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We review the evolution of the conceptualisation of dyslexia and along with it the current, 21st century definition of dyslexia. Our starting point is the seminal report by Pringle Morgan in 1896, followed by early 20th century reports by Hinshelwood, and continuing with concepts of brain injury and minimal brain dysfunctions then to the emergence of 'learning disability' in the mid-20th century. Within this historical framework we note the emergence and scientific validation of an 'unexpected' model culminating in the first definition of dyslexia in U.S. federal law in late 2018 and in recent U.S. federal civil rights law. We next address the issue of whether dyslexia is 'real' by showing how advances in non-invasive functional brain imaging have led to a replicated, robust neural signature for dyslexia. We close by illustrating how science has informed policy, emphasising the focus on evidence-based practices beginning with the report of the National Reading Panel and including the creation of the What Works Clearinghouse. Early screening for dyslexia represents another important policy accomplishment with dyslexia laws now passed in over 30 states. Evidence-based effective interventions for dyslexia, including free, public charter schools specialised for dyslexic children exemplify the most recent policy initiative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examine the dilemmas faced by a medical student with dyslexia who wonders whether he should "out" himself to faculty to receive the accommodations entitled by federal law. We first discuss scientific evidence on dyslexia's prevalence, unexpected nature, and neurobiology. We then examine the experiences of medical students who have revealed their dyslexia to illustrate the point that, far too often, attending physicians who know little about dyslexia can misperceive the motives or behavior of students with dyslexia. Because ignorance and misperception of dyslexia can result in bias against students with dyslexia, we strongly recommend a mandatory course for faculty that provides a basic scientific and clinical overview of dyslexia to facilitate greater understanding of dyslexia and support for students with dyslexia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents an overview of dramatic advances in the field of reading research in the U.S. Reasons behind the focus of education legislation on reading; Role of philosophically based instruction in reading failure among students in the U.S.; Factors that impeded the systematic use of scientific research evidence to guide the development and implementation of reading policies in the U.S.; Background on the No Child Left Behind Act and the Reading First programs.

This paper attempts to model the development of children's reading skills using the negative exponential curve with mixed effects model. The model describes the nature of growth in children's reading skills and accounts for intra-individual and inter-individual variations. In addition, we propose methods including cross-validation, regression, and graphing to determine an appropriate curve for the data, to find good initial values for parameters, and to select potential covariates. We illustrate with an example that motivated this research: a longitudinal study of academic reading skills from grade 1 to grade 12 in Connecticut public schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compares two commonly employed definitions of reading disability using the Connecticut Longitudinal Study cohort, a sample survey of Connecticut schoolchildren followed from kindergarten. Cognitive and behavioral characteristics of children; Notion of an unexpected inability or failure to read; Operational criteria for reading disability.