Dyslexia and Other Reading Difficulties in Adults: Where Are We Now and Where Are We Headed?

Despite intensive study in the fields of neuroscience, psychology, genetics, and education, simple truths about dyslexia have been slow to emerge, with some early results not holding up to further scientific scrutiny. Research conducted with and applied to adult learners is especially thin, as intensive scientific scrutiny has increasingly focused on children and developing readers. This article reviews some of the established findings about dyslexia, its diagnosis, and instructional implications for adult learners. It also reviews the emerging debate among researchers about the social value of dyslexia as a diagnosed condition, given the social impact on attitudes and services provided to learners of all ages. Finally, John Sabatini considers the changing nature of reading literacy in light of emerging technologies and research methods of how dyslexia is researched and understood.