Wichita State University

ENGL MISC Book report Overcoming DyslexiaBook Title: Overcoming DYSLEXIA (2003).
Author: Shaywitz, Sally M.D.

Book Summary:
The book, Overcoming DYSLEXIA, has a number of strengths that make it successful
as an innovative guide to the study of dyslexia. First, it neatly demarcates for the
reader the different parts of overcoming dyslexia, commencing with the nature of
reading and dyslexia. The second section presents the tools to thoroughly identify
and diagnose children as well as adults with dyslexia. For example, she writes, “The
first clue to dyslexia may be a delay in speaking.” (p. 94). The third and fourth
sections contain chapters that provide illustrative yet unobtrusive examples of
ongoing research and development in helping your child become a reader and turning
struggling readers into proficient readers (respectively).
The strengths of the book are apparent in every section. It is solidly grounded in
research on the phonological deficit hypothesis, that is, the theory that suggests a
functional deficit associated with processing the sounds of language, manipulating
individual phonemes and connecting the sounds of language to letters.Throughout
the entire book Shaywitz uses case studies and documentation, simultaneously
including pervasive endnote references to both formal and modern articles in major
peer-reviewed articles. This book, inclusive of all its activities, exercises and
resources, is a primary guide to understanding dyslexia. One may also use this
understanding to distinguish between established multisensory programs and
resources.