Learning to read is a complex cognitive process that progresses throughout childhood. In order to develop good reading and writing skills, an individual needs both orthographic knowledge and phonological awareness (Waldie et al., 2013). Orthographic knowledge is the ability to use information stored in memory to represent spoken language in written form. On the other hand, phonological awareness refers to the ability to detect and understand sound structure and phonemes (the smallest distinct sound units in a specific language). Reading models such as parallel distributed processing (PDP) models suggest that orthographic and phonological systems work together to activate lexical semantics (Waldie et al., 2013). Some children have great difficulty learning to read, and if this problem persists, an assessment may be carried out to determine whether or not they have a learning disorder, such as dyslexia. In this essay, a brief definition of dyslexia will be given, followed by a brief introduction of early research that points to a biological basis for dyslexia. Specific neural pathways and brain regions will then be identified and the results discussed in relation to specific topographical areas of the brain studied in dyslexics. There are many different definitions of dyslexia, but most studies characterize dyslexia as a neurobiological disorder resulting in reading disabilities despite intellectual disabilities. aptitude, sociocultural opportunities and motivation to read accurately and fluently (Lyon et al., 2003). It may also be characterized by difficulties with spelling, working memory, and decoding skills. Additionally, dyslexia can be broadly classified into two main types: developmental or acquired, although there are a number...... middle of article......f Neurology, 7(1) , pp. 35 - 46. Rumsey, JM, Donohue, BC, Brady, DR, Nace, K., Giedd, JN, & Andreason, P. (1997). A magnetic resonance imaging study of planum temporal asymmetry in males with developmental dyslexia. Archives of Neurology, 54(12), pp. 1481 - 1489. Schneider, P., Scherg, M., Dosch, HG, Specht, HJ, Gutschalk, A. & Rupp, A. (2002). Heschl's gyrus morphology reflects enhanced activation in the auditory cortex of musicians. Nature Neuroscience, 5(7), pp. 668 - 694. Waldie, KE, Haigh, CE, Badzakova-Trajkov, G., Buckley, J., & Kirk, IJ (2013). Reading the wrong way with the right hemisphere. Brain Sciences, 3(1), pp. 1060 - 1075. Wernicke, C. (1874). Der aphasische Symptomenconplex: Eine psychologische Studies auf Anatomischer Basis (The aphasia symptom complex: a psychological study on an anatomical basis). Breslau: Cohn and Weigert.