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Health and Medicine - What Is Dyslexia And What Causes It?

What is dyslexia and what causes it?

Dyslexia is the general term used to describe a wide range of language difficulties. In general, a person with dyslexia has trouble grasping the meaning of sequences of letters, words, or symbols, or the concept of direction. Dyslexic children may reverse letter and word order, make bizarre spelling errors, and may not be able to name colors or write from dictation.

Dyslexia can affect people of otherwise normal intelligence. Approximately 90 percent of dyslexics are male. Dyslexia may be caused by minor visual defects, or emotional disturbance. However, new evidence shows that a neurological (brain) disorder may be the underlying cause.

The term "dyslexia" (of Greek origin) was coined by Professor Rudolph Berlin of Stuttgart, Germany, in 1887. The earliest references to the condition date back to AD. 30 when Valerius Maximus and Pliny described a man who lost his ability...

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