The International Dyslexia Association provides this formal definition:

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“Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurobiological in origin. It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities. These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and the provision of effective classroom instruction. Secondary consequences may include problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede growth of vocabulary and background knowledge.”

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[Adopted by the International Dyslexia Association Board of Directors, Nov. 12, 2002. This Definition is also used by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development]

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The Yale Center For Dyslexia and Creativity defines Dyslexia as: 

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“Dyslexia is defined as an unexpected difficulty in learning to read. Dyslexia takes away an individual’s ability to read quickly and automatically, and to retrieve spoken words easily, but it does not dampen their creativity and ingenuity.”

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[2nd Edition of Overcoming Dyslexia by Dr. Sally Shaywitz 2017, pp.143- 24.]

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