Alexia and agraphia after Luria

Luria investigated the acquisition of reading and writing in children tracing the emergence of these abilities through several stages. In addition to his interests in the ontogeny and anthropology of these skills, he applied his neurodynamic approach to the breakdown of reading and writing in brain damaged adults and described five types of agraphias and eight types of alexias. Each alexic and agraphic syndrome is clinically distinguishable on the basis of a unique pattern of disrupted and preserved skills. Restoration of reading and writing is accomplished according to syndrome-specific strategies. Luria's approach presaged many current theories of alexia and agraphia.