What Is Dyslexia?

The Dyslexia Definition - Translated for Mortals

When asking, "What is dyslexia?" and looking for the dyslexia definition, it makes sense to find the most "official" definition out of all those out there.

What is Dyslexia? When I began working with Jeff, he had such difficulties with words that he would confuse the meanings of the words lip, lap and hip. The work we did together, combined with Jeff's enormous motivation to learn to read, awakened in him an interest in words and vocabulary. He made very rapid progress and I can just imagine the neurons that must have been growing and linking up in his brain.

The dyslexia definition I offer here is comprehensive and based on decades of research and experience.

On this page, I will define dyslexia, and I'll break the definition down and explain what each part means.

Because dyslexia is such a complex language based learning disability, you will likely want to look further than the definition. See also, dyslexia information and dyslexia symptoms.

What is Dyslexia? - Define Dyslexia

First, lets define the single word, dyslexia. Taken apart, it means difficulty (dys) with words (lex).

The following definition is probably the most official, although it is still not universally accepted.

This "formal definition" was written by experts in the field of reading research in the United States, and approved by the International Dyslexia Association and the US National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. (Each bolded term is explained more fully below.)

Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurological in origin.  It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and / or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities. These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and the provision of effective classroom instruction. Secondary consequences may include problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede growth of vocabulary and background knowledge.

What is Dyslexia? Understanding the Dyslexia Definition

• Dyslexia is a difficulty of learning in some specific academic area(s) but not others (specific learning disability).
• The dyslexic individual is born with the dyslexic tendencies due to differences in brain structure and/or function (neurological in origin).
• When reading, dyslexic people often take longer to recognize a word they know (fluent word recognition).
• They also have more trouble sounding out a word or automatically remembering what sounds the letters make (decoding abilities).
• The difficulties are actually based on problems related to the ability to notice, remember, pronounce, identify and manipulate the sounds of the language (phonological component of language).
• We don't expect these difficulties, because the person shows at least average ability and intelligence (cognitive abilities).
• We also don't expect the difficulties when the student has been taught using teaching methods that are known to be effective (effective classroom instruction).
• Even with these learning opportunities, she still struggles more than others her same age, grade and ability level (unexpected).
• When reading is hard, people read more slowly and must think about figuring out words instead of thinking about what the words mean (reading comprehension).
• Dyslexic people often don't read as much as others. This results in learning new words and their meanings more slowly (growth of vocabulary).
• When we read about different places, cultures and experiences, it's a lot like actually having the experiences. These reading experiences increase our ability to visualize, understand and comprehend what we read. Knowledge and experience gained through reading can be applied to many academic areas (background knowledge).
• Dyslexics also don't easily learn various aspects of language and they often have a hard time learning vocabulary and understanding language concepts as they go through school (secondary consequences - one example: it can be difficult for a dyslexic person to write meaningful and understandable sentences).

What Is Dyslexia? In dyslexics, you'll see some or all of these symptoms:

• Difficulties reading correctly and quickly enough to understand what is being read (accurate and / or fluent word recognition)
• Reading with natural-sounding phrasing and expression (accurate and / or fluent word recognition)
• Spelling correctly
• Difficulties remembering the sounds of letters and groups of letters (decoding abilities)
• Using phonics to recognize or decipher familiar and unfamiliar words (decoding abilities)
• These problems with reading and spelling are caused by difficulties in the ability to notice, isolate, pronounce or remember the sounds that make up words (phonological component of language).

I hope you now have a more thorough understanding when you ask, "What is dyslexia?" Dyslexia is a complex language based learning disability with many facets, that manifests differently in every dyslexic person.

For a more complete discussion, see dyslexia information, the general symptoms of dyslexia, the common symptoms of dyslexia in children and symptoms in adults.

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