This new book provides fresh and original perspectives on the nature of individual differences in word and nonword reading. It does so by connecting three literatures that have developed largely in isolation from one another: the literatures on acquired dyslexia, difficulties in learning to read, and recocious reading. Jackson, a developmental psychologist, reconsiders her own and other recent studies of the cognitive psychology of precocious reading and hyperlexia. Coltheart, a cognitive neuropsychologist, draws on his own and others' studies of adults with acquired dyslexias. These literatures and studies of both developmental dyslexia and "garden variety" poor reading in children are examined to show how careful attention to methodological and conceptual issues can highlight similarities and differences across these diverse groups of readers.
Central to the authors' analysis is their argument for a distinction between proximal and distal causes of atypical reading. Proximal causes are cognitive explanations are the level of an individual's current reading system. Distal causes, which are likely to be less consistent across groups, include biological mechanisms and reading experiences. The authors analyses of proximal causes of atypical reading are presented in the context of Coltheart's dual-route cascaded (DRC) model of word and nonword reading. "Routes to Reading Success and Failure will be of interest to a broad range of readers concerned with reading and its difficulties in cognitive psychology, neuropsychology, child development, and education.
