Dyslexia, a specific reading disability, is a common (up to 10% of children) and highly heritable (~70%) neurodevelopmental disorder. Behavioral and molecular genetic approaches are aimed towards dissecting its significant genetic component. In the proposed review, we will summarize advances in twin and molecular genetic research from the past 20 years. First, we will briefly outline the clinical and educational presentation and epidemiology of dyslexia. Next, we will summarize results from twin studies, followed by molecular genetic research (e.g., genome-wide association studies (GWASs)). In particular, we will highlight converging key insights from genetic research. (1) Dyslexia is a highly polygenic neurodevelopmental disorder with a complex genetic architecture. (2) Dyslexia categories share a large proportion of genetics with continuously distributed measures of reading skills, with shared genetic risks also seen across development. (3) Dyslexia genetic risks are shared with those implicated in many other neurodevelopmental disorders (e.g., developmental language disorder and dyscalculia). Finally, we will discuss the implications and future directions. As the diversity of genetic studies continues to increase through international collaborate efforts, we will highlight the challenges in advances of genetics discoveries in this field.

Reading comprehension instruction was identified by the National Reading Panel as an effective instructional practice to improve students' reading comprehension. Teacher professional development (PD) is essential for effective reading comprehension instruction to occur in schools. The aim of this meta‐analysis is to examine the extent to which teacher PD in reading comprehension impacted teacher knowledge or practice outcomes and student reading comprehension outcomes. Additionally, we explored whether various studies or PD characteristics were potential moderators of these outcomes. We identified 29 experimental and quasi‐experimental studies, including 51 independent samples and 97 effect sizes. Using robust variance estimation, teacher PD in reading comprehension had a large effect (g = 0.947, p < .001) on teacher knowledge or practice and a small effect (g = 0.193, p < .001) on student reading comprehension. Results indicate teacher PD in reading comprehension is effective in improving teaching practices and student learning. However, more systematic research is needed to investigate effective PD components and other factors which may influence the impact of PD on teacher and student outcomes.

Encouraging children to read extensively has been a widely recommended approach to developing reading. The National Reading Panel published a review study reporting inconclusive findings regarding the benefits of such an approach. In this systematic narrative synthesis review, we provided an update and an extension of the NRP’s review. We examined the effects of silent independent reading practices on reading outcomes for students in Grades K through 12, reviewing experimental and quasi-experimental studies between 2000 and 2020. We also incorporated a quality evaluation of primary studies. A systematic search of peer-reviewed articles was conducted, using identical procedures as in the National Reading Panel review. Our results from 14 primary studies comprising 5,522 participants in the treatment group and 4,966 in the control group alluded to no meaningful beneficial effects of independent reading on reading outcomes. However, due to a lack of primary studies adhering to the highest quality standards and implementation, it is impossible to determine whether such a result is universal or whether there might be conditions under which independent reading could be effective.

Researchers have developed a constellation model of decoding-related reading disabilities (RD) to improve the RD risk determination. The model’s hallmark is its inclusion of various RD indicators t...