This document lists several potential causes of reading difficulties: auditory deficits, dyspraxia, short-term memory limitations, ADHD, word blindness, stress spirals, and Irlen syndrome. It describes how some causes can lead to early success in reading followed by a plateau between ages 6-9, wild guessing, and a collapse of confidence as text gets more complex. Other causes result in an ability to read words but difficulty with sentences, problems decoding long words, and an inability to follow meaning.