If your child (primary school student) has six of the following symptoms for more than half a year, it's possible that he or she has dyslexia, which is one of the main causes of learning difficulties.

1. Has difficulties in reading and often misreads.

2. Has difficulties in understanding the content after reading.

3. Skips words or lines while reading.

4. Has difficulties in writing and often makes mistakes. Tends to avoid writing and writes in scrawl.

5. Has difficulties in copying Chinese characters. Need to refer to the original character for each stroke.

6. Short attention span.

7. Hyperactive, with a low efficiency in class.

8. Not good at sports, with a bad sense of balance.

9. Poor motor skills. Bad pen-holding position. Laces up one's shoes and uses chopsticks in a clumsy way.

10. Poor interpersonal skills, shy, introvert or impetuous.

11. No self-confidence and gives up easily.

12. Smart but struggles to study.

Langlang Learning Potential

Development Center

(China Daily 05/08/2013 page19)