I think I might be Dyslexic - Adult Dyslexia Checklist.

1. The adult dyslexia checklist.

Look at the questions in the checklist. The questions are all related to different areas of dyslexia.

Read the questions carefully and be as honest as you can when answering them.

Please tick Yes or No to each question. Don't miss any questions out. If in doubt tick the answer that you feel is true most often.

	Yes	No
1. Do you find difficulty telling left from right?
2. Is map reading or finding your way to a strange place confusing?
3. Do you dislike reading aloud?
4. Do you take longer than you should to read a page of a book?
5. Do you find it difficult to remember the sense of what you have read?
6. Do you dislike reading long books?
7. Is your spelling poor?
8. Is your writing difficult to read?
9. Do you get confused if you have to speak in public?
10. Do you find it difficult to take messages on the telephone and pass them on correctly?
11. When you say a long word, do you sometimes find it difficult to get all the sounds in the right order?
12. Do you find it difficult to do sums in your head without using your fingers or paper?
13. When using the telephone, do you tend to get the numbers mixed up when you dial?
14. Do you find it difficult to say the months of the year forwards in a fluent manner?
15. Do you find it difficult to say the months of the year backwards?
16. Do you mix up dates and times and miss appointments?
17. When writing cheques do you frequently find yourself making mistakes?
18. Do you find forms difficult and confusing?
19. Do you mix up bus numbers like 95 and 59?
20. Did you find it hard to learn your multiplication tables at school?

This questionnaire was completed by 679 adults divided into the following groups:
 

Students enrolled on BA & BSc degree courses.	57%
Students enrolled on Certificate and Access courses.	7%
A-Level students.	15%
Non-student adults.	21%

 
The age range was 18 to 68 and the proportion of men and women was approximately equal.
 
The sample contained 32 known dyslexic individuals. A statistical procedure involving discriminant function analysis, a factor analysis and a series of t-tests was carried out. The objective was to identify those items on the questionnaire that best discriminated between dyslexic and non-dyslexic individuals.
 
The 12 best items in order of importance are:
 

Order	Item
1.	Q17
2.	Q13
3.	Q7
4.	Q16
5.	Q18
6.	Q10
7.	Q19
8.	Q14
9.	Q20
10.	Q4
11.	Q1
12.	Q11

 
If the majority of these items are ticked, this is a strong indication of dyslexia.
 
On the questionnaire as a whole (ie. all 20 items):

• 60% of people gave no more than four YES response
• 90% of people gave no more than eight YES responses

Nine or more YES responses on the questionnaire, as a whole is therefore a powerful indicator of a difficulty. The items ticked should be compared with the 'best twelve' shown above.
 
Reference.
Michael Vinegrad: A revised Dyslexia Checklist. Educare, No 48 March 1994. Issued with permission from Michael Vinegrad.
 
2. What do I do next?
 
You may find it helpful to undertake a fuller assessment. A specialist assessment can help you to access support, whether you are in full-time education or employment. (See Getting a Full Assessment for Dyslexia.)
 
If you do the checklist and the answer is not what you expect, talk to someone who knows about dyslexia.
 
We are all very different and you may require something more focussed than a checklist to identify your dyslexia.
 
Contact the BDA helpline, 0118 966 8271. There may be someone local who could offer you advice. (See Local Dyslexia Associations).

Page updated: 27/02/06.