Official Dyslexia Definition
“Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurobiological in origin. It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities. These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and the provision of effective classroom instruction. Secondary consequences may include problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede growth of vocabulary and background knowledge.”
Adopted by the IDA Board of Directors, Nov. 12, 2002
Dyslexia definition from the International Dyslexia Assosication.
What does this really mean?
Dyslexia is a common, lifelong learning difference that affects reading, writing, and spelling....but not intelligence.
It affects how the brain processes language, specifically the phonological component.
Children with dyslexia may struggle to connect sounds to letters, blend sounds into words, and decode words, which makes reading and writing a challenge.
4 Types of Dyslexia
Phonological Dyslexia
(auditory dyslexia)
The most common type of dyslexia.
Difficulties with: Phonemic awareness, or the ability to hear and manipulate the individual sounds within words.
Symptoms: Struggling to link letters to sounds, difficulty sounding out new words, and problems with spelling
Surface Dyslexia
Difficulty with: Recognizing familiar, high-frequency words and words that aren't spelled the way they sound (like "yacht" or "said").
Symptoms: A poor ability to recognize whole words, leading to frequent errors with irregular words.
Rapid Naming Deficit Dyslexia
DIfficulty with: The speed and automaticity of Rapid Automatized Naming (RAN) tasks, which involve quickly naming sequences of familiar items like letters, numbers, or colors.
Symptoms: Slow reading speed, struggle with automatic word retrieval, and a discrepancy between reading accuracy and reading rate.
Double Deficit Dyslexia
Difficulty with: A combination of both Phonological deficit and rapid Naming Deficit issues.
Symptoms: They experience difficulties with both sounding out words and with the speed of word recognition, making reading tasks particularly challenging.