Born to Read?

In this webinar, Dr Jeremy Law will explain that reading is not a natural process. Unlike spoken language, there is no single area in the brain dedicated solely to reading. Instead, multiple brain regions involved in other tasks must form new connections in a specific way for reading to occur. Simply put… we are not born to read.

A leading researcher and advisor in the field of dyslexia in Scotland and beyond, Jeremy will help us bring research and evidence from science into our every day practice by explaining how the brain works to develop reading, why some children learn to read quickly, and why some struggle. This is fundamentally important for all educators to understand if we are to better support learners.

Dr Jeremy M Law is Senior Lecturer in Quantitative Research Methods in Education in the School of Education at the University of Glasgow.

An internationally respected scholar of reading and dyslexia, he holds a PhD in Educational Science from KU Leuven. His work focuses on developmental disabilities and literacy; he examines cognitive factors, such as phonological awareness, auditory processing and morphological awareness, that underpin reading and spelling in both children and adults.

Jeremy has led longitudinal and cross‑sectional studies tracking pre‑reading indicators and outcomes, and he has published widely in leading international journals. He co‑authored the national report "Towards a Dyslexia‑Friendly Scotland" (Dyslexia Scotland, 2024) and a research advisor to Dyslexia Scotland.

A committed advocate for evidence‑based practice, he has written public pieces challenging unsupported interventions (such as coloured overlays) and emphasises systematic phonics and assistive technologies. Dr Law frequently speaks to educators, policymakers and employers; he recently delivered the keynote “The Science of Reading” at Dyslexia Scotland’s 2025 "Empowering Educators" conference and was a guest expert at an employment law webinar on dyslexia and the workplace.