The Timeline of Dyslexia

Dyslexia has a fascinating history, even if it is one that has yet to be told. The first academic paper on the condition was published in the British Medical Journal in 1896 by a physician, William Pringle Morgan, and in the last fifty years there have been significant advances both in understanding its causes and in finding ways of remediating it. During the same period, people with dyslexia the parents of children who are dyslexic have campaigned for better treatment.

How to use

Click through the timeline to discover some of the key moments in the history of dyslexia - from Rudolph Berlin's firse use of the term in 1886, through campaigns to have dyslexia recognised by goverment, up to the present day.

Drag your cursor across the timeline to move through more quickly and for best results view on a desktop.

For more on the people, places and events on the timeline, keep up-to-date with the project resources page, which features downloads and links to the team's publications and presentations.

What have we missed?

The history of dyslexia is rich and complex and we can only give a flavour of that here and in the other project resources. What are the most important periods in its history to you? The timeline highlights well-known events, but what about the hidden history of dyslexia - how did it feel to be a dyslexic child growing up in the '60s, '70s and '80s? If you think there's anything we should include, let us know.