Dyslexia is a disorder of development. Classically, a child has shown apparently typical language acquisition and cognitive development until faced with the task of learning to read. Suddenly the child struggles: ‘In spite of laborious and persistent training, he can only with difficulty spell out words of one syllable’ (Hinshelwood 1896, p. 1378). Why this apparently specific problem with reading and writing? One hundred years later, a child with dyslexia aged 9 years wrote ‘I have blond her, Blue eys and an infeckshos smill. Pealpie tell mum haw gorgus I am and is ent she looky to have me. But under the surface I live in a tumoyl. Words look like swigles and riting storys is a disaster area because of spellings’ (I have blond hair, blue eyes and an infectious smile. People tell Mum how gorgeous I am and isn’t she lucky to have me. But under the surface I live in a turmoil. Words look like squiggles and writing stories is a disaster area because of spellings) (author’s private notes).