The Three Theories of Dyslexia

In the United States, it is estimated that five percent of individuals are suffering from some form of the learning disability known as dyslexia. For many, the disability is undiagnosed and, therefore, untreated. As dyslexia most often is accompanied by disabilities in spelling, writing and even speech, many dyslexics struggle to even achieve the most basic processes of daily living.

As a parent of a child who has been confirmed as suffering from dyslexia, you are rather fortunate in that the diagnosis has been made and you can begin, as a parent, to work with you child and the educators to create a better rounded educational curriculum. For many parents, however, to begin mapping an academic plan for their child is often met with great challenge primarily due to the uncertainty as to how the child acquired dyslexia in the first place.

As a general rule, there are three theories on the cause of dyslexia. First, there are those who believe dyslexia may be attributed to a complication of the brain processing, a biological origin. It is from this theory that researchers believe the dyslexic child can, and will, eventually develop normal reading as the brain matures. The dyslexic symptoms, then, are simply not a learning disability of a permanent origin but instead a sign of a brain that is maturing at a slower rate than that of the child's peers. In fact, this maturation process may even be connected to genetics with more than 50 percent of dyslexic children come from a family with, at least, one member who also suffer from dyslexia.

In addition to biological origins, there is also a belief that dyslexia is somehow connected to a psychological complication. While this theory of origin does exist, it is considered rather unlikely that a child's sole cause and origin of dyslexia can be attributed back to psychological or emotional complications related to lack of parental discipline, poor academic experiences or frequent changes in academic settings. While this is not, necessarily, a cause and origin of dyslexia it can, certainly, complicate the academic performance of a dyslexic child.