| The objective of this study was to see if it was possible to develop a comprehensive profile of the psychological process that underlies the deficient reading achievement of otherwise highly able university students who have a previous diagnosis of reading disability (dyslexia). The elements measured were those identified in the current literature on reading and on dyslexia as critical to the reading comprehension process. Linguistic ability was assessed through the measurement of listening comprehension under four conditions; ability in word identification and phonological coding was measured with both standardized and non-standardized instruments; and issues related to timed performance in the verbal recall of stimuli were assessed in reaction time and rapid automatized naming conditions. Vocabulary knowledge was tested using standardized instruments while inventories used in previously reported studies assessed levels of exposure to print. The potential for the existence of phonological and surface subtypes of dyslexia was considered, as was the hypothesis that adults with dyslexia are not a discrete, homogeneous group but part of a continuum of all readers.;A group of 41 university students with a previous diagnosis of dyslexia was compared to a control group of 20 university students with no history of reading disability. The study found that the students with reading disability were generally poorer than the control group at all language based tasks, though not on the one performance based test, the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised, Block Design subtest. However, the students with reading disability could be considered as two heterogeneous but somewhat distinct groups, one of poor comprehenders with particularly weak linguistic skills, and one of compensated readers who nevertheless continue to exhibit weaknesses in phonological coding. Indications that a small group of adult readers continue to resemble the surface dyslexia subtype are discussed.;A brief exploration of whether the findings can be used to provide some empirical underpinning for the types of accommodation provided to students with reading disability at the university level is included in the final summary. |
