ABSTRACT
Understanding developmental dyslexia today is a continuously evolving task. In the world of dyslexia discourse there are competing psychological and sociological views, and there are perspectives that seek to reconcile these. Research continues to augment the understanding, and the identity of dyslexia as a specific learning difficulty changes with the revisions made in diagnostic criteria. Awareness of the importance of phonological difficulty and reduced speed of processing also prove consistently to be core concepts in dyslexia. A further anchor is provided by Morton and Friths analysis of dyslexia theory; this provides a model of dyslexia shows that, whatever the theoretical perspective, dyslexia consists of biological, cognitive and behavioural elements, all influenced by environment. Discussions about dyslexia eventually turn to the diagnostic criteria for dyslexia or reading disability currently found in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders published by the American Psychiatric Association, and the International Classification of Diseases published by the World Health Organization.
