Toward a More Inclusive Definition of Dyslexia

A reading-IQ discrepancy has been taken as a defining feature of dyslexia. A well-defined syndrome should satisfy three central criteria: it should have distinct phenotypic (performance) patterns; distinct heritability patterns; and distinct neuroanatomical characteristics. There appears to be no solid evidence that dyslexic children differ significantly from poor readers without a Reading-IQ discrepancy on any of these three central criteria. Thus, if the field chooses to retain the term dyslexia, it may be more appropriate to adopt an inclusive definition, applying the label to all poor readers, regardless of reading-IQ discrepancy.