It has been twenty years since an article discussing the current International Dyslexia Association's (IDA) consensus definition of dyslexia was published in the Annals of Dyslexia. The article's authors discussed the process used to develop consensus around a definition of dyslexia. They also highlighted the rationale and the intent of the definition. Since then, it has played a critical role in a broad spectrum of initiatives led by stakeholders concerned with dyslexia compelling the editors of Annals of Dyslexia to publish a set of commentaries on the definition of dyslexia that are grounded in empirical research and societal realities.
Why revisit the definition twenty years later? First, it was based on what was known when it was written, and advancements in the scientific understanding of dyslexia have emerged. Second, the definition has been widely adopted to guide policy and inform practice, creating a need to consider how well-calibrated the definition is to meet these needs.
These realities motivated the Editorship of Annals of Dyslexia to prioritize the publication of a thoughtful assessment of the current IDA definition to inform research, practice, and policy. The strengths and weaknesses of the current definition will be explored in a set of invited commentaries that will undergo peer review for publication in a special issue of the Annals of Dyslexia. Groups actively engaged in addressing dyslexia will be invited to pen these commentaries. Each commentary will represent a synthesis of the perspectives on the strengths and weaknesses of the current definition agreed upon by the members of the group. The commentaries will contextualize the definition within the framework of advances in the scientific understanding of dyslexia since 2003 and speak to the viability of the current definition to inform research, guide policy, and impact practice.