In May 2024, the SpLD Assessment Standards Committee (SASC) recommended reference to the following definition of dyslexia proposed by the Delphi Dyslexia Study:

Dyslexia is primarily a set of processing difficulties that affect the acquisition of reading and spelling.

• In dyslexia, some or all aspects of literacy attainment are weak in relation to age, standard teaching and instruction, and level of other attainments.
• Across languages and age groups, difficulties in reading and spelling fluency are a key marker of dyslexia.
• The nature and developmental trajectory of dyslexia depends on multiple genetic and environmental influences.
• Dyslexic difficulties exist on a continuum and can be experienced to various degrees of severity.
• Dyslexia can affect the acquisition of other skills, such as mathematics, reading comprehension or learning another language.
• The most commonly observed cognitive impairment in dyslexia is a difficulty in phonological processing (i.e. in phonological awareness, phonological processing speed or phonological memory). However, phonological difficulties do not fully explain the variability that is observed.
• Working memory, orthographic skills and processing speed problems can contribute to the impact of dyslexia and therefore should be assessed.
• Dyslexia frequently co-occurs with one or more other developmental difficulty, including developmental language disorder, dyscalculia, ADHD, and developmental coordination disorder.

Dyslexia is a recognised disability under the Equality Act (2010) which requires organisations to ensure that people with disabilities are not treated unfairly and are offered reasonable adjustments. If following a full diagnostic assessment, a child is diagnosed with dyslexia, it would be advisable for parents/ carers to discuss this with the school to see what can be put in place to meet the child’s needs.