs of Dyslexia in Adults

Here are some common problems that dyslexic adults encounter:

• Making mistakes while writing checks
• Mixing up phone numbers
• Difficulty in conveying messages properly to others
• Missing appointments due to mixing up dates and times
• Difficulty in getting the sounds of long words to sound correct or arranging in proper order

Greater the number of positive answers, stronger the indication that an individual suffers from dyslexia. However, it is important to caution readers that these conditions are just indications and should not be treated as conclusive analysis for the existence of dyslexia in them.

Types of Tests

There are two most common types of tests to diagnose dyslexia in children as well as adults. They are:

Screening tests: As the name suggests, these tests are administered to a large number of individuals to evaluate if they have learning disabilities, or suffer from dyslexia so that they can be narrowed down upon for more specific tests. These tests do not give conclusive answers about if a person is suffering from dyslexia or not. These are broad spectrum tests that may indicate dyslexia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), delayed development and other related disorders.

Comprehensive Tests: Through these comprehensive tests, a psychologist analyzes the person as a whole. He gives his patients tests to evaluate their reading, writing, spelling, visual, sequencing and other abilities. However, the test scores are compiled into a complete report on a person and the psychologist uses this report to arrive at the cause of dyslexia. Some psychologists do not meet their patients and completely depend on the results of the tests to analyze the situation that an affected individual is in. This allows these trained professionals to come to conclusions that are absolutely objective.

The most reliable source of adult dyslexia tests are available with psychologists. However, a visit to a psychologist can be expensive. So many depend upon online resources or in books that have such tests. Even if you get these tests from these sources, it is always advisable to consult a psychologist before using the result of these tests to come to any serious conclusion. Treat the results of such tests as only indications of a problem. Take steps only as per the guidance of a professional.

Although these dyslexia tests often focus on learning disabilities, it is important to remember that the condition does not affect one's intellectual development. People suffering from dyslexia should take heart from the fact that even Albert Einstein had the same problem!