Purpose: The purpose of the research reported in this paper was to examine the potential usefulness of animated learning materials for supporting students with dyslexia in a UK higher education setting. Design/methodology/approach: An experiment was conducted with a set of 13 undergraduate computing students with dyslexia and a control group of 13…

Dyslexia, a difficult to define phenomenon, is manifested by the otherwise normal child who has an IQ above 90 and a reading subscore below the fifteenth percentile. Five observations about this phenomenon are: (1) The concept of dyslexia is often confused with "slowness" in learning to read. A child who is bright enough to guess instead of read…

This discussion of dyslexia addresses the popular view that reading disability in children with dyslexia is caused by dysfunction in visual processing. Several visual deficit theories are presented and challenged. In addition, evidence for and against specific hypotheses is reviewed and evidence is presented that supports the likelihood that…

A formulated definition of the term dyslexia is proposed in this paper in order to clarify the semantical confusion which exists among both specialists and the general public. Dyslexia is explained as a generic term for severe and puzzling reading disability, found to be both acute (where reading-age lags 25 percent or more below mental age) and…

The relationship between neurological impairment or brain damage and severe reading disability is investigated. Symptoms and causes of neurological impairment are listed, and reading disability theories are discussed. Smith and Carrigan offer a neurochemical explanation of reading disability based on synaptic transmission problems. Orton,…

Problems concerning dyslexia are specified, suggestions for working with dyslexics are made, and a number of programs to serve as models to be improved upon are described. The major problem noted is the development of materials and procedures that can be used effectively with dyslexics. Emphasis is placed on reading from left to right, training in…

Eye movements of 18 male and seven female dyslexic children and 10 normal children were evaluated to determine if eye movement disorders may be the cause of some of the symptoms associated with dyslexia. Data on eye movements were collected while Ss moved their eyes from one fixation point to another in a nonreading situation. Errors in vertical…

The study concerned the effects of induced interference, employing a backward masking paradigm, on the processing of sensory information and on the formation of perceptual-motor responses in 20 dyslexic and 20 normal children (mean age 8.2 years). (Author/PHR)

The practice of posthumously diagnosing historical figures is discussed. Emphasis is on the unsatisfactory nature of evidence found for those diagnosed as learning-disabled or dyslexic and the possibility of other explanations for identified problems. Posthumous diagnoses of Auguste Rodin, George Patton, Thomas Edison, Woodrow Wilson, and Albert…

Written by a dyslexic adult woman, the paper recounts the author's troubles in a special class and in her interpersonal relationships. Current progress in a program of individual educational therapy and the benefits of same are described. (DB)

The normal development of literacy is described, and a model consisting of three phases corresponding to the acquisition of logographic, alphabetic, and, finally, orthographic skills is proposed. Breakdown at any stage results in a specific type of literacy disorder as well as the development of compensatory skills. (Author/DB)

In an effort to explore S. Orton's "intergrading" hypothesis, six developmental dyslexics (ages 16 to 47) and four good readers were tested on measures of interhemispheric coordination. Dyslexics showed reduced laterality bias and longer response latencies to bihemifield stimuli. (Author/DB)

The author considers cerebral dominance and brain asymmetry, the development of the cerebral cortex and examples of aberrancy, and diseases of the immune system, all of which relate to recent anatomical and epidemiological findings in developmental dyslexia. These discoveries have led to testable hypotheses which may enhance current understandings…

Rorschach responses of 15 dyslexia children (eight-16 years old) were compared with those of 12 suitably matched controls. Dyslexic Ss made considerable use of card shape, but much less use of other determinants (color, texture, etc.). Unlike controls they seldom turned the cards around and the overall number of responses per person was…