The Kinesthetic-motor Hypothesis in Developmental Dyslexia: A Systematic Review and Theoretical Model Proposition

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.