DYSLEXIA IS NOT A BRAIN DISORDER short version

Dyslexia is not a brain disorder or a learning disability of neurobiological origin. Instead, it is condition whereby a person has extreme problems using the skills or coordinating the strategies necessary to create meaning with print. It is another name for severe reading difficulties or a reading disability. Brain imaging research does little to inform instruction. There are no standardized approaches or programs that have been shown to be effective with students with dyslexia. Simply providing additional phonics instruction has also not shown to be effective. Instead, students with dyslexia need a balanced approach to reading instruction using research-based strategies. Interventions should be based on this classroom instruction and include activities related to (a) writing, (b) word work, (c) cloze and maze, (d) fluency, (e) comprehension, and (f) self-selected reading practice