Ages 5-6

Dyslexia Screening for Kindergarten

Your child is just beginning their reading journey. If you have noticed them struggling with letters, sounds, or rhyming while classmates seem to pick it up naturally, an early screening can give you clarity and direction.

Start Screening ($79)

What to Expect in Kindergarten

By the end of kindergarten, most children are developing these foundational pre-reading skills. Every child develops at their own pace, but these are common benchmarks.

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    Letter recognition: Identifying most uppercase and lowercase letters by name and associating them with their primary sounds.
  • 2
    Rhyming awareness: Recognizing and producing rhyming words (e.g., knowing that "cat" and "hat" rhyme, and generating a word that rhymes with "dog").
  • 3
    Beginning sound isolation: Identifying the first sound in a spoken word (e.g., hearing that "ball" starts with /b/).
  • 4
    Print concepts: Understanding that text is read left to right and top to bottom, and that words on a page represent spoken language.
  • 5
    Emergent writing: Attempting to write their name and a few familiar words, and understanding that letters represent sounds in writing.

Warning Signs to Watch For

These signs do not automatically mean dyslexia, but when several are present together, they suggest a screening may be worthwhile.

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    Cannot recognize or name most letters: While some uncertainty is normal early in the year, a kindergartener who still cannot identify familiar letters by spring may be showing an early sign of reading difficulty.
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    Difficulty with rhyming: Struggling to hear that "sun" and "fun" rhyme, or unable to generate rhyming words even after repeated practice, can indicate weak phonological awareness.
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    Trouble learning letter sounds: Knowing a letter's name but being unable to connect it to its sound, or confusing letter sounds frequently despite consistent instruction.
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    Difficulty remembering sequences: Trouble reciting the alphabet, learning days of the week, or following multi-step directions, which can reflect underlying memory and processing issues.
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    Family history of reading difficulties: Dyslexia has a strong genetic component. If a parent or sibling struggled to learn to read, your kindergartener is at higher risk and early screening is especially valuable.

What Our Screening Measures

Our screening is calibrated for kindergarten-age children and focuses on the foundational skills that research has linked to later reading success.

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Phonemic Awareness

Can your child hear and distinguish individual sounds in spoken words? We assess rhyme recognition, sound matching, and beginning sound identification appropriate for pre-readers.

Rapid Naming

How quickly and accurately can your child name familiar colors, objects, and shapes? Slow rapid naming speed in kindergarten is one of the strongest early predictors of reading difficulty.

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Letter-Sound Knowledge

Does your child know what sound each letter makes? For kindergarteners, we assess letter-sound associations rather than full decoding, meeting children where they are developmentally.

Start Your Child's Screening

$79

15 minutes. Done from home. Detailed report included.

Begin Screening Now Or take the free checklist first →

No subscriptions. No hidden fees. Results you can share with your child's teacher or pediatrician.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can kindergarteners really be screened for dyslexia?

Yes. While a formal dyslexia diagnosis is typically made once a child begins formal reading instruction, pre-reading skills like phonemic awareness, letter-sound knowledge, and rapid naming can be assessed as early as age 5. Screening at this stage identifies risk factors so parents can seek early intervention, which research consistently shows leads to the best outcomes.

My kindergartener is still learning letters. Is it too early to worry?

Learning letters is completely normal in kindergarten. The screening does not expect your child to read. Instead, it looks at foundational skills that predict future reading success, such as the ability to hear rhymes, recognize beginning sounds, and quickly name familiar objects. If your child is struggling significantly more than peers with these pre-reading skills, early screening can provide useful information.

What should I do if the screening indicates risk factors?

If the screening indicates potential risk factors, the report will explain exactly what was observed and suggest concrete next steps. These may include speaking with your child's teacher about classroom supports, requesting a school-based evaluation, or consulting a reading specialist or educational psychologist. Early intervention in kindergarten and first grade is the most effective time to address reading difficulties.