🔹The Brain Science Behind Dyslexia — Explained Simply

Intelligence, effort, or motivation are not issues with dyslexia. Recent studies unequivocally demonstrate that dyslexia is a neurodevelopmental disorder in the way the brain forms and arranges language and reading networks (Snowling et al., 2020; Shaywitz & Shaywitz, 2020).

Dyslexia Is a Brain-Based Difference

Over the past five years, neuroscience research has confirmed that dyslexia is not caused by injury or delay, but rather by variations in the development, connection, and efficiency of reading-related brain networks (Snowling et al., 2020; Ozernov-Palchik et al., 2021).

The left-hemisphere language network, which normally facilitates fluent reading, constantly exhibits these variations (Shaywitz & Shaywitz, 2020).

🧠What Takes Place in the Dyslexic Brain?

a) Differences in Reading Networks:

According to functional MRI research, dyslexics exhibit decreased activation in posterior left-hemisphere areas during reading tasks, such as the temporo-parietal and occipito-temporal regions that are in charge of automatic word recognition (Shaywitz & Shaywitz, 2020; Hancock et al., 2023).

Consequently:

• Reading is still laborious and slow.
• It is more difficult to accomplish automatic word recognition.
• When performing literacy tasks, mental weariness increases (Hancock et al., 2023).

b) Phonological Processing Continues to Be Crucial:

Phonological processing impairments continue to be the most reliable and consistent characteristic of dyslexia, according to recent large-scale and cross-linguistic investigations (Snowling et al., 2020; Ziegler et al., 2020).

Dyslexic kids frequently struggle with:

• Recognising distinct sounds in words
• Combining different sounds
• Quickly retrieving sound-letter correspondences

These results, which support dyslexia as a universal neurological disease rather than a language-specific problem, have been repeated across languages, including transparent and non-transparent orthographies (Ziegler et al., 2020; Yang et al., 2024).

c) Brain Connectivity Develops Differently:

Dyslexia is linked to variations in white-matter pathways that link language and visual areas of the brain, according to recent diffusion-MRI and connectivity studies (Langer et al., 2020; Vandermosten et al., 2022).

These variations impact the effectiveness of information transfer between:

• Visual word-form areas
• Areas of phonological processing
• Systems of executive control

This explains why, even in cases when comprehension is excellent, reading demands more cognitive work (Vandermosten et al., 2022).

d) In the same way, reading does not become automatic:

Even with exposure and practice, reading does not reach the same degree of brain automaticity for many dyslexics, according to longitudinal research (Shaywitz & Shaywitz, 2020; Hancock et al., 2023).

Because of this, the brain uses compensatory or alternate networks, which frequently involve frontal areas linked to laborious processing (Hancock et al., 2023).

Dyslexia Is Not a Single Deficit; It Is Multifactorial

A multifactorial model of dyslexia, in which a variety of interacting neurological, genetic, and cognitive factors contribute to the profile, is highly supported by current research (Snowling et al., 2020; Ozernov-Palchik et al., 2021).

Individual differences have been found in recent investigations, including:

• Variations in phonological processing
• Quick automated naming
• Executive functioning and attention
• Integration of motor and sensory

This explains why each child's dyslexia manifests differently (Ozernov-Palchik et al., 2021).

Intelligence and Dyslexia

According to population-level research released in the previous five years, dyslexia affects people of all intellectual levels and has no connection to general intelligence (Snowling et al., 2020).

Additionally, neuroimaging research indicates that many dyslexics exhibit relative strengths in big-picture thinking, semantic processing, and visual-spatial reasoning, which may indicate variances in neural specialisation rather than disability (Eide & Eide, 2019; Hancock et al., 2023).

Effects on Mental and Emotional Health

According to recent research, children with dyslexia are more likely to experience anxiety, low self-esteem, and school avoidance, especially if surroundings are not modified or support is delayed (Carroll et al., 2020; Livingston & Happé, 2022).

These emotional difficulties are not fundamental aspects of dyslexia; rather, they are the result of ongoing academic stress (Livingston & Happé, 2022).

Dyslexia Is Lifelong — But Outcomes Improve With Support

Even while dyslexia itself does not go away, current intervention studies show that early detection and evidence-based support greatly increase academic engagement, emotional wellness, and functional participation (Ozernov-Palchik et al., 2019; Snowling et al., 2020).

Evidence-aligned OT support targets:

• Cognitive load and mental fatigue

• Executive functioning and organisation

• Visual-motor integration

• Emotional regulation and confidence

This aligns with current models emphasising participation-focused, neurodiversity-affirming intervention (AOTA, 2023).

Concluding Remark

Dyslexia is not a sign of poor learning.
It is a difference in how the brain develops reading networks, clearly supported by modern neuroscience.

We cease asking, "What's wrong with this child?" once we grasp the science.
Then begin to enquire, "How can we support this brain?"

References:

• American Occupational Therapy Association. (2023). Occupational therapy practice guidelines for children and youth.

• Carroll, J. M., et al. (2020). Mental health difficulties in children with dyslexia. Journal of Learning Disabilities.

• Hancock, R., et al. (2023). Neural mechanisms of reading and dyslexia. NeuroImage.

• Langer, N., et al. (2020). White-matter connectivity in developmental dyslexia. Human Brain Mapping.

• Livingston, E. M., & Happé, F. (2022). Dyslexia and emotional wellbeing. Development and Psychopathology.

• Ozernov-Palchik, O., et al. (2021). A multifactorial perspective on dyslexia. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience.

• Shaywitz, S. E., & Shaywitz, B. A. (2020). Dyslexia. New England Journal of Medicine.

• Snowling, M. J., et al. (2020). Dyslexia. The Lancet.

• Vandermosten, M., et al. (2022). Brain connectivity and reading development. Trends in Cognitive Sciences.

• Yang, Y., et al. (2024). Phonological predictors of dyslexia in non-alphabetic languages. Reading and Writing.

• Ziegler, J. C., et al. (2020). Phonological processing in dyslexia across languages. Scientific Studies of Reading.