Running head: Phonological Theory of Dyslexia

Phonological Theory of Dyslexia
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Introduction Learning difficulties have been a common occurrence and there are many theories established to explain this disorder. Dyslexia, the common term for learning problems, affects a large part of the population and several studies have been carried out to determine the main cause of the disorder. Psychologists have been engaged in debate as to what theory best describes the occurrence of dyslexia with support for either of the three dominant theories of developmental dyslexia namely; the phonological deficit theory, cerebellar theory or the magnocellular theory. The phonological deficit theory has …show more content…

In a study by Leppänen et al, (2011) it has been shown that children with auditory difficulties in dyslexia have a likelihood of having difficulties in phonetics (Boets, Vandermosten, Poelmans, Luts, Wouters, & Ghesquiere, 2011). Using an event-related potential procedure, the researchers were able to discern that children with difficulties in phonetics were more likely to have reading problems (Bonte & Blomert, 2004). In essence, this study shows that dyslexia is a factor of phonological development. Through the ERP method utilized by the authors, it is vital to understand that although phonological difficulties are not the only cause of dyslexia, they form a major part in its development (Leppänen, et al., 2011). Most of the research literature supports the phonological theory although some researchers have differed in their explanation of dyslexia occurrence. A deficiency in visual abilities, characterized by a disorder of the magnocellular-dorsal can lead to dyslexia (Jednorog, Marchewka, Tacikowski, Heim, & Grabowska, 2011; Kevan & Pammer, 2008; Laycock, Crewther, Fitzgerald, & Crewther, 2009). Several other studies including Wolf, Bowers and Biddle (2000) show that visual disability plays a role in dyslexia (Stein, 2001; Wandell, 2011). The authors use a visual test to examine the capabilities of the students. The results show that cognitive abilities