Dyslexia facts

What is Dyslexia?

The word “dyslexia” was first used in 1895 to describe a child with normal intelligence who exhibited difficulty in learning to read. It comes from the Greek meaning “difficulty with words or language.”

Dyslexia is a neurobiological basis, caused by an unusual organization of certain neuronal connections or brain cells, the details of which are under active investigation.

Individuals with dyslexia may have problems in reading, spelling, speaking, listening or writing. These individuals show lower achievement on reading and reading related measures than would be expected given their overall intellectual aptitude. Dyslexia seems to run in families and it is now thought to have a genetic basis.

Children with dyslexia learn differently. With appropriate intervention, they can perform well in a regular classroom.

Center for the Study of Learning, Georgetown Medical Center

Learning Disability

• Dyslexia is neurologically based and persists through a lifetime. This learning disability does not include mental retardation, autism, deafness, blindness, behavioral disorders, ADD/ADHD or laziness. *
• The majority of all individuals with learning disabilities have difficulties in the area of reading.
• If children who are dyslexic receive effective research-based instruction in kindergarten and first grade, they will have significantly fewer problems in learning to read at grade level. *
• It is never too late for individuals with dyslexia to learn to read, process and express information more efficiently. Research shows that programs utilizing multi-sensory structured language techniques can help children and adults learn to read. *

President’s Commission on Excellence in Special Education 2002

General Population

• Dyslexia appears in all cultures and languages in the world. *
• Conservative reports indicate that 10% of the population is dyslexic. *
• Dyslexics are frequently endowed with talents in fields such as art, science, engineering and athletics. *
• Dyslexia is hereditary with a 30 to 40 percent chance of inheriting it from a parent or other family member. *
• 80% of the general public, parents and teachers associate mental retardation with learning disabilities.

Education Statistics

• Close to half of secondary students with learning disabilities are reading at three or more grade levels behind. *
• 74% of the children who are poor readers in third grade remain poor readers in the ninth grade. Often they can't read well as adults either. *
• 50 % of children with learning disabilities drop out of high school. *
• 9% of high school graduates with learning disabilities go on to a four-year college as opposed to 28% of the general population.
• Unemployment rates for adults with dyslexia hover around 45%. *
• The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act 2004 (IDEA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) define the rights of students and adults with specific learning disabilities and legally entitle special services and accommodations to meet their needs. The Acts protect people with dyslexia against unfair and illegal discrimination. *

Recent Studies