It’s Time For A New Definition Of Dyslexia, Scientists Say

The UK-based team from the University of Birmingham, the SpLD Standards Committee, King’s College London, and the University of Oxford, focused their attention on England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, but enlisted the help of dyslexia experts from around the globe. 

Over the years, there have been numerous attempts to define the set of characteristics that constitute dyslexia, to help inform diagnosis and support strategies. But since no one definition has achieved universal acceptance, this has meant that access to support can vary enormously by location. 

“[T]here is no clear universal pathway for the assessment of children with dyslexia in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and the process for identifying learning needs and interventions can vary massively from place to place,” said study lead Professor Julia Carroll of the University of Birmingham in a statement.

The most recent attempt at redefinition in the UK followed the Rose Review in 2009, but some have raised questions around its recommendations in the intervening years.

“The review provided a definition and argued for specialist teachers to help identify and support dyslexia,” Carroll explained. “Despite the Rose definition significantly influencing practice, it has gathered criticism over the last 15 years and has not been universally accepted.”

Carroll and the team gathered a panel of 58 experts in dyslexia, including specialist teachers and individuals with lived experience, to vote on a series of key statements describing different aspects of the condition. Forty-two of the statements received consensus approval from over 80 percent of the panel, and these were used to create the new definition. 

The complete definition can be found in the team’s paper, but to summarize:

• Dyslexia is a set of processing difficulties affecting reading and spelling, which exist on a continuum and have varying degrees of severity.
• Individuals with dyslexia experience difficulties in reading fluency and spelling across languages and age groups.
• Other skills, such as mathematics, can also be affected.
• Dyslexia commonly co-occurs with other conditions like ADHD and dyscalculia.
• Phonological processing difficulties are the most common – but not the only – cognitive symptom of dyslexia.

In a second study, the team went on to explore how their new definition could inform dyslexia diagnosis. They propose a four-stage assessment process for any child demonstrating difficulties in reading, spelling, or writing, and suggest that this should be standardized at a national level.

Many people are familiar with term “dyslexia” and know that it impacts reading, but beyond that, the signs of the condition can be misunderstood and go unrecognized. Agreeing on a new definition across different academic specialisms, and including input from people with dyslexia themselves, helps ensure that anyone who encounters a child experiencing difficulties has a clear set of guiding principles to turn to.

“Dyslexia is a complex learning disorder that can look different from person to person. It can have lasting impacts on education and then on working life if not identified and addressed properly,” Carroll explained.

“By not having a universal process to identify and support people with dyslexia, we are letting down so many of our children and young people.”

The definition is published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. The second study is published in the Dyslexia Journal.