Dysorthographia: how to detect this disorder as early as possible?
Early detection of dysorthographia is a major issue — the sooner it is identified, the more effective the support and the less significant the emotional consequences. But how can this disorder be spotted before it leaves too many marks? Here are the practical tools for acting quickly.
Risk factors to know from nursery school onwards
Certain risk factors, identifiable as early as nursery school, should alert parents and teachers. A family history of DYS disorders — dyslexia, dysorthographia or dysphasia in a parent or a brother or sister — is the most significant risk factor. Difficulties recognising rhymes, manipulating the sounds of words, memorising nursery rhymes or learning the letters of the alphabet are early warning signs that warrant closer monitoring from Grande Section onwards.
These signs do not allow a diagnosis of dysorthographia to be made — spelling is not yet formally taught at this age — but they justify heightened vigilance from the start of CP and a preventive speech therapy consultation if several risk factors are present at the same time.
The first signs in CP and CE1
From CP onwards, early signs that may foreshadow dysorthographia can appear. The child struggles to memorise the links between sounds and letters despite regular teaching. They systematically confuse letters that are phonetically similar — b/p, d/t, f/v. They reverse letters or syllables in words they copy. And their progress in mastering the alphabetic code is significantly slower than that of their classmates despite visible effort.
In CE1, when the teaching of spelling becomes more systematic, the warning signals become clearer: very numerous phonological errors, failure to memorise words worked on in class, persistent difficulties with the same words despite repeated revision.
Screening tools available in the classroom
Teachers have several tools at their disposal to identify spelling difficulties early. The national assessments in CP and CE1 include dictation and writing tasks that help identify children who are struggling. Specific screening tools such as the BALE (Batterie d’évaluation des Apprentissages du Langage Écrit) or the Ortho 3 allow a more detailed assessment of spelling skills from CE1–CE2 onwards.
The role of parents in screening
Parents are often the first to notice that something is not right. Observing your child’s written work at home — the words they spontaneously write in their drawings, messages and lists — can provide valuable clues. If the same words are always spelt differently, if the errors are very numerous and varied, or if the child consistently avoids writing, these observations are worth sharing with the teacher and should lead to a speech therapy consultation.
Don’t wait: the most costly mistake
The most common and most costly mistake is to wait. “He’ll catch up as he gets older”, “he just needs to practise more”, “you have to give him time” — these well-meant pieces of advice delay support and allow incorrect spelling representations to take hold, which are then difficult to correct. If you have any doubts, consult without delay. An early speech therapy assessment can only do good — even if it does not conclude that there is dysorthographia, it will help identify the priority areas for work. To find a speech therapist specialising in DYS disorders, professionnelsdys.fr offers a comprehensive directory.
