Reaching an international definition of dyslexia

Scotland’s definition of dyslexia has been reviewed against a new international definition

Across the world, there are different definitions of dyslexia, which has led to confusion and misunderstanding. Leading experts in the field of dyslexia wanted to reach an agreement on what dyslexia actually is.

Earlier this year, a group of international experts on dyslexia conducted a Delphi study. A Delphi Study is when experts on a subject come together to reach a conclusion on a particular topic. A panel of dyslexia experts, including academics, specialist teachers, educational psychologists, and individuals with dyslexia took part in a process of reviewing and revising a set of key statements about dyslexia.

There was a great deal of consensus among the experts that dyslexia is a difficulty in reading and spelling, associated with multiple factors, and that it frequently co-occurs with other developmental disorders. It was agreed that difficulties in reading fluency and spelling are key markers of dyslexia across different ages and languages.

Scotland has had its own working definition of dyslexia since 2009. As a result of the Delphi Review, the Addressing Dyslexia Toolkit working group met earlier this year with a representative from the expert panel, Professor Maggie Snowling, to hear about the experts’ process and make sure that Scotland’s definition is aligned with the new international definition.

Chief Executive of Dyslexia Scotland Cathy Magee said: “The review process has been very helpful, both in reaffirming the evidence behind the Scottish definition and seeing how it compares to the Delphi definition.”

Reviewing the Scottish definition of dyslexia

The Addressing Dyslexia Toolkit working group plans to make some minor amendments to the Scottish definition which will be outlined on the Addressing Dyslexia Toolkit by August 2025.

These include:

Reference to the working environment as well as the learning environment in the definition
Continued work to share information on the Toolkit for teachers to support processing