ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on a discussion of some of the main theories about the cause of dyslexia. The initial dyslexia feature that teachers report focus on problems with word reading accuracy. The basic premise of the phonological viewpoint is that weaknesses in the efficiency with which basic sounds are processed by the learner with dyslexia leads to problems with making connections between basic sounds in the language and letter forms in the written script. The potential usefulness of such a theory is that it links dyslexia with a wider range of difficulties that can be tested outside the context of reading – any skill that, with practice, can be performed automatically by a non-dyslexic will show poorer performance by those with dyslexia. Dyslexics also have more movements around the text, including movements back through the text, compared to those without dyslexia.
