Biologising reading problems: the specific case of dyslexia

Abstract

Biologising the problems of reading has a long tradition. However, modern and non-invasive techniques, like fMRI, that allow the mapping of changes in brain hemodynamic that corresponds to mental operations, boosted a wave of new research on the subject. This paper traces the history of treating a problem in teaching/learning as a disease-like condition. It also examines the beliefs of professionals in relation to dyslexia, and how they are biased by published research and the imbalance between biological and educational perspectives in published research. Overall, the educational perspective is underrepresented in published research about dyslexia, while the biological perspective is overrepresented. This is puzzling since to date biological perspectives have not produced any effective interventions for dyslexia, and almost all major claims for the biological view remain unproven. Nevertheless biological models have a great influence on the beliefs of practitioners about the nature of dyslexia.