ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews work that provides an empirical foundation for the view that reading disorders (RD) reflect a fundamental deficit in phonological short-term memory (STM) and the executive component of Working Memory (WM). The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5 (DSM-5) views a Specific Learning Disorder in reading as reflecting a neurodevelopmental disorder of biological origin. WM tasks typically engage participants in at least two activities after initial encoding: a response to a question or questions about the material or related material to be retrieved; and a response to recall item information that increases in set size. A theoretical model that provides a descriptive account of STM and WM problems in participants with RD is the multicomponent model of A. D. Baddeley and R. H. Logie. The literature suggests there are distinct regions that have greater functional connectivity in normal controls than dyslexic samples, providing support for the notion that dyslexia is a biologically based disorder.
