Reading is not natural from a brain's perspective, neither is dyslexia

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The brain needs to reorganize itself to develop reading skills, repurposing areas built for language and visual attention. Lack of proper instruction can lead to dyslexia, which is not something one is born with but is influenced by genetic and environmental factors. Early screening for dyslexia is important, and phonics-based teaching is more effective than whole word learning. Audiobooks are also beneficial.

Clay tablets! Printing presses! Old timey audio books! Speed reading strategies! Attention spans! Dyslexia history! Literacy campaigns! Dr. Adrian Johns is an historian, professor, and author of the book “The Science of Reading” and we have a nice mellow chat about when humans started to “read,” what that means, being Hooked on Phonics, Dick, Jane, character languages, audiobooks, e-readers, school segregation, literacy rates, and how long we can focus at a time. He literally wrote the book on it.

Visit Dr. Adrian Johns’ faculty bio at University of Chicago

Shop Dr. Johns’ books including The Science of Reading: Information, Media, and Mind in Modern America (2023) and The Nature of the Book: Print and Knowledge in the Making (1998)

A donation went to 826LA.org and Glioblastoma Research Organization