Dyslexia in Pediatrics: Simple Practices to Tackle a Complex Issue.

Abstract

* Abbreviation: SLD — : specific learning disorder It is not uncommon for children with specific learning disorders (SLDs) to go through several years of school without receiving necessary academic support, emphasizing the need for earlier detection. Precursor skills of learning often provide important, early indications about whether a child might be at risk for developing an SLD. In this issue of Pediatrics, Sanfilippo et al1 provide a timely overview of current evidence on precursors of reading and outline how pediatricians can contribute to early identification of children at risk for dyslexia. Sanfilippo et al1 highlight “red flags” that can assist pediatricians in identifying dyslexia, including screening for family history, language development, and early literacy skills. Screening may be composed of cognitive-behavioral assessments that typically focus on phonological awareness, basic letter knowledge, vocabulary size, and language comprehension. Given that SLDs are of neurobiological origin, neuroimaging techniques have been used to investigate neural signatures of these precursor skills.2 Increasing evidence suggests that neurobiological markers can predict individual reading outcomes, outperforming the prediction accuracy of cognitive-behavioral precursors of literacy.3,4 As the authors point out, neuroimaging screenings are not (yet) available, … Address correspondence to Iliana I. Karipidis, PhD, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford Medicine, Stanford University, 401 Quarry Rd, Stanford, CA 94305, E-mail: ilianak{at}stanford.edu