Heterogeneity in literacy profiles among adolescents and young adults: a multidimensional person-centered perspective to dyslexia

aims: to identify literacy profiles based on text reading efficiency, spelling, and reading comprehension in adolescents and young adults with and without dyslexia, and to determine whether cognitive and linguistic predictors differ across profiles. Method: A total of 199 native French speakers aged 15-30 years (104 with dyslexia, 95 typical readers) completed standardized literacy, cognitive, and linguistic tests. We used k-means clustering and multiple regression analyses. Results: Four profiles emerged: proficient and impaired (i.e., high vs. low scores in all domains), resilient (i.e., low text reading efficiency and spelling but preserved comprehension), and poor comprehender (i.e., the reverse pattern). Phonological awareness predicted text reading efficiency and spelling in most profiles, whereas vocabulary predicted reading comprehension only in resilient and proficient profiles. Conclusions: These findings suggest that literacy profiles extend beyond diagnostic categories and rely on distinct mechanisms, which calls for individualized assessments and intervention.