What is the early term for dyslexia?

The early term for dyslexia, often referred to as "word blindness," accurately describes the difficulties experienced by individuals with this learning disorder. This term originated from the observation that some readers seemed unable to recognize words despite having normal intelligence and vision. "Word blindness" emphasizes the struggles in recognizing and processing written words, which is a hallmark characteristic of dyslexia.

This term highlights the disconnect between a person's verbal skills and their ability to decode written language, which is fundamentally what defines dyslexia. While not a scientifically precise term, it effectively conveyed the challenges faced by individuals at the time when dyslexia was being recognized as a distinct condition.

The other options do not accurately capture the early conceptualization of dyslexia. "Letter reversal" pertains to a specific behavior some dyslexic individuals might exhibit, such as confusing letters or reversing their order, but this is not how the condition was broadly defined in the past. "Speech delay" and "language impairment" refer to different types of communication difficulties that are not exclusive to dyslexia and can be present in various other conditions. Thus, "word blindness" remains the most fitting description from the early understandings of dyslexia.