Reading research has made significant progress over the past 30 years, accelerating in the last decade as researchers who study interventions collaborate with brain-imaging researchers. Many studies over the last three decades have confirmed that reading difficulties are often caused by specific brain-based differences in how children process information.

By using brain images to study reading, psychologists and their colleagues in medicine and education have found a biological explanation for the 2004 finding that research-based teaching can significantly improve how students with dyslexia read and spell. Researchers have also found evidence that effective instruction normalizes brain function.

Just as promising is the research that shows children who might otherwise have trouble learning to read can be identified early and taught before their reading problems are apparent. With targeted interventions, their brains can change in as little as a year. This news is encouraging: Most kids who are at risk for reading problems can still learn to read.