Developmental Dyslexia: Contrasting Patterns of Performance on a Diagnostic Psycholinguistic Assessment

Abstract

Models of the stages by which the acquisition of reading skills normally proceeds have been proposed by Frith (1985) and Seymour (1987). Based on these developmental models, a battery of psycholinguistic tests appropriate for English-speaking South African children was devised to identify the processing strategies which a child has and has not acquired. The procedure yields both qualitative and quantitative information and allows comparison of dyslexic children with average readers of similar Reading Age. Two cases of developmental dyslexia are discussed to illustrate different patterns of performance on the assessment. These patterns of performance are interpreted in the context of current models of the development of reading skills.