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What is Dyslexia?

The International Literacy Association convened a panel in 2023 due to the overwhelming demand for a definition of dyslexia. The panel was filled with heated discussion about what markers truly defined a dyslexic individual versus which were anecdotally related. After several months, they developed a definition that only has one absolute construct: “Dyslexia refers to a persistent difficulty specific to word reading and spelling.”

The rest of the definition separates dyslexia into what it MAY be and into what it definitely is NOT.

Dyslexia MAY be	Dyslexia IS NOT
A neurobiological difference Difficulty in reading fluency, reading comprehension, and written expression Impacted learning in many subjects Contributive to social-emotional challenges	A language difference  A language-learner status A result of different educational experiences (e.g. public or private school background) A result of intellectual sensory, attentional, behavioral, or emotional impairments

Dyslexia refers to a persistent difficulty specific to word reading and spelling. Research to date suggests that dyslexia may be a result of neurobiological distinctions that affect the development of phonological and orthographic processing. Dyslexia may lead to difficulties in text reading fluency, reading comprehension, and written expression, which in turn may impact learning across curricular content areas and contribute to social-emotional challenges. Research suggests that dyslexia should not be confused with language differences or language learner status. Research also indicates that dyslexia is not the result of differences in educational experiences or intellectual, sensory, attentional, behavioral, or emotional impairments that affect learning in general.

International Literacy Association, 2023