Which areas are commonly affected by dyslexia?

• A. Dyslexia primarily affects gross motor coordination.
• B. Dyslexia is defined by hearing difficulties.
• C. Dyslexia involves limited vocabulary only.
• D. Dyslexia involves difficulties with phonemic awareness, word recognition, decoding and fluency.

Answer: (D)

Dyslexia commonly affects phonemic awareness, word recognition, decoding, and fluency. Phonemic awareness is the ability to hear and manipulate sounds in spoken language, which is foundational for linking sounds to letters; when this is challenging, decoding words becomes slow and effortful. Word recognition refers to recognizing familiar words by sight; difficulties here mean that many words must be sounded out rather than recognized instantly, slowing reading overall. Decoding involves translating letter patterns into sounds, a core skill in reading that, when impaired, makes it hard to read unfamiliar words accurately. Fluency covers reading smoothly, quickly, and with expression; if decoding is slow, reading aloud tends to be choppy, reducing overall comprehension. Together, these areas capture why reading can be difficult for people with dyslexia, even with normal intelligence and instruction. Other possibilities, such as gross motor skills, hearing issues, or vocabulary breadth alone, do not reflect the reading-specific pattern of strengths and weaknesses that dyslexia typically shows.