About Dyslexia

What is Dyslexia?

The definition adopted by the International Dyslexia Association Board of Directors in 2025 is as follows: "Dyslexia is a specific learning disability characterized by difficulties in word reading and/or spelling that involve accuracy, speed, or both and vary depending on the orthography. These difficulties occur along a continuum of severity and persist even with instruction that is effective for the individual’s peers. The causes of dyslexia are complex and involve combinations of genetic, neurobiological, and environmental influences that interact throughout development. Underlying difficulties with phonological and morphological processing are common but not universal, and early oral language weaknesses often foreshadow literacy challenges. Secondary consequences include reading comprehension problems and reduced reading and writing experience that can impede growth in language, knowledge, written expression, and overall academic achievement. Psychological well-being and employment opportunities also may be affected. Although identification and targeted instruction are important at any age, language and literacy support before and during the early years of education is particularly effective."

Characteristics

My logo might have caught your attention, but reading and writing letters backwards is a myth that doesn’t define dyslexia! Did you know that many young children reverse letters when initially learning and it is considered normal up to a certain age? Dyslexia is a language-based learning difference, not a visual problem. See the Signs of Dyslexia document below.

Effective Instruction

Research shows that students with dyslexia need explicit and systematic instruction in all the major components of literacy development and should include individualized, intensive and multisensory methods. The Texas Dyslexia Handbook lists the following components: phonological awareness, sound-symbol association, syllabication, orthography, morphology, syntax, reading comprehension, and reading fluency.