What is Dyslexia

Dyslexia affects 1 in 5 people. Students receiving special education services with the category or eligibility of Learning Disability—LD are often dyslexic (80%). According to the International Dyslexia Association, “Dyslexia is a neurologically-based, often familial, disorder which interferes with the acquisition and processing of language. Varying in degrees of severity, it is manifested by difficulties in receptive and expressive language, including phonological processing, in reading, writing, spelling, handwriting, and sometimes in arithmetic. Dyslexia is not the result of lack of motivation, sensory impairment, inadequate instructional or environmental opportunities, or other limiting conditions, but may occur together with these conditions. Although dyslexia is lifelong, individuals with dyslexia frequently respond successfully to timely and appropriate intervention.” As Learning Disability—LD is a broad, non-specific term and includes many disabilities which would make learning difficult, the legislative, financial and educational definition of LD is not a definition of dyslexia. Therefore understanding what dyslexia is and what it is not guides appropriate intervention that proves successful rather than a myriad of interventions that may work for some learning disabilities but are not successful for students with dyslexia.

The International Dyslexia Association uses the following statement to define dyslexia:

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. (https://dyslexiaida.org/definition-of-dyslexia/)