Understanding dyslexia: competing theories, expanding definitions and ongoing controversy

Abstract

Concrete biological evidence of dyslexia remains lacking and, over the years, competing theories of and expanding definitions of dyslexia - which now consider traits outside of literacy difficulties - have been developed. Growing alongside this has been controversy over whether dyslexia as a separate condition exists, whether it is simply a label that some people have better access to for explaining their children’s poor reading abilities, or whether it is the result of modern literacy standards dictated by a Western society that does not consider individual diversity. This paper explores some of these issues within an educational context.