Links Between Dyslexia and ADHD

Exploring commonalities amongst divergent neurotypes

Photo by Rob Hobson on Unsplash

Frequently co-occurring conditions

I’ve been exploring as many divergent neurotypes as possible, in particular those that commonly co-occur with autism and ADHD (my neurotypes).

I’m not dyslexic, and I’m not an expert on dyslexia, but ADHD and autism are my special interests. I want to learn as much as possible about their co-occurring conditions because many individuals I support are also more likely to have these traits. Here I share with you some of the similarities between ADHD and dyslexia.

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Dyslexia symptoms

Dyslexia causes difficulty reading due to problems identifying speech sounds and learning how they relate to letters and words. Common signs of dyslexia in school-age children are:

• Reading well below expected age level

• Problems with auditory processing

• Difficulty finding the right words

• Problems remembering the sequences

• Difficulty seeing similarities and differences in letters and words

• Inability to sound out the pronunciation of an unfamiliar word

• Difficulty spelling

• Spending an unusually long time completing tasks that involve reading or writing

• Avoiding activities that involve reading

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Comorbidity & prevalence

It is estimated that at least 18% of children and teens with dyslexia also have ADHD, with ADHD being the most common comorbid condition in dyslexics. As many as 40% of children with ADHD also have reading disorders, compared to approximately 10% of the general population.

Created by author

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Links to ADHD