Research Symposium

BIO

Isobel Schlueter is a sophomore at Florida State University pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Biology on the pre-health track. She is actively involved in several campus organizations that support her academic and professional interests, including Alpha Epsilon Delta, a pre-health honor society, and Delta Gamma sorority. Through these organizations, she has gained opportunities to build connections with other students interested in healthcare, develop leadership and collaboration skills, and become more involved in the campus community. Isobel is also involved in undergraduate research focused on dyslexia, where she contributes to a meta-analysis examining patterns across existing research studies. Working alongside faculty mentors, she has gained experience reviewing scientific literature, analyzing research findings, and collaborating with a research team. These experiences have helped strengthen her critical thinking and scientific writing skills while giving her a deeper understanding of the research process. After completing her Bachelor of Science in Biology, Isobel plans to attend medical school and pursue a career as a physician where she can combine her interests in science, research, and helping others.

Multi-Variable Predictors of Dyslexia : A Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Developmental dyslexia is a neurobiological learning disorder that affects reading, spelling, and decoding accuracy. Individuals with dyslexia often have typical cognitive abilities but struggle with the phonological aspects of language, such as recognizing and manipulating speech sounds. Because of this, their reading difficulties are not due to a lack of intelligence but rather to challenges in processing language sounds (Cutting, 2009). Since reading is an essential skill for academic success, these difficulties can have long-term educational impacts if they are not identified and addressed early. The prevalence of developmental dyslexia is estimated to range from approximately 3% to 10% of the population, though the exact percentage varies depending on diagnostic criteria and the severity of symptoms. One of the main challenges in dyslexia research is the lack of agreement on a standardized operational definition of the disorder. Without a consistent definition, it can be difficult to connect diagnoses with effective intervention strategies or compare results across different studies. The purpose of this meta-analysis is to determine which predictors of dyslexia are most consistently supported across the research literature in order to contribute to a more structured and reliable definition of the disorder. To do this, researchers will gather thousands of studies related to predicting dyslexia and systematically screen their titles, abstracts, and full texts before extracting relevant data. By analyzing findings across multiple studies, this research aims to improve early identification and support the development of more effective intervention programs for individuals with dyslexia.

Keywords: Dyslexia, Prediction, Reading