IS THERE A VISUAL DYSLEXIA

Traditionally, it has been speculated that weaknesses in the visual pr ocessing of cognitive aspects of the written word could lead to readin g problems, and if so, such a condition would constitute a subtype of developmental dyslexia. This putative subtype has been referred to as visual dyslexia. In this article, the role of cognitive deficits that are visual in nature as a potential etiological factor of developmenta l dyslexia is examined. Following a brief history of the study of dysl exia, a critique of studies of visual dyslexia is presented. Subsequen tly, the nature of the visual processes involved in word-recognition i s examined. Finally, three research studies that assessed the contribu tion of visual memory to word-recognition are presented. It is conclud ed that, even though defects in the physiological aspects of visual pr ocessing can lead to reading difficulties, at present little convincin g evidence is available to conclude that a subtype of dyslexia caused by cognitive deficits associated with visual processing of information exists.