Definition of Acquired Dyslexia:

Acquired dyslexia refers to a reading disorder that occurs as a result of brain damage or injury, usually affecting individuals who were previously proficient in reading. It is also known as alexia or pure acquired dyslexia.

Causes:

Acquired dyslexia can be caused by various factors, such as:

  • Stroke or cerebrovascular accident (CVA)
  • Head injury or trauma
  • Brain tumors or lesions
  • Neurodegenerative diseases, like Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s
  • Infections affecting the brain

Characteristics:

Individuals with acquired dyslexia exhibit specific reading impairments, which may include:

  • Difficulty in recognizing or comprehending written words
  • Errors in decoding or pronouncing words
  • Slowed reading speed
  • Substituting, omitting, or adding letters or words while reading
  • Challenges in reading aloud or silently
  • Reduced reading fluency
  • Inability to understand complex sentence structures or long passages

Types:

Acquired dyslexia can manifest in different forms. Some common types include:

  1. Phonological dyslexia: Difficulty in phonological processing, leading to problems in decoding words based on sound/symbol correspondence.
  2. Surface dyslexia: Difficulty in recognizing irregular or irregularly spelled words, with a greater reliance on phonetic decoding.
  3. Deep dyslexia: Difficulty in reading non-words or unfamiliar words, semantic errors, and difficulty in comprehension.
  4. Visual dyslexia: Impaired visual processing, resulting in difficulties with visual word recognition or visual attention.

Treatment:

The treatment of acquired dyslexia involves various methods, which may include:

  • Speech and language therapy targeting reading skills
  • Phonological training
  • Visual aids and strategies
  • Word recognition exercises
  • Reading comprehension strategies
  • Psychoeducational interventions

It is important for individuals with acquired dyslexia to work closely with a speech-language pathologist or other specialists to develop personalized interventions and strategies tailored to their specific reading difficulties.