Learning to Read and Developmental Dyslexia in Hebrew

The study of Hebrew, a non-European language written in a non-alphabetic (abjadic) script offers valuable insights into the science of reading beyond the well-studied alphabetic scripts. Because reading development in Hebrew is shaped by the uniquely Semitic root-and-pattern morphology and the abjadic (predominantly consonantal) orthography, our review begins by providing some basic information about the Hebrew language and its writing system. We then outline the developmental phases through which the developing Hebrew reader progresses, as proposed in Share and Bar-On's Triplex Model, and the central role of phonological and morphological awareness. Finally, we review the research literature on developmental dyslexia in Hebrew within the context of current theories on the underlying perceptual/neurobiological basis of dyslexia (e.g., temporal processing, magnocellular deficits, visual attention span etc.). Here, we draw attention to the problems of comorbidity and the need to go beyond the conventional “whole-group” approach and address the issue of heterogeneity and subtypes.