Roger E. Saunders, 82; Pioneer in Diagnosis, Treatment of Dyslexia

Roger E. Saunders, 82, a psychologist who nearly 50 years ago helped pioneer the diagnosis and treatment of dyslexia, died of a heart attack Feb. 23 at Lexington Memorial Hospital in Lexington, N.C.

When he was hired in 1957 as director of psychological services for the Baltimore County Board of Education, he discovered that Maryland was a “wasteland” for understanding reading disorders, Saunders told the Baltimore Sun in 2001.

Teachers at the time “saw the behavior, not the cause” behind dyslexia, a neurological disorder that causes difficulty in reading, Saunders recalled.

Born in East Gastonia, N.C., he served in the Army Air Forces during World War II before earning a bachelor’s degree at Louisiana College in 1948 and a master’s in clinical psychology at Southern Methodist University in 1950.

Saunders later established a private practice and helped found schools for dyslexic children in Baltimore; Owings Mills, Md.; and Austin, Texas. He also was instrumental in founding what is now known as the International Dyslexia Assn., based in Baltimore.