van Viersen, S. 1, 2 , de Bree, E. H. 2 & de Jong, P. F. 2
1 Department of Special Needs Education, Faculty of Educational Sciences, University of Oslo
2 Research Institute of Child Development and Education, University of Amsterdam
Across languages, studies have shown that dyslexia may be resolved, but the mechanisms remain unknown. Here, two explanations for resolving dyslexia were investigated; one assuming resolving underlying deficits, and another assuming compensatory mechanisms based on cognitive strengths. Thirty six Dutch gifted secondary-school students with either persistent (n = 18) or resolving dyslexia (n = 18) participated. Groups, matched on IQ, were assessed on literacy as well as dyslexia- and intelligence-related cognitive risk and protective factors, including phonology, language, and working memory. Findings for the risk factors showed support for both the resolving-deficit and compensatory-mechanism theories: Resolving and persistent groups were comparable on phoneme deletion and nonalphanumeric RAN, but resolvers outperformed students with persistent dyslexia on spoonerisms and alphanumeric RAN. For the protective factors, resolvers consistently showed more pronounced cognitive strengths in verbal areas relevant for literacy development, supporting the compensatory-mechanism theory. Additionally, case series analyses indicated that resolvers had fewer underlying deficits, but more strengths in verbal working memory, language skills, and visual working memory than students with persistent dyslexia. We contend that, besides underlying deficits resolving to some extent, compensation is a plausible explanation for resolving literacy difficulties in gifted students with dyslexia.