The new Delphi Dyslexia Definition

The correct version of the new definition of dyslexia is as follows:

Processing

Dyslexia is primarily a set of processing difficulties that affect the acquisition of reading and spelling.

Example - Reading is slow and effortful, finding it hard to remember units of sounds for spelling or remembering verbal information.

Intervention - Multisensory phonics teaching, teach words by using word studies, use visuals whenever possible and give time.

Reading & Spelling

Across languages and age groups, difficulties in reading and spelling fluency are a key marker of dyslexia.

Example - Reading and writing common exception words won’t be automatic, sounding out every word and reading and writing at a slow pace.

Intervention - Teach words until they are automatic, include lots of overlearning opportunities and use decodable texts.

Phonological Processing

The most commonly observed cognitive impairment in dyslexia is a difficulty in phonological processing (i.e. in phonological awareness, phonological processing speed or phonological memory). However, phonological difficulties do not fully explain the variability that is observed.

Example - Struggles to sound out long words, forgets units of sound when decoding, difficulty holding long sentences in mind.

Intervention – Teach phonological awareness activities as part of the phonics program, use sound boxes, and use ‘hooks’ such as mnemonics to support learning.

Working Memory

Working memory, orthographic skills and processing speed problems can contribute to the impact of dyslexia and therefore should be assessed.

Example - Holding information in mind and manipulating it is difficult, difficulty in remembering spelling patterns and when to use them and not recognising a word they have just read.

Intervention – Break tasks down (task board), use scaffolds for writing and practice spellings daily in a fun low stakes way.

Comorbidities

Dyslexia frequently co-occurs with one or more other developmental difficulty, including developmental language disorder, dyscalculia, ADHD, and developmental coordination disorder.

• In dyslexia, some or all aspects of literacy attainment are weak in relation to age, standard teaching and instruction, and level of other attainments.

• The nature and developmental trajectory of dyslexia depends on multiple genetic and environmental influences.

•  Dyslexic difficulties exist on a continuum and can be experienced to various degrees of severity.

• Dyslexia can affect the acquisition of other skills, such as mathematics, reading comprehension or learning another language.