Reading is a unique human ability that has become very pivotal for functioning in our world today. As modern societies rely extensively on literacy skills, and as reading disabilities have profound personal, economic and social consequences, it is surprising that we have a very underdeveloped scientific understanding of the neural basis of reading and visual word recognition in the normal brain. This book fills this gap in the literature by addressing some of the fundamental questions in reading research.

The chapters in this volume are based on presentations made at a recent conference on cognitive and linguistic foundations of reading acquisition. The researchers who participated have all made contributions to the theoretical and empirical understanding of how children learn to read. They were asked to address not only what they have learned from their research, but also to discuss unsolved problems. This dialogue prompted numerous questions of both a theoretical and applied nature, generated heated debate, and fueled optimism about the important gains that have been made in the scientific understanding of the reading process, especially of the critical role played by phonological abilities.

In this volume a group of well-known experts of the field cover topics ranging from basic visual and auditory information processing to higher order cognition in reading and dyslexia, from basic research to remediation approaches and from well-established theories to new hypotheses about reading acquisition and causes for its failure. Reading is one of the most intriguing feats human evolution ever came up with. There is no evolutionary basis for reading as such; reading is secondary to language and the result of a complex skill acquisition at the end of which almost all pre-existing cognitive functions are mobilized. With the right instruction and practice most people learn this skill smoothly. Some, however, have problems, despite same opportunities and general cognitive abilities. This developmental dyslexia results from a neuro developmental disorder leading to deficits in reading relevant information processing. But what deficits are these, and can they be trained?

The book is dedicated to the blessed memory of Prof. Zvia Breznitz, whose groundbreaking research has made a tremendous impact on the understanding of fluency in reading. The book presents a multidimensional perspective of recent research and reviews on fluency in reading. The first part presents recent brain-imaging findings from studies into the neurobiological basis of reading, as well as cognitive and language studies exploring the underlying factors of fluency in reading and its development. The second part comprises reviews of intervention studies that address reading ability, and in particular, fluency in reading. The book provides a unique multilingual perspective on reading research by including studies of readers of different orthographies and speakers of different languages. Both scientists exploring the different aspects of reading and language, and clinicians of reading intervention will find this book not only of great interest but extremely useful in its clear and in-depth presentation of current reading research.

This book brings together in one volume information about the neurobiological, genetic, and behavioral bases of reading and reading disabilities. In recent years, research on assessment and treatment of reading disability (dyslexia) has become a magnet for the application of new techniques and technologies from neuroscience, cognitive psychology, and cognitive neuroscience. This interdisciplinary fusion has yielded numerous and diverse findings regarding the brain basis of this syndrome, which are discussed in this volume by leading researchers. Intervention approaches based on such research are presented. The book also calls for research in specific directions, to encourage the field to continue moving into the bold frontier of how the brain reads. The volume is essential reading for a range of researchers, clinicians, and other professionals interested in reading and reading disability, and also commemorates the tenth anniversary of the Extraordinary Brain Conferences hosted by The Dyslexia Foundation.

The Science of Reading: A Handbook brings together state-of-the-art reviews of reading research from leading names in the field, to create a highly authoritative, multidisciplinary overview of contemporary knowledge about reading and related skills. Provides comprehensive coverage of the subject, including theoretical approaches, reading processes, stage models of reading, cross-linguistic studies of reading, reading difficulties, the biology of reading, and reading instruction Divided into seven sections:Word Recognition Processes in Reading; Learning to Read and Spell; Reading Comprehension; Reading in Different Languages; Disorders of Reading and Spelling; Biological Bases of Reading; Teaching Reading Edited by well-respected senior figures in the field