WHAT IS DYSLEXIA?

Dyslexia is a learning difficulty that primarily affects the skills involved in accurate and fluent word reading and spelling:

• Characteristic features of dyslexia are difficulties in phonological awareness, verbal memory and verbal processing speed.

• Dyslexia occurs across the range of intellectual abilities.

• It is best thought of as a continuum, not a distinct category, and there are no clear cut-off points.

• Co-occurring difficulties may be seen in aspects of language, motor co-ordination, mental calculation, concentration and personal organisation, but these are not, by themselves, markers of dyslexia

From ‘Identifying and Teaching Children and Young People with Dyslexia and Literacy Difficulties: An independent report from Sir Jim Rose to the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, June 2009’, p.31. Retrieved from the The Dyslexia-SpLD-Trust and available under License Open Government Licence.