Dyslexia experts from across the world are to gather in York to chart the course of dyslexia research for the next century.

The British Dyslexia Association's international conference, entitled Dyslexia: At the Dawn of the New Century, will be staged at York University tomorrow, April 18, and Thursday.

Conference chairman Rod Nicolson, a leading researcher at Sheffield University, said: "I am delighted by the breadth, quality and inclusiveness of this conference. It is set to be a landmark in dyslexia research, bringing together the best development in theory and practice to a wider audience."

The event will see a record number of more than 300 workshops, papers and poster sessions, grouped into 12 broad themes. These range from biological bases to social and emotional aspects of dyslexia, screening and diagnosis, and dyslexia and other learning disabilities.

These will be coupled with a series or workshops, mostly covering good practice and teaching and other subjects such as alternative treatments for the condition.

Among the keynote speakers are Professor Albert Galaburda of Harvard Medical School, who will focus on the brain mechanism underlying the language disorder, and York University academic Maggie Snowling, who reports on her recent study in which 66 per cent of the offspring of dyslexic parents were found to have reading difficulties by the time they were eight.

Professor Maryanne Wolf, another keynote speaker and an American academic, will be discussing the need to address fluency and comprehension when teaching dyslexic children. She said: "I am delighted to be taking part in this impressive and ambitious undertaking."

Updated: 11:35 Tuesday, April 17, 2001