Dyslexia: A language learning impairment

Abstract

Without the ability to read fluently with comprehension there is a down-ward spiral of poor educational achievement and career prospects. Dyslexia is therefore a major problem for society and a key question is whether it is possible to intervene early to ameliorate its impact. Studies following the development of children at family-risk of dyslexia reveal that it is associated with language delays and speech difficulties in the pre-school years before reading instruction begins. Literacy out-comes for children depend not only on the risk factors that predispose to reading difficulties but also on protective factors which mitigate the risk. Together current evidence places dyslexia on a continuum with other language learning impairments. Dyslexia is a life-time persistent disorder which affects the ability to read and spell. According to the new diagnostic manual of the American Psychiatric Association, DSM-5 (American Psychiatric Association, 2013), dyslexia is one of several learning difficulties classified together under the umbrella term 'Specific Learning Disorder'. It might seem reasonable at the outset to ask, 'Why a difficulty that primarily affects the ability to decode print should be classed as a form of mental disorder?' The question is apposite. But, if people with dyslexia are not properly supported, they can face a downward spiral of poor literacy, poor education and limited career prospects, with a negative impact on their adult well-being. Dyslexia is therefore not only a problem for the individual but also for society as a whole. The first description of dyslexia in Britain was by a general practitioner, Dr Pringle-Morgan in 1896. After this, the causes of the condition, then referred to as 'congenital word blindness', remained the domain of medical specialists for some seventy years. An important study conducted by Rutter & Yule in 1973 was a turning point in terms of our understanding of this 'hidden' disorder. Rutter & Yule (1973) used a survey of the entire 9-year-old population of the Isle of Wight to differentiate two kinds of reading problem: children who had reading problems which were out of