Dyslexia or dysorthographia: what are the differences?
Dysorthographia and dyslexia are two disorders that are often confused — and for good reason: they share common cognitive mechanisms and very often coexist in the same child. Yet they refer to distinct realities. Understanding their differences is essential for directing the diagnosis correctly and adapting remedial support.
Dyslexia: a disorder of reading
Dyslexia is a specific learning disorder affecting the learning of reading — the decoding of written words. A dyslexic child reads slowly, laboriously and inaccurately, confuses letters or syllables, and struggles to automate the recognition of words. Their difficulties concern the reading direction: from letters to sounds.
Dysorthographia: a disorder of spelling
Dysorthographia is a specific disorder of spelling — the encoding of words in writing. A child with dysorthographia makes numerous and persistent spelling errors despite regular teaching. Their difficulties concern the writing direction: from sounds to letters. A child with dysorthographia may read very well — their difficulties arise in writing.
Common mechanisms that explain why they often occur together
The two disorders share a common origin: a phonological deficit — a difficulty in processing speech sounds in a precise and stable way. This deficit disrupts both the decoding (reading) and the encoding (writing) of words. This is why around 60 to 80% of dyslexic children also present with dysorthographia. However, it is possible to have one without the other — notably dysorthographia without dyslexia, which is more common than is often believed.
Can you have dysorthographia without being dyslexic?
Yes — and this is a reality that is often overlooked. Some children read correctly — sometimes even very well — but have dreadful spelling. In these children, decoding (reading) is automatic, but encoding (writing) is not. These children often slip under diagnostic radars because their correct reading masks their real difficulties in writing.
Complementary forms of support
Speech and language therapy (orthophonie) targets both disorders simultaneously when they coexist, but with exercises specific to each. For dyslexia, intensive work is done on reading fluency and phonological awareness. For dysorthographia, memorisation of words and the automation of grammatical rules are strengthened. To learn more about the links between these two disorders, ladyslexie.fr offers detailed resources on dyslexia and its interactions with other DYS disorders.
