Glossary

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Character Recognition

In the context of reading and cognitive accessibility, character recognition refers to the ability to correctly identify and distinguish individual letters and numbers. People with dyslexia often experience character recognition difficulties, confusing visually similar…

Character Spacing(also: Letter Spacing, Tracking)

The horizontal space between individual characters in a line of text. Research has shown that increasing character spacing significantly improves reading speed and accuracy for people with dyslexia. This effect is attributed to reduced visual crowding — the phenomenon where…

Dyslexia Screening(also: Dyslexia Assessment, Reading Disability Screening)

The process of identifying individuals who may be at risk for dyslexia, typically through standardized tests that assess reading fluency, phonological awareness, rapid naming, and other cognitive indicators associated with the condition. Traditional screening requires trained…

Fixation Problem(also: Reading Fixation Difficulty, Visual Fixation Issue)

A difficulty in maintaining stable visual focus on a specific point or line of text during reading. People with fixation problems may lose their place frequently, skip lines, or re-read the same passage unintentionally. This is a common challenge for dyslexic readers and can be…

Letter Reversal(also: Mirror Writing, Character Reversal)

A reading or writing difficulty where visually similar letters are confused or substituted for one another, such as swapping b for d, or p for q. Letter reversal is commonly associated with dyslexia and can significantly impact word recognition and reading comprehension. In…

Meares-Irlen Syndrome(also: Irlen Syndrome, Visual Stress Syndrome, Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome)

Meares-Irlen Syndrome is a perceptual processing disorder that affects how the brain processes visual information, causing symptoms of visual stress including pattern glare, perceptual distortions, eye strain, headaches, and discomfort when reading. Unlike dyslexia, it is not a…

OpenDyslexic(also: Open Dyslexic)

A free, open-source typeface specifically designed to improve readability for people with dyslexia. The font uses heavier bottom portions on letters to help prevent visual rotation and uses unique letter shapes to reduce confusion between similar characters. However,…

Orthographic Depth(also: Orthographic Transparency, Spelling Transparency)

A measure of how consistently a written language maps between its spelling (graphemes) and pronunciation (phonemes). Shallow or transparent orthographies like Spanish, Finnish, and Italian have highly consistent letter-to-sound correspondences, while deep or opaque orthographies…

Orthographic Depth(also: Orthographic Transparency, Spelling Transparency)

The degree of consistency in the relationship between letters (graphemes) and sounds (phonemes) in a writing system. Languages with shallow or transparent orthography — like Finnish, Spanish, and Italian — have highly consistent letter-to-sound mappings, meaning words are…

Orthography(also: Spelling System, Writing System)

The conventional spelling system of a language, including the rules and patterns that govern how sounds (phonemes) are represented by written symbols (graphemes). Languages vary in orthographic depth: shallow or transparent orthographies like Spanish and Italian have consistent…

Real Word Error(also: Real-Word Spelling Error)

A spelling error that results in a correctly spelled but unintended word, such as typing "hear" instead of "here" or "their" instead of "there." Real word errors are particularly common among people with dyslexia and pose a significant challenge because standard spellcheckers…

Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome(also: Irlen Syndrome, Visual Stress, Meares-Irlen Syndrome)

A perceptual processing condition in which the brain has difficulty handling certain visual information, particularly high-contrast patterns like black text on a bright white background. People with scotopic sensitivity may experience text appearing to move, shimmer, or blur on…

Visual Attention Span(also: VAS, Visual Attention Window)

The number of distinct visual elements that can be processed simultaneously in a single glance. Visual attention span is a cognitive capacity linked to reading ability — when reading, the eyes fixate on a word and the visual attention span determines how many letters can be…

Visuospatial Attention(also: Visual-Spatial Attention, Visuospatial Processing)

The cognitive ability to attend to, process, and mentally manipulate visual and spatial information in the environment. Visuospatial attention involves orienting to locations in space, tracking objects, and understanding spatial relationships between elements. Research has…

Word Retrieval(also: Word Finding, Lexical Retrieval)

The cognitive process of accessing and selecting the correct word from memory to express an intended meaning during writing or speech. People with dyslexia frequently experience word retrieval difficulties, where they know the concept they want to express but cannot access the…

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