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Dyslexia

Dyslexia is a common learning disability that hinders the development of reading skills. It impairs a person's ability to translate the sounds within words (phonemes) in the correct sequence, and this causes reading to be slow and inaccurate.

Dyslexia makes it hard to read, write, and spell. It also affects memory of spoken and written words.

The cause of dyslexia is not clear, although it may be genetic because it runs in families.

For treatment, educational tools can help retrain the way the mind processes the sounds within words. But reading will likely not ever be easy for a person with dyslexia.

Author Debby Golonka, MPH
Editor Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA
Associate Editor Pat Truman, MATC
Primary Medical Reviewer Michael J. Sexton, MD - Pediatrics
Specialist Medical Reviewer Louis Pellegrino, MD - Developmental Pediatrics
Last Updated June 12, 2008

WebMD Medical Reference from Healthwise

Last Updated: June 12, 2008
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