Two spatial location tasks were used to investigate early stages of visual information processing in Specifically Reading Disabled Children (SRD). It was intended that the perceptual consequences of deficient transient system processing would be measured. Problems defining SRD and theoretical approaches are reviewed and a theory considering deficient transient processing and SRD evaluated. Three groups of children were used in the study. Two groups were individually matched on age, sex and intellectual ability, one group consisting of SRDs. A third group of younger children was individually matched to the SRD group on read­ ing level, sex and intellectual ability in order to test whether performance on the location tasks was related to the lower level of reading achievement. Evidence supportive of deficient transient processing was not forthcoming. No relevant between groups differences were found. A strong tendency was found for second targets to be located and identified less accurately and a weaker tendency for location and identification errors to increase with target eccentricity and this was the same for all groups.