Dyslexia : Theory & Practice of Remedial Instruction

This book is a great overview of theories of reading, research on biological brain research of dyslexia,and program reviews which address dyslexia and reading difficulties in general. The chapters are dense with information, but not difficult to read. The book is a little out of date now; hopefully a new edition will update some of the information.

I borrowed a copy of this book from the Parents Education Resource Center and have so extensively bookmarked it for use in planning my sons education I felt I should purchase my own!

The book starts with a brief but well-written description of dyslexia and a discussion of the basics of various methods for dealing with it. Although not comprehensive, these sections of the book provide a clear overview that will equip the reader well for reading more technical, jargon-filled publications on the subject. The most valuable part of the book is Part III: Reading Programs for Individuals with Dyslexia. Here, there are descriptions of eleven different programs, from the most aggressively Orton-Gillingham (e.g. Slingerland, Alphabetic Phonics) to whole-language (Reading Recovery). The descriptions cover: What the teacher does; How the teacher is trained; What research there is on the effectiveness of the methods. This is an excellent first book for a student just starting to learn about dyslexia, and a good one to return to from time to time to put the fads and enthusiasms of the moment into perspective. (Students new to the subject should also read "Beginning to Read" by Marilyn Jager Adams.) Reviewed by Stowe Daviso