Understanding yourself can change everything.
Recognise possible signs of dyslexia, understand the adult assessment process and explore practical support for work, study and everyday life.
Dyslexia may look different in adulthood.
Some adults have known about their dyslexia since childhood. Others may only begin to recognise a pattern when the demands of work, study or everyday life increase. Adults also develop strategies that can make their difficulties less immediately visible. No single sign confirms dyslexia.
Reading and Spelling
- Reading may remain slower or more tiring than expected.
- Unfamiliar names or technical words may be difficult to decode.
- Spelling may remain inconsistent.
- Long documents may require repeated reading.
Written Communication
- Organising thoughts clearly in writing may take additional time.
- Emails or reports may require extensive checking.
- Written work may not reflect spoken knowledge or ability.
- Note-taking while listening may be difficult.
Memory and Processing
- Holding several verbal instructions in mind may be difficult.
- Information may require additional time to process.
- Names, dates or sequences may be difficult to recall quickly.
- Working while listening may feel demanding.
Organisation and Time
- Prioritising several tasks may feel overwhelming.
- Estimating how long work will take may be difficult.
- Appointments or deadlines may require strong reminder systems.
- Complex paperwork may be avoided or delayed.
Work and Study Demands
- Reading-heavy tasks may take considerably longer.
- Learning new terminology may require repeated practice.
- Written tests may not reflect actual knowledge.
- Presenting ideas verbally may feel easier than writing them.
Confidence and Stress
- Past experiences may have affected confidence.
- Reading aloud or completing forms may create anxiety.
- Some tasks may be avoided to prevent embarrassment.
- Additional effort may lead to fatigue or frustration.
Individual Strengths
- Adults may develop effective personal coping strategies.
- Some communicate particularly well through discussion.
- Practical, creative or visual approaches may be helpful.
- Every adult has an individual combination of strengths.
Possible signs are not a diagnosis.
A persistent pattern across different situations is more significant than one isolated difficulty. A formal diagnosis requires a comprehensive assessment by an appropriately qualified professional.
Understanding your profile can clarify the way forward.
Adults seek assessment for different reasons. Some want to understand lifelong difficulties, while others require information to guide support at work or during study. A comprehensive assessment looks at the broader pattern—not one isolated difficulty.
Recognise a Pattern
Consider whether difficulties with reading, spelling, writing, memory, organisation or processing have persisted across different stages of life.
Begin with your experienceGather Your History
The professional may ask about childhood learning, school experiences, previous reports, family history and current difficulties at work, study or in daily life.
Build the backgroundComplete the Assessment
Standardised, one-to-one tasks may explore literacy, language, memory, processing and other relevant areas of the adult’s learning profile.
Comprehensive evaluationUnderstand Your Profile
Results should be explained clearly. A written report records the findings, including a diagnosis where applicable, and identifies strengths and support needs.
Make sense of the resultsPlan Appropriate Support
Recommendations may guide strategies, assistive technology and appropriate accommodations for work, study or other relevant settings.
Choose the way forwardWho can formally diagnose dyslexia in South Africa?
A formal diagnosis must be made by an appropriately qualified professional registered with the Health Professions Council of South Africa and working within their professional scope. Screening may identify possible risk, but it is not a diagnosis.
Would you like more detailed guidance?
Read the full assessment information or search the SGDA directory for an appropriately qualified specialist.
Work and study with the right support.
Support should respond to the individual and the demands of their particular environment. Practical strategies can reduce unnecessary barriers, while formal accommodations may require supporting evidence and approval. The goal is equitable access—not reduced expectations.
Make working methods more accessible.
Small adjustments to communication, organisation and technology can help an employee work more effectively and demonstrate their knowledge and ability.
- Provide important instructions verbally and in writing.
- Break complex projects into clear stages and deadlines.
- Use checklists, reminders, calendars and planning tools.
- Allow appropriate time to read and process information.
- Provide a quieter working area where practical.
- Use text-to-speech, speech-to-text or other suitable technology.
Identify the specific barrier, discuss possible solutions and agree on practical support that allows the essential work to be completed.
Improve access to learning.
Students should contact the institution’s disability, accessibility or student-support service to understand the available process and documentation requirements.
- Request accessible notes and learning material where available.
- Record lectures where permission has been granted.
- Use planning tools to manage assignments and deadlines.
- Use text-to-speech, speech-to-text and digital texts.
- Ask about approved assessment accommodations.
- Allow sufficient time for reading, revision and written work.
Formal accommodations may require an assessment report and approval. Contact the institution before important tests, examinations or submission deadlines.
Support must be individualised.
A strategy that helps one person may not help another. Formal workplace or study accommodations may require supporting documentation and must follow the relevant employer’s, institution’s or assessment body’s process.
Work with your profile, not against it.
Useful strategies reduce the amount of energy spent overcoming unnecessary barriers. Experiment with different methods and keep the ones that work for your particular circumstances. There is no single correct way to organise, read, write or learn.
Use External Reminders
Use calendars, alarms, written reminders and task apps rather than relying on memory alone. Record important information immediately.
Break Tasks into Stages
Divide paperwork, projects and household tasks into smaller actions. Give each stage its own realistic deadline and mark progress as you go.
Use Audio and Speech Tools
Text-to-speech can support reading, while speech-to-text can help capture ideas before they are organised and edited in writing.
Prepare Before Meetings
Write down key questions or talking points before a call or meeting. Ask for important decisions and instructions to be confirmed in writing.
Ask for a Useful Format
Request information in a format you can use effectively, such as written steps, digital text, a visual example or a verbal explanation followed by notes.
Manage Mental Fatigue
Reading-heavy or writing-heavy work may require substantial concentration. Schedule breaks and allow recovery time after demanding tasks where possible.
Understand Your Strengths
Notice the situations in which you communicate, solve problems or learn most effectively. Build systems that make use of your individual strengths.
Protect Your Confidence
Difficulty with written language is not a reflection of intelligence or effort. Replace self-blame with practical support and more accurate self-understanding.
Past experiences do not define your potential.
Adults whose dyslexia was not recognised at school may carry years of frustration or inaccurate beliefs about their ability. Understanding dyslexia can help explain those experiences and create space for a more constructive way forward. Needing a different approach does not mean being less capable.
Practise clear self-advocacy.
Explain the particular task that creates a barrier, the effect it has and the practical support that may help. Focus on what will allow you to work or learn effectively.
The right professional can bring greater clarity.
An adult may consider professional assessment when persistent literacy or processing difficulties affect work, study or everyday life. Assessment can help explain the broader learning profile and guide appropriate support. Choose a suitably qualified professional working within their registered scope of practice.
- Check professional qualifications. Confirm that the practitioner is appropriately qualified and registered with the HPCSA.
- Prepare relevant background information. Gather previous reports, school records and examples of current difficulties where available.
- Ask what the assessment includes. Clarify the process, likely duration, fees and the written report that will be provided.
- Discuss the recommendations. Make sure the findings and proposed support for work, study or everyday life are explained clearly.
Screening and diagnosis are not the same.
Screening may identify possible risk but cannot confirm dyslexia. A formal diagnosis requires a comprehensive assessment by an appropriately qualified professional. RADA is an advocacy and support organisation and does not provide clinical diagnosis.
Understanding your learning profile can be a turning point.
The right information, practical strategies, appropriate accommodations and suitable technology can reduce unnecessary barriers. Dyslexia may influence how you process written language, but it does not determine your intelligence, ability or future.
RADA provides information, advocacy and support and is not a diagnostic or clinical practice. Formal assessment, diagnosis and individual intervention must be provided by appropriately qualified professionals working within their registered scope of practice.