Children need two main skills to learn to read: They need to know how to turn printed words into language and to understand the language of what they are reading. Children can struggle with these skills either because they have not received adequate evidence-aligned instruction or because they need additional support in these areas.
If a child needs additional support and multiple repetitions to learn the words on the page, they may have characteristics of dyslexia.
If a child struggles to understand and/or express language, they may have characteristics of developmental language disorder (DLD).
The Quadrant Model is a helpful way to understand the academic implications of dyslexia and DLD.
Resources
International Dyslexia Association Fact Sheets
Short fact sheets on dyslexia topics.
DLD and Me
A site explaining developmental language disorder for families.
Dr. Tiffany Hogan Explains the Quadrant Model
A video explaining how dyslexia and language disorder can overlap.