Dyslexic community demands better support from funding

Scientists and campaigners involved in a major study on dyslexia research are calling for a shift in research priorities as Dyslexia Awareness Week commences. 

The study found dyslexic people and their families want research funding to focus on practical support, not just brain science. 78% of UK funding from 1999 to 2022 went to biology, brain and cognition studies - £12.4 million of £15.9 million total. The dyslexia community rated these areas as lower priority.

University of Reading researchers worked with the University of Birmingham on the study and found five key research priorities: training teachers and professionals, educational supports and interventions, making services and spaces inclusive, mental health and self-esteem, and understanding dyslexic cognition.

Professor Holly Joseph, who co-authored the study from the University of Reading, said: "The views of members of the dyslexia community are vital to help us prioritise research that they care about. The results are clear - there is a strong feeling that we should be directing more funding to focus on finding the most effective interventions and support for people with dyslexia in society, whether that be in education, work, for their mental health and wellbeing, or in making society more inclusive."

The study combined focus groups with 37 people and a survey of 436 participants. Topics like educational support, teacher training and mental health received little funding but emerged as top community priorities. 

Alice Williams, a member of administrative staff at the University of Reading, experienced first-hand how the education system could be simultaneously supportive and disparaging about her dyslexia. Alice received her dyslexia confirmation after starting sixth form, when teachers at her new private school observed the differences in her written and verbal communication.

She said: “My teachers saw someone full of potential who verbally was considerably adept, but on paper couldn’t string together a coherent chain of thought. It was my English teacher that, in a report, first put into words that my verbal versus written communication was on such differing levels that it was worth looking into and lo and behold, after meeting with an educational psychologist, I received my confirmation of moderate dyslexia with a short-term memory impairment.

“We don’t need more research on the why or how; we need research to focus on the who, the human aspect and experience, not just for those who are dyslexic but for those who support those dyslexics in their life.”

Following the study, researchers have recommended: 

Dyslexia Awareness Week runs from 6-12 October 2025.

Manning, C., Jennings, B., MacLennan, K., Rayat, R., Spiller, K., & Joseph, H. (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. https://doi.org/10.1002/dys.70004