Learning How to Read

Learning to read is a complex cognitive process which progresses throughout childhood. In order to develop good reading and written skills, an individual requires both orthographic knowledge and phonological awareness (Waldie et al., 2013). Orthographic knowledge is the ability to use information stored in memory to represent spoken language in written form. On the other hand, phonological awareness refers to the ability to detect and understand sound structure and phonemes (the smallest units of distinct sound in a specific language). Models of reading such as the parallel distributed processing (PDP) models suggest that both orthographic and phonological systems work together to activate lexical semantics (Waldie et al., 2013). Some children have great difficulty in learning to read, and if this problem persists, may be assessed to identify whether or not they have a learning disability, such as dyslexia. In this essay a brief definition of dyslexia will be given followed by a short introduction of early research that points towards a biological basis for dyslexia. Specific neural pathways and brain regions will then be identified and findings discussed in relation to specific topographical areas of the brain investigated in dyslexics.

There are many different definitions of dyslexia, but most studies characterize dyslexia as a neurobiological disorder resulting in reading impairment despite the intellectual aptitude, sociocultural opportunities, and motivation to read with accuracy and fluency (Lyon et al., 2003). It can also be characterised by difficulties in spelling, working memory and decoding abilities. Furthermore, dyslexia can be broadly categorised into two main types: developmental or acquired, although there are num...

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