The role of neuroscience in the remediation of students with dyslexia

Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurobiological in origin. It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition, spelling and decoding abilities. Research findings agree that these and other observed behavioral manifestations largely result from a deficit in the phonological component of language. However, conflicting theories on the exact nature of the phonological deficit have given rise to divergent treatment approaches. Recent advances in functional brain imaging and genetics have allowed these theories to be examined more closely. If implemented appropriately, commercial programs can be effective in identifying dyslexia. Treatment of dyslexia has been advanced through neuroscience, yet further study is needed to provide rigorous, reproducible findings that will sustain commercial approaches. Reading and reading failure Unlike oral language, which is learned naturally from infancy, reading is a skill that is acquired at an older age, through instruction and with effort. The numerous and complex processes that are required for skilled reading were recognized as early as 1917: "the perception and discrimination of forms and sounds; associations of sounds with the visua