What are the research priorities for the dyslexia community in the United Kingdom and how do they align with previous research funding?
What are the research priorities for the dyslexia community in the United Kingdom and how do they align with previous research funding?
Targeting research towards areas that matter to dyslexic people and their families is essential for improving dyslexic people’s lives. However, we do not know what the dyslexia community’s research priorities are, and whether they align with current research funding. We categorised previous funding for dyslexia research in the United Kingdom and considered how this aligns with community research priorities, using multiple methods and a participatory approach. We identified that the vast majority (78%) of funding has been spent on research into biology, brain and cognition. Through seven focus groups (n = 37), dyslexic adults and/or family members/carers of dyslexic children expressed that this balance needs redressing, and we identified four important areas for future research, informed by lived experiences. Finally, 436 members of the dyslexia community ranked the importance of research topics in a survey. The top five priorities related to training teachers and professionals, educational supports and interventions, mental health and self-esteem, making services and spaces more inclusive, and cognition. Research into genes and risk factors were less prioritised. These results provide a point of reference for researchers and funders to align future research funding with the dyslexia community’s priorities so that it can be of translational benefit.
Manning, Catherine
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Jennings, Beverley
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MacLennan, Keren
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Rayat, Raveen
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Spiller, Keith
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Joseph, Holly
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May 2025
Manning, Catherine
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Jennings, Beverley
991a10bd-afde-480a-b8f6-d7efa33fc1a4
MacLennan, Keren
033987a1-e153-4ecb-b931-b5707e9350a5
Rayat, Raveen
b670c3de-e415-4289-887e-f9357f8599b4
Spiller, Keith
d0ea9172-6ef6-4f80-9f34-2285b41ab237
Joseph, Holly
eafd869c-0388-41b3-84be-49025317bc6b
Manning, Catherine, Jennings, Beverley, MacLennan, Keren, Rayat, Raveen, Spiller, Keith and Joseph, Holly
(2025)
What are the research priorities for the dyslexia community in the United Kingdom and how do they align with previous research funding?
Dyslexia, 31 (2), [e70004].
(doi:10.1002/dys.70004).
Abstract
Targeting research towards areas that matter to dyslexic people and their families is essential for improving dyslexic people’s lives. However, we do not know what the dyslexia community’s research priorities are, and whether they align with current research funding. We categorised previous funding for dyslexia research in the United Kingdom and considered how this aligns with community research priorities, using multiple methods and a participatory approach. We identified that the vast majority (78%) of funding has been spent on research into biology, brain and cognition. Through seven focus groups (n = 37), dyslexic adults and/or family members/carers of dyslexic children expressed that this balance needs redressing, and we identified four important areas for future research, informed by lived experiences. Finally, 436 members of the dyslexia community ranked the importance of research topics in a survey. The top five priorities related to training teachers and professionals, educational supports and interventions, mental health and self-esteem, making services and spaces more inclusive, and cognition. Research into genes and risk factors were less prioritised. These results provide a point of reference for researchers and funders to align future research funding with the dyslexia community’s priorities so that it can be of translational benefit.
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DyslexiaPrioritySetting_AAM
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Dyslexia - 2025 - Manning - What Are the Research Priorities for the Dyslexia Community in the United Kingdom and How Do
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Accepted/In Press date: 5 March 2025
e-pub ahead of print date: 18 March 2025
Published date: May 2025
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 499879
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/499879
ISSN: 1076-9242
PURE UUID: 136377e9-33aa-4909-adfc-6451e7a053fa
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Date deposited: 08 Apr 2025 16:32
Last modified: 30 Aug 2025 02:12
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Contributors
Author:
Catherine Manning
Author:
Beverley Jennings
Author:
Keren MacLennan
Author:
Raveen Rayat
Author:
Keith Spiller
Author:
Holly Joseph
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