Study Adds to Evidence of Genetic Link for Dyslexia

By Lynn Schnaiberg

A new study offers the most conclusive results to date pointing to a genetic link for dyslexia, a reading impairment that experts say affects up to 10 percent of the nation's schoolchildren.

The findings, published in the Oct. 14 issue of the journal Science, could lead to the development of tests to identify and treat children with the learning disability earlier than is possible today, experts said.

Most students with dyslexia do not receive any help until the 3rd grade, said Reid Lyon, the director of research on learning disabilities at the National Institute of Child Health and Human...