Today, mastering the cultural techniques of reading and writing seems more important than ever for achieving professional success and social participation. Current school performance studies indicate that the Austrian school system is failing to teach these basic cultural techniques to all students. The present thesis titled 'Dyslexia – A Myth? A New Analysis of an Old Problem' applies a hermeneutic approach to the phenomenon of dyslexia, and examines the possibilities of early diagnosis and

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... ancement of children at risk. It also describes relevant prediction studies, screenings, and advancement programmes. The objective of the present work is to examine existing diagnostic tools for the early detection of dyslexia from the perspective of their scientific-systematic rationale and their applicability in educational practice. Moreover, the paper examines the question as to which educational measures for preschool age children and in the early school years can be considered effective in preventing the development of reading and writing difficulties. By presenting four evaluated training programmes the paper attempts to provide impulses for parents, kindergarten educators, and teachers, thus actively contributing to prevention or early intervention in cases of suspected dyslexia. In addition, it illustrates the interdisciplinary knowledge models that teachers can extract from the plethora of measures currently applied in the consulting and support of children with reading and writing difficulties.