Definition of Dyslexia
Dyslexia is an impairment of the ability to read, as a result of a variety of pathologic conditions, some of which are associated with the central nervous system.
Dyslexic persons often reverse letters and words, cannot adequately distinguish the letter sequences in written words, and have difficulty in understanding left from right.
Some reading experts doubt that dyslexia is a pathologic disorder and believe the condition represents a combination of reading problems, each of which should be isolated by specific tests. The problems cited by these authorities are poor vision, impaired hearing, emotional immaturity, lack of physical development, psychic stress, and inadequate reading instruction.
Over the years, the term dyslexia has been given a variety of definitions, and for this reason, some teachers have resisted using the term at all. Instead, they have used such terms as "reading disability" or "learning disability" to describe conditions more correctly designated as dyslexia.
Although there is no universally recognized definition of dyslexia, the one presented by the World Federation of Neurology has won broad respect: "A disorder manifested by difficulty in learning to read despite conventional instruction, adequate intelligence, and sociocultural opportunity."
