What is dyslexia?
The word ‘dyslexia’ comes from the Greek ‘dys’ meaning ‘difficulty with’ and ‘lexis’ meaning ‘word’ or ‘language’. So ‘dyslexia’ means literally ‘difficulty with words’.
Our Service recognises that there are many different definitions of dyslexia. Devon Local Authority (LA) has settled on one definition in order to provide clarity for everyone concerned. This definition is supported by current research evidence and is used by a professional body representing educational psychologists.
The definition that Devon currently uses:
Dyslexia is evident when accurate and fluent reading and or spelling develops very incompletely or with great difficulty. This focuses on literacy learning at the “word level” and implies that the problem is severe and persistent despite appropriate learning opportunities. It provides the basis for a staged process of assessment through learning.
(British Psychological Society 1999)
This definition focuses on observable difficulties rather than possible causes because there is no agreement about what the underlying causes are, or indeed which characteristics, other than a difficulty developing literacy skills, are common to all students who might be labelled ‘dyslexic’.
The Delphi definition
The Delphi definition has recently been adopted by the British Dyslexia Association and other professional associations:
Dyslexia is a set of processing difficulties that affect the acquisition of reading and spelling.
In dyslexia, some or all aspects of literacy attainment are weak in relation to age, standard teaching and instruction, and level of other attainments.
Across all languages, difficulties in reading fluency and spelling are key markers of dyslexia.
Dyslexic difficulties exist on a continuum and can be experienced to various degrees of severity.
The nature and developmental trajectory of dyslexia depends on multiple genetic and environmental influences.
Dyslexia can affect the acquisition of other skills, such as mathematics, reading comprehension or learning another language.
The most commonly observed cognitive impairment in dyslexia is a difficulty in phonological processing (i.e. in phonological awareness, phonological processing speed or phonological memory). However, phonological difficulties do not fully explain the variability that is observed.
Working memory, processing speed and orthographic skills can contribute to the impact of dyslexia.
Dyslexia frequently co-occurs with one or more other developmental difficulties, including developmental language disorder, dyscalculia, ADHD, and developmental coordination disorder.
Where can I find out more?
If you want to know more about this complex area, the following websites provide more information:
PATOSS – Professional Association for Teachers of Students with Specific Learning Difficulties
As a Service, we feel that what is most important is that we will seek to identify a student’s specific areas of difficulty and then aim to support the school in addressing the pupil’s specific needs.