The effectiveness of reading intervention in adults with developmental dyslexia: A systematic review

Developmental Dyslexia is a lifelong condition characterized by reading and spelling deficits that persist into adulthood, negatively affecting the individual’s academic and professional careers. Although numerous studies have been conducted to assess the effectiveness of reading interventions in children, providing promising results, research on adults is still sparse. The aim of this paper was that of summarizing and extending the current knowledge about the effectiveness of reading intervention programs proposed to adults with dyslexia, providing a systematic review of the available research. The literature search comprised an electronic search in the databases ERIC, PsycINFO, Scopus and ProQuest, and an examination of the references of previous studies. Eight studies met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed in detail, discussing the participants’ profile, the main features of the proposed interventions and their effectiveness on different reading components, also including reading comprehension, spelling and phonological abilities. Results indicate that providing a literacy training can produce significant gains also in adults with dyslexia and that further research in this domain is needed, especially in languages with different orthographic and writing systems, to guarantee to struggling readers a concrete opportunity to enhance their reading skills and enjoy a better quality of life.