The Kinesthetic-motor Hypothesis in Developmental Dyslexia: A Systematic Review and Theoretical Model Proposition
Giovanna Azevedo Rodrigues
*
Hospital ASMIGO, Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil.
Fernando Martins Castanheira Júnior
Hospital ASMIGO, Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil.
Luiz Costa
Hospital ASMIGO, Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil.
Marcelo Caixeta
Federal University of Goiás (UFG), Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Introduction: Developmental dyslexia is traditionally explained by the acoustic phonological deficit theory, yet clinical observations suggest that reading difficulties may extend to motor and articulatory components, manifesting as phono-articulatory stalls during the decoding of phonotactically complex syllables.
Methodology: This systematic review, with a narrative qualitative synthesis, was conducted in accordance with PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Searches of PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, and Google Scholar identified 28 primary studies published between 1 January 2020 and 31 May 2026 addressing proprioception, sensorimotor integration, and speech motor control.
Results and Discussion: A risk-of-bias appraisal adapted from ROBIS indicated mixed evidence quality, with a subset of studies reporting associations between dyslexia and higher proprioceptive detection thresholds, magnocellular pathway alterations, structural/functional cerebellar variability, and atypical neuroimaging patterns during font-sound co-processing. Integrating these findings, the authors propose the Kinesthetic-Motor Hypothesis as a complementary, hypothesis-generating interpretative framework anchored in state-feedback speech motor control models, putting forward three concrete, falsifiable predictions regarding decoding uncertainty, reduced feedback gain, and prolonged error-correction latencies in a dissociable subgroup of dyslexic individuals.
Conclusion: This kinesthetic-motor model serves as a complementary explanatory layer for dyslexia heterogeneity rather than a replacement for established phonological or structured-literacy frameworks; it carries no immediate clinical practice recommendations and is intended to guide future controlled experimental interventions and hypothesis-driven physiological assessments.