Reading disability: “normative” or “pathological”

Reading disability or dyslexia involves an “unexpected” failure to read competently in children of normal intelligence. Whilst this has for many years been regarded as a developmental “disorder” it is debatable whether this view can be defended on the basis of the available evidence. Arguments for the normative versus the pathological view of reading disability encompassing population distribution, reading behaviour, correlates of reading failure and primary etiological factors arc presented in this paper. It is concluded that the normative view is the most heuristic and parsimonious on current evidence and has the potential advantages of demedicalising the problem and reducing the stigma for reading disabled children.