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literacy & dyslexia

Dyslexia

Understanding Dyslexia

Although the experience of dyslexia is uniquely individual, it most commonly manifests in difficulties with:

To understand the heterogenous nature of dyslexia, it is important to note that:

For example, difficulties processing spoken and written language are often, but not always, present in individuals with dyslexia. Neurobiological in origin, dyslexia is responsible for both strengths and weaknesses in human development.

Further, because individuals with dyslexia struggle with reading, they may experience secondary consequences of dyslexia, including issues in social-emotional development, vocabulary, background knowledge, and various comprehension processes.

Early Intervention

That said, outcomes for students with dyslexia are not “fixed.” Rather, they are significantly enhanced by early identification and by the impact of teachers and families who recognize and build on students’ strengths. Early screening, therefore, is important.

The two best predictors of dyslexia across most languages are phoneme awareness and rapid naming (McWeeney et al., 2022; Norton et al., 2012; Ozernov-Palchik et al., 2017; Snowling, et al., 2019).

Dyslexia is best addressed by evidence-based, high-quality reading instruction that is early, multi-componential, comprehensive, and tailored for the individual’s needs (Lovett et al., 2017; Morris et al., 2012;).

A significant direction of work on dyslexia at the UCLA Center for Dyslexia, Diverse Learners, and Social Justice is an ongoing study, funded by the Office of Special Education Programs, that examines the effectiveness of using early digital screening as the basis for delivering early, more differentiated intervention to children at risk for dyslexia.

E-Learning Modules

The UC|CSU Collaborative for Neuroscience, Diversity, and Learning developed a series of E-Learning modules focused on dyslexia.

The first in this series, Introduction to Dyslexia and Literacy:

As noted in the module, the definition of dyslexia is evolving to reflect the latest research, including the multiple causes and manifestations of dyslexia. To this end, our team is working towards a more comprehensive definition.

Research and Resources

International Dyslexia Association (2002). Definition of dyslexia. https://dyslexiaida.org/definition-of-dyslexia/

Lovett, M. W., Frijters, J., Wolf, M., Steinbach, K. A., Sevcik, R. A., & Morris, R. D. (2017). Early intervention for children at risk for reading disabilities: The impact of grade at intervention and individual differences on intervention outcomes. Journal of Educational Psychology, 109(7), 889-914.https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000181

McWeeny, S., Choi, S., Choe, J., LaTourrette, A., Roberts, M. Y., & Norton, E. S. (2022). Rapid automatized naming (RAN) as a kindergarten predictor of future reading in English: A systematic review and meta‐analysis. Reading Research Quarterly, 57(4), 1187-1211.

Morris, R. D., Lovett, M. W., Wolf, M., Sevcik, R. A., Steinbach, K. A., Frijters, J. C., & Shapiro, M. B. (2012). Multiple-component remediation for developmental reading disabilities: IQ, socioeconomic status, and race as factors in remedial outcome. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 45(2), 99-127.

Norton, E. S., & Wolf, M. (2012). Rapid automatized naming (RAN) and reading fluency: Implications for understanding and treatment of reading disabilities. Annual Review of Psychology, 63, 427-452.

Ozernov-Palchik, O., & Gaab, N. (2016), Tackling the “dyslexia paradox”: Reading brain and behavior for early markers of developmental dyslexia. WIREs Cognitive Science, 7: 156-176. https://doi.org/10.1002/wcs.1383

Ozernov‐Palchik, O., Norton, E. S., Sideridis, G., Beach, S. D., Wolf, M., Gabrieli, J. D., & Gaab, N. (2017). Longitudinal stability of pre‐reading skill profiles of kindergarten children: Implications for early screening and theories of reading. Developmental Science, 20(5), e12471.

Snowling, M. J., Nash, H. M., Gooch, D. C., Hayiou‐Thomas, M. E., Hulme, C., & Wellcome Language and Reading Project Team. (2019). Developmental outcomes for children at high risk of dyslexia and children with developmental language disorder. Child Development, 90(5), e548-e564.

Wolf, M. (2007). Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain. New York: HarperCollins. See Chapters 7 and 8.