Dyslexia Journey | Real Stories & Strategies for Thriving with Dyslexia Is Dyslexia Genetic?
In this episode, we dig into the research around the heritability of dyslexia.
Here are our sources for this discussion:
This is the 2021 study in Sweden that showed a heritability of 52%: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/dys.1681
This 2012 study identified 6 candidate genes: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0140673612601986
A study from 2020. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41380-020-00898-x
An explanation of what we mean by heritability: https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/understanding/inheritance/heritability/
An overview of dyslexia and heritability: https://www.understood.org/en/articles/is-dyslexia-genetic
A 2007 literature review of the genetics of dyslexia: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2597981/
And older (1987) study: https://www.nature.com/articles/329537a0
We're Sonja and Nick — parents of a dyslexic kid and your guides on this journey. We created Dyslexia Journey because we know how isolating it can feel when your child struggles with reading and school isn't helping. Every episode brings practical strategies, expert interviews with psychologists, educators, and reading specialists, plus real stories from dyslexic adults who've thrived. Whether you're a parent navigating diagnosis, IEPs, and accommodations, or a dyslexic adult looking for community — this show is for you. Got a question or a guest idea? Reach out at parentingdyslexiajourney@gmail.com.
Also check out our YouTube channel! https://www.youtube.com/@ParentingDyslexiaJourney