From language to reading and dyslexia1
Abstract
This paper reviews evidence in support of the phonological deficit hypothesis of dyslexia. Findings from two experimental studies suggest that the phonological deficits of dyslexic children and adults cannot be explained in terms of impairments in low‐level auditory mechanisms, but reflect higher‐level language weaknesses. A study of individual differences in the pattern of reading skills in dyslexic children rejects the notion of ‘sub‐types’. Instead, the findings suggest that the variation seen in reading processes can be accounted for by differences in the severity of individual children's phonological deficits, modified by compensatory factors including visual memory, perceptual speed and print exposure. Children at genetic risk who go on to be dyslexic come to the task of reading with poorly specified phonological representations in the context of a more general delay in oral language development. Their prognosis (and that of their unaffected siblings) depends upon the balance of strengths and difficulties they show, with better language skills being a protective factor. Taken together, these findings suggest that current challenges to the phonological deficit theory can be met. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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Research on dyslexia supports a core deficit in phonological processing, marked by difficulty recognizing and manipulating the sound structure of language.
“Advances in understanding the origin of dyslexia support a core deficit in phonological processing characterized by difficulties in recognizing and manipulating the sound structure of language (Share, 1995;Snowling, 2001;Vellutino et al., 2004;Shaywitz and Shaywitz, 2005).”
From Deviant processing of letters and speech sounds as proximate cause of reading failure: A functional magnetic resonance imaging study of dyslexic children. (2010) · cites this paper as Snowling, 2001
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- Authors
- Snowling, M. J.
- Affiliations
- University of York (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Snowling, Margaret J.
- Venue
- Dyslexia
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2001-01
- Volume
- 7
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 37-46
- ISSN
- 1076-9242 (ISSN-L)
- 1099-0909
- OpenAlex
- W2099249357
- Cited by
- 426
- References
- 40
- Citations by year
- 2026: 9 · 2025: 15 · 2024: 20 · 2023: 20 · 2022: 14 · 2021: 25 · 2020: 26 · 2019: 24 · 2018: 17 · 2017: 13 · 2016: 14 · 2015: 23 · 2014: 22 · 2013: 18 · 2012: 18
- FWCI
- 24.31
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Dyslexia (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Reading and Literacy Development
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Language Development and Disorders
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology › Developmental and Educational Neuropsychology
- Keywords
- phonological deficit hypothesis, phonological representation, reading acquisition, individual differences in reading, dyslexia subtypes, compensatory factors, visual memory, perceptual speed, print exposure, genetic risk, oral language development
- MeSH terms
- Child, Dyslexia, Humans, Language Disorders, Phonetics, Reading, Speech Perception
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