ABSTRACT
The theory of multiple intelligences has direct and, indeed, profound implications for the understanding of reading disability in particular and of learning disabilities in general. Although there are many and various contemporary views of abilities, their similarities are much more striking than their differences. One of the most influential current views of abilities has been proposed by Howard Gardner, whose theory of multiple intelligences has revolutionized much of our thinking about the nature and organization of abilities. This chapter suggests that reading disability, as well as other specific disabilities, may result from slow or limited automatization of skills. Reading ability, like other abilities, must be understood in the contexts in which it develops and manifests itself. Reading acquisition is a good example of an area in which children can be hurt. The concept of intellectual styles, when applied to learning, implies that some children will learn better through one method and other children, through other methods.
