Deficit or Delay: Neuropsychological Models of Developmental Dyslexia

Abstract

This review examines issues and research relating to the involvement of the central nervous system in reading disorders. Questions regarding subtypes, pre- and perinatal influences, genetics, sex differences, and early identification are briefly surveyed along with a summary of major research findings in neuropsychology and neurology. Particular attention is devoted to the assessment of the brain-deficit model vis-à-vis the maturational-lag model of developmental dyslexia. Neither theory can adequately account for the entire population of dyslexics. For progress to be made in this area, attention must be focused on theory articulation and reformulation in addition to methodological and taxonomic advances.