Jurgen Tijms (Convenor & Panel Chair, RID), Jarmo Hämäläinen (Convenor, JYU) and Milene Bonte (Discussant, UM) are organizing a symposium under the title of "Coloring outside the lines: A transdiagnostic framework for understanding and supporting reading disabilities" at the thirty-third annual meeting of the Society for the Scientific Study of Reading held in Rotterdam 15-18 of July 2026.
Link to the programm: Coloring outside the lines: A transdiagnostic framework for understanding and supporting reading disabilities | SSSR 2026 Annual Conference | Ex Ordo
Description of the symposium:
This symposium presents cutting-edge research on reading disabilities through a transdiagnostic lens, challenging traditional categorical approaches to dyslexia and related neurodevelopmental disorders. Drawing from the international Tools4NDDs initiative, we explore how profiles of strengths and difficulties interact across development, transcending diagnostic boundaries. The symposium highlights fundamental, methodological, and applied advances showing how a transdiagnostic framework can improve identification, understanding, and intervention for diverse learners.
The four presentations illustrate this approach across populations and methods.
The first examines cognitive and mental-health dimensions in adults with specific learning difficulties and co-occurring conditions, revealing data-driven clusters that cut across diagnostic labels. The second investigates neural dynamics of spoken-sentence processing in children with varying reading abilities, linking EEG markers to individual variability in reading and related skills. The third introduces a digital tool for early symbol–sound learning, showing how neural and behavioral learning parameters predict later reading outcomes and its potential to support children early and preventively—without reliance on diagnostic labels. The fourth explores treatment responsiveness in children with developmental language disorder (DLD) and dyslexia, as well as in bilingual and ADHD-plus-dyslexia groups, demonstrating that baseline performance, rather than diagnosis, best predicts literacy gains.
Together, these studies show how adopting a transdiagnostic perspective transforms both research and practice, paving the way for more individualized, needs-based support systems. The symposium concludes with an interactive discussion on implementing transdiagnostic approaches in diverse educational and clinical systems and the implications for policy, practice, and future research directions.
