Tackling the ‘dyslexia paradox’: reading brain and behavior for early markers of developmental dyslexia

PubMed Central

Ozernov-Palchik, Ola; Gaab, Nadine

2016-01-01

Developmental dyslexia is an unexplained inability to acquire accurate or fluent reading that affects approximately 5–17% of children. Dyslexia is associated with structural and functional alterations in various brain regions that support reading. Neuroimaging studies in infants and pre-reading children suggest that these alterations predate reading instruction and reading failure, supporting the hypothesis that variant function in dyslexia susceptibility genes lead to atypical neural migration and/or axonal growth during early, most likely in utero, brain development. Yet, dyslexia is typically not diagnosed until a child has failed to learn to read as expected (usually in second grade or later). There is emerging evidence that neuroimaging measures, when combined with key behavioral measures, can enhance the accuracy of identification of dyslexia risk in prereading children but its sensitivity, specificity, and cost-efficiency is still unclear. Early identification of dyslexia risk carries important implications for dyslexia remediation and the amelioration of the psychosocial consequences commonly associated with reading failure. PMID:26836227

Is Weak Oral Language Associated with Poor Spelling in School-Age Children with Specific Language Impairment, Dyslexia, or Both?

PubMed Central

McCarthy, Jillian H.; Hogan, Tiffany P.; Catts, Hugh W.

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that word reading accuracy, not oral language, is associated with spelling performance in school-age children. We compared fourth grade spelling accuracy in children with specific language impairment (SLI), dyslexia, or both (SLI/dyslexia) to their typically developing grade-matched peers. Results of the study revealed that children with SLI performed similarly to their typically developing peers on a single word spelling task. Alternatively, those with dyslexia and SLI/dyslexia evidenced poor spelling accuracy. Errors made by both those with dyslexia and SLI/dyslexia were characterized by numerous phonologic, orthographic, and semantic errors. Cumulative results support the hypothesis that word reading accuracy, not oral language, is associated with spelling performance in typically developing school-age children and their peers with SLI and dyslexia. Findings are provided as further support for the notion that SLI and dyslexia are distinct, yet co-morbid, developmental disorders. PMID:22876769

Effect of Atomoxetine Treatment on Reading and Phonological Skills in Children with Dyslexia or Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Comorbid Dyslexia in a Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial.

PubMed

Shaywitz, Sally; Shaywitz, Bennett; Wietecha, Linda; Wigal, Sharon; McBurnett, Keith; Williams, David; Kronenberger, William G; Hooper, Stephen R

2017-02-01

Evaluated the effects of atomoxetine on the reading abilities of children with dyslexia only or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and comorbid dyslexia. Children aged 10-16 years (N = 209) met Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR) criteria for dyslexia only (n = 58), ADHD and comorbid dyslexia (n = 124), or ADHD only (n = 27) and were of normal intelligence. Patients were treated with atomoxetine (1.0-1.4 mg/kg/day) or placebo in a 16-week, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial. The dyslexia-only and ADHD and comorbid dyslexia groups were randomized 1:1; the ADHD-only group received atomoxetine in a blinded manner. Reading abilities were measured with the Woodcock Johnson III (WJIII), Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing (CTOPP), Gray Oral Reading Tests-4, and Test of Word Reading Efficiency. Atomoxetine-treated dyslexia-only patients compared with placebo patients had significantly greater improvement (p < 0.02) with moderate to approaching high effect sizes (ES) on WJIII Word Attack (ES = 0.72), Basic Reading Skills (ES = 0.48), and Reading Vocabulary (ES = 0.73). In the atomoxetine-treated ADHD and comorbid dyslexia group, improvement on the CTOPP Elision measure (ES = 0.50) was significantly greater compared with placebo (p < 0.02). Total, inattentive, and hyperactive/impulsive ADHD symptom reductions were significant in the atomoxetine-treated ADHD and comorbid dyslexia group compared with placebo, and from baseline in the ADHD-only group (p ≤ 0.02). ADHD symptom improvements in the ADHD and comorbid dyslexia group were not correlated with improvements in reading. Atomoxetine treatment improved reading scores in patients with dyslexia only and ADHD and comorbid dyslexia. Improvements for patients with dyslexia only were in critical components of reading, including decoding and reading vocabulary. For patients with ADHD and comorbid dyslexia, improvements in reading scores were distinct from improvement in ADHD inattention symptoms alone. These data represent the first report of improvements in reading measures following pharmacotherapy treatment in patients with dyslexia only evaluated in a randomized, double-blind trial.

Effect of Atomoxetine Treatment on Reading and Phonological Skills in Children with Dyslexia or Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Comorbid Dyslexia in a Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial

PubMed Central

Shaywitz, Bennett; Wietecha, Linda; Wigal, Sharon; McBurnett, Keith; Williams, David; Kronenberger, William G.; Hooper, Stephen R.

2017-01-01

Abstract Objectives: Evaluated the effects of atomoxetine on the reading abilities of children with dyslexia only or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and comorbid dyslexia. Methods: Children aged 10–16 years (N = 209) met Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR) criteria for dyslexia only (n = 58), ADHD and comorbid dyslexia (n = 124), or ADHD only (n = 27) and were of normal intelligence. Patients were treated with atomoxetine (1.0–1.4 mg/kg/day) or placebo in a 16-week, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial. The dyslexia-only and ADHD and comorbid dyslexia groups were randomized 1:1; the ADHD-only group received atomoxetine in a blinded manner. Reading abilities were measured with the Woodcock Johnson III (WJIII), Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing (CTOPP), Gray Oral Reading Tests-4, and Test of Word Reading Efficiency. Results: Atomoxetine-treated dyslexia-only patients compared with placebo patients had significantly greater improvement (p < 0.02) with moderate to approaching high effect sizes (ES) on WJIII Word Attack (ES = 0.72), Basic Reading Skills (ES = 0.48), and Reading Vocabulary (ES = 0.73). In the atomoxetine-treated ADHD and comorbid dyslexia group, improvement on the CTOPP Elision measure (ES = 0.50) was significantly greater compared with placebo (p < 0.02). Total, inattentive, and hyperactive/impulsive ADHD symptom reductions were significant in the atomoxetine-treated ADHD and comorbid dyslexia group compared with placebo, and from baseline in the ADHD-only group (p ≤ 0.02). ADHD symptom improvements in the ADHD and comorbid dyslexia group were not correlated with improvements in reading. Conclusions: Atomoxetine treatment improved reading scores in patients with dyslexia only and ADHD and comorbid dyslexia. Improvements for patients with dyslexia only were in critical components of reading, including decoding and reading vocabulary. For patients with ADHD and comorbid dyslexia, improvements in reading scores were distinct from improvement in ADHD inattention symptoms alone. These data represent the first report of improvements in reading measures following pharmacotherapy treatment in patients with dyslexia only evaluated in a randomized, double-blind trial. PMID:27410907

Clinicians with dyslexia: a systematic review of effects and strategies.

PubMed

Locke, Rachel; Scallan, Samantha; Mann, Richard; Alexander, Gail

2015-12-01

For educators, an awareness of the impact of dyslexia on learners in the clinical workplace is vital: first, to be able to identify whether dyslexia may underlie certain traits and behaviours; and second, to be able to provide appropriate advice and support when dyslexia is identified. We reviewed the primary research evidence concerning the effects of dyslexia on clinicians (in or after training) in the workplace, and adaptive strategies ('workarounds') that are presently in use. A systematic search of literature was undertaken, followed by a narrative review of studies selected as meeting the inclusion criteria. The review used a priori research questions and focused on studies based on primary research evidence. The review identified five key studies on qualified doctors or nurses with dyslexia. The impact of dyslexia on doctors can include: writing and calculating prescriptions, writing patient notes, and prioritising and making referrals. Strategies to minimise the effects of dyslexia include the use of adaptive technologies, the need for more time for mentors and supervisors, and an awareness of 'enabling' and 'disabling' environments. An awareness of the impact of dyslexia on learners in the clinical workplace is vital The difficulties associated with dyslexia are varied and may be unexpected. Medical educators must therefore be aware of dyslexia and its impact. When supporting a trainee with dyslexia, there is guidance available but educators may struggle to identify strategies and resources that are evidence based, so further research is required. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Emotional experience with dyslexia and self-esteem: the protective role of perceived family support in late adulthood.

PubMed

Carawan, Lena W; Nalavany, Blace A; Jenkins, Carol

2016-01-01

Despite the growing body of evidence that suggests dyslexia persists through the life span, there is a dearth of research that explores the complicating factor of dyslexia in late adulthood. Based upon stress and coping theory, this study examined whether perceived family support protects the impact of negative emotional experience with dyslexia on self-esteem. Adults aged 21 years and older with diagnosed or self-reported dyslexia were participants in a web-based survey. A total of 224 individuals completed the survey. These findings are from the 50 participants who reported to be 60 years or older. Completed measures include their perception of family support, emotional experience with dyslexia, self-esteem, and demographic variables. Preliminary analysis revealed that negative emotional experience with dyslexia negatively impacts self-esteem. Hierarchical moderated regression analysis demonstrated that positive perceived family support significantly buffers, mitigates, and protects the effects of negative emotional experiences with dyslexia on self-esteem in individuals with dyslexia in late adulthood. In this study, family support promoted self-esteem because as a protective dynamic, it helped older adults cope with the emotional distress associated with dyslexia. Implications of these findings are discussed.

From Languishing Dyslexia to Thriving Dyslexia: Developing a New Conceptual Approach to Working with People with Dyslexia

PubMed Central

Kannangara, Chathurika S.

2015-01-01

This is an account of personal narratives shared by several people with dyslexia. Most of these are presented in their original quotation format to provide personal accounts of the lives of people with dyslexia. In this paper the author shares her conversations with her participants. This paper provides an original conceptual model, which is currently been tested empirically. Dyslexia affects the learning process in areas as such reading, and spelling. Conversely abilities or strengths can be seen in other areas, such as developing coping strategies to manage and overcome challenges. This research aims to adapt positive psychology techniques to support individuals with dyslexia. To develop positive psychology interventions, individuals will be helped to discover their five signature strengths. The VIA (Values in Action) Strengths Survey has been hosted in a website which has been developed in the form of a dyslexia user friendly format, such as providing the ability for respondents to change fonts and font sizes, colors and a text to speech option. This paper introduces the theoretical model of ‘How to move from Languishing Dyslexia to Thriving Dyslexia.’ PMID:26733933

Subtypes of developmental dyslexia: testing the predictions of the dual-route and connectionist frameworks.

PubMed

Peterson, Robin L; Pennington, Bruce F; Olson, Richard K

2013-01-01

We investigated the phonological and surface subtypes of developmental dyslexia in light of competing predictions made by two computational models of single word reading, the Dual-Route Cascaded Model (DRC; Coltheart, Rastle, Perry, Langdon, & Ziegler, 2001) and Harm and Seidenberg's connectionist model (HS model; Harm & Seidenberg, 1999). The regression-outlier procedure was applied to a large sample to identify children with disproportionately poor phonological coding skills (phonological dyslexia) or disproportionately poor orthographic coding skills (surface dyslexia). Consistent with the predictions of the HS model, children with "pure" phonological dyslexia, who did not have orthographic deficits, had milder phonological impairments than children with "relative" phonological dyslexia, who did have secondary orthographic deficits. In addition, pure cases of dyslexia were more common among older children. Consistent with the predictions of the DRC model, surface dyslexia was not well conceptualized as a reading delay; both phonological and surface dyslexia were associated with patterns of developmental deviance. In addition, some results were problematic for both models. We identified a small number of individuals with severe phonological dyslexia, relatively intact orthographic coding skills, and very poor real word reading. Further, a subset of controls could read normally despite impaired orthographic coding. The findings are discussed in terms of improvements to both models that might help better account for all cases of developmental dyslexia. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Subtypes of developmental dyslexia: Testing the predictions of the dual-route and connectionist frameworks

PubMed Central

Peterson, Robin L.; Pennington, Bruce F.; Olson, Richard K.

2012-01-01

We investigated the phonological and surface subtypes of developmental dyslexia in light of competing predictions made by two computational models of single word reading, the dual-route cascaded model (DRC; Coltheart, Rastle, Perry, Langdon, & Ziegler, 2001) and Harm and Seidenberg’s connectionist model (HS model; Harm & Seidenberg, 1999). The regression-outlier procedure was applied to a large sample to identify children with disproportionately poor phonological coding skills (phonological dyslexia) or disproportionately poor orthographic coding skills (surface dyslexia). Consistent with the predictions of the HS model, children with “pure” phonological dyslexia, who did not have orthographic deficits, had milder phonological impairments than children with “relative” phonological dyslexia, who did have secondary orthographic deficits. In addition, pure cases of dyslexia were more common among older children. Consistent with the predictions of the DRC model, surface dyslexia was not well conceptualized as a reading delay; both phonological and surface dyslexia were associated with patterns of developmental deviance. In addition, some results were problematic for both models. We identified a small number of individuals with severe phonological dyslexia, relatively intact orthographic coding skills, and very poor real word reading. Further, a subset of controls could read normally despite impaired orthographic coding. The findings are discussed in terms of improvements to both models that might help better account for all cases of developmental dyslexia. PMID:23010562

A review of the neurobiological basis of dyslexia in the adult population.

PubMed

Soriano-Ferrer, M; Piedra Martínez, E

Adult dyslexia affects about 4% of the population. However, studies on the neurobiological basis of dyslexia in adulthood are scarce compared to paediatric studies. This review investigates the neurobiological basis of dyslexia in adulthood. Using PsycINFO, a database of psychology abstracts, we identified 11 studies on genetics, 9 neurostructural studies, 13 neurofunctional studies and 24 neurophysiological studies. Results from the review show that dyslexia is highly heritable and displays polygenic transmission. Likewise, adult neuroimaging studies found structural, functional, and physiological changes in the parieto-occipital and occipito-temporal regions, and in the inferior frontal gyrus, in adults with dyslexia. According to different studies, aetiology in cases of adult dyslexia is complex. We stress the need for neurobiological studies of dyslexia in languages with transparent spelling systems. Copyright © 2014 Sociedad Española de Neurología. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Cognitive-linguistic performances of multilingual university students suspected of dyslexia.

PubMed

Lindgrén, Signe-Anita; Laine, Matti

2011-05-01

High-performing adults with compensated dyslexia pose particular challenges to dyslexia diagnostics. We compared the performance of 20 multilingual Finnish university students with suspected dyslexia with 20 age-matched and education-matched controls on an extensive test battery. The battery tapped various aspects of reading, writing, word retrieval, phonological processing and other cognitive functions relevant for dyslexia. Reading and writing were examined in the two domestic languages, Swedish and Finnish. The most prominent group differences in reading and writing emerged on accuracy measures in both languages (reading text aloud, proofreading, writing to dictation, free writing). The dyslexia group also performed less well on speeded segmentation of written input, complex speeded naming and complex phoneme manipulation. The pattern of results fits the phonological deficit hypothesis of dyslexia and indicates the presence of pervasive underlying defects in compensated dyslexia. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Aggression and risk of future violence in forensic psychiatric patients with and without dyslexia.

PubMed

Selenius, Heidi; Hellström, Ake; Belfrage, Henrik

2011-05-01

Dyslexia does not cause criminal behaviour, but it may worsen aggressive behaviour tendencies. In this study, aggressive behaviour and risk of future violence were compared between forensic psychiatric patients with and without dyslexia. Dyslexia was assessed using the Swedish phonological processing battery 'The Pigeon'. The patients filled in the Aggression Questionnaire, and trained assessors performed the risk assessments using HCR-20 version 2. Patients with dyslexia self-reported more aggressive behaviour compared with those without dyslexia. There was only a nearly significant tendency (p = 0.06) for the patients with dyslexia to receive higher scores in the HCR-20 compared with the patients without dyslexia, and phonological processing skills did not significantly predict aggression or risk of future violence. However, regression analyses demonstrated that poor phonological processing skills are a significant predictor of anger, which in turn significantly predicts risk of future violence. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Dysfunction of Rapid Neural Adaptation in Dyslexia.

PubMed

Perrachione, Tyler K; Del Tufo, Stephanie N; Winter, Rebecca; Murtagh, Jack; Cyr, Abigail; Chang, Patricia; Halverson, Kelly; Ghosh, Satrajit S; Christodoulou, Joanna A; Gabrieli, John D E

2016-12-21

Identification of specific neurophysiological dysfunctions resulting in selective reading difficulty (dyslexia) has remained elusive. In addition to impaired reading development, individuals with dyslexia frequently exhibit behavioral deficits in perceptual adaptation. Here, we assessed neurophysiological adaptation to stimulus repetition in adults and children with dyslexia for a wide variety of stimuli, spoken words, written words, visual objects, and faces. For every stimulus type, individuals with dyslexia exhibited significantly diminished neural adaptation compared to controls in stimulus-specific cortical areas. Better reading skills in adults and children with dyslexia were associated with greater repetition-induced neural adaptation. These results highlight a dysfunction of rapid neural adaptation as a core neurophysiological difference in dyslexia that may underlie impaired reading development. Reduced neurophysiological adaptation may relate to prior reports of reduced behavioral adaptation in dyslexia and may reveal a difference in brain functions that ultimately results in a specific reading impairment. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Are Students with Developmental Dyslexia Neurologically Different?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goldsmith-Phillips, Josephine

1994-01-01

Reviews the controversy over a biological basis for developmental dyslexia and illustrates it with two case studies of junior high school students. Reviews neurological evidence for developmental dyslexia, and proposes seven signs characteristic of reading disability that may qualify as dyslexia. (SR)

High Reading Skills Mask Dyslexia in Gifted Children.

PubMed

van Viersen, Sietske; Kroesbergen, Evelyn H; Slot, Esther M; de Bree, Elise H

2016-01-01

This study investigated how gifted children with dyslexia might be able to mask literacy problems and the role of possible compensatory mechanisms. The sample consisted of 121 Dutch primary school children that were divided over four groups (typically developing [TD] children, children with dyslexia, gifted children, gifted children with dyslexia). The test battery included measures of literacy (reading/spelling) and cognitive abilities related to literacy and language (phonological awareness [PA], rapid automatized naming [RAN], verbal short-term memory [VSTM], working memory [WM], grammar, and vocabulary). It was hypothesized that gifted children with dyslexia would outperform children with dyslexia on literacy tests. In addition, a core-deficit model including dyslexia-related weaknesses and a compensational model involving giftedness-related strengths were tested using Bayesian statistics to explain their reading/spelling performance. Gifted children with dyslexia performed on all literacy tests in between children with dyslexia and TD children. Their cognitive profile showed signs of weaknesses in PA and RAN and strengths in VSTM, WM, and language skills. Findings indicate that phonology is a risk factor for gifted children with dyslexia, but this is moderated by other skills such as WM, grammar, and vocabulary, providing opportunities for compensation of a cognitive deficit and masking of literacy difficulties. © Hammill Institute on Disabilities 2014.

How phonological awareness mediates the relation between working memory and word reading efficiency in children with dyslexia.

PubMed

Knoop-van Campen, Carolien A N; Segers, Eliane; Verhoeven, Ludo

2018-05-01

This study examined the relation between working memory, phonological awareness, and word reading efficiency in fourth-grade children with dyslexia. To test whether the relation between phonological awareness and word reading efficiency differed for children with dyslexia versus typically developing children, we assessed phonological awareness and word reading efficiency in 50 children with dyslexia (aged 9;10, 35 boys) and 613 typically developing children (aged 9;5, 279 boys). Phonological awareness was found to be associated with word reading efficiency, similar for children with dyslexia and typically developing children. To find out whether the relation between working memory and word reading efficiency in the group with dyslexia could be explained by phonological awareness, the children with dyslexia were also tested on working memory. Results of a mediation analysis showed a significant indirect effect of working memory on word reading efficiency via phonological awareness. Working memory predicted reading efficiency, via its relation with phonological awareness in children with dyslexia. This indicates that working memory is necessary for word reading efficiency via its impact on phonological awareness and that phonological awareness continues to be important for word reading efficiency in older children with dyslexia. © 2018 The Authors Dyslexia Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Environmental Risk Factors in Han and Uyghur Children with Dyslexia: A Comparative Study.

PubMed

Zhao, Hua; Zhang, Baoping; Chen, Yun; Zhou, Xiang; Zuo, Pengxiang

2016-01-01

Several studies have been conducted to explore risk factors for dyslexia. However, most studies examining dyslexia have been skewed toward Western countries, and few have considered two nationalities simultaneously. This study focused on differences in dyslexia prevalence and potential environmental risk factors between Han and Uyghur children. A cross-sectional study was conducted in Kashgar and Aksu, cities in Xinjiang province, China. A two-stage sampling strategy was used to recruit 2,854 students in grades 3-6 from 5 primary schools in 5 districts; 2,348 valid student questionnaires were included in the analysis. Dyslexia checklists for Chinese and Uyghur children and pupil rating scales were used to identify children with dyslexia. Questions related to the home literacy environment and reading ability were used to evaluate potential environmental risk factors. Single factor analysis and multivariate logistic regression were used to examine prevalence and risk factors for dyslexia. Dyslexia prevalence differed significantly between Han (3.9%) and Uyghur (7.0%) children (P < 0.05), and the boy-to-girl diagnosis ratio was almost 2:1. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that ethnic differences in dyslexia prevalence between Han and Uyghur children could have occurred because of factors such as mother's occupation (P = 0.02, OR = 0.04, 95% CI = 0.01-0.68) and the frequency with which parents told stories (P = 0.00, OR = 4.50, 95% CI = 1.67-12.11). The prevalence of dyslexia was high in all children, particularly those in the Uyghur group. Environmental factors could have been responsible for some of the differences observed. The results contribute to the early identification and management of dyslexia in children from these two groups and research examining developmental dyslexia and differences in racial genetics.

A few words about dyslexia.

PubMed

Peretz, Benny

2009-10-01

More and more, one encounters people who describe themselves as dyslectic. What is dyslexia? A detailed article in the July issue of Science, explains the phenomenon, and related aspects (1). The following are some of its points. Dyslexia is characterized by a difficulty is understanding and using alphabetic or logographic principles to acquire accurate and fluent reading skills. Dyslexia is persistent: a child who fails to read adequately in 1st grade has a high probability of reading poorly in 4th grade and in high school. Thus, difficulty in early reading limits reading comprehension in the later years of education, as students shift from learning to read to reading to learn. Dyslexia is often defined by a discrepancy between an average or above-average score on a test of general intelligence (intelligence quotient [IQ] test) and a low score on a standardized reading test. There is an observation that dyslexia is independent of other talents that allow some children with dyslexia to grow into re markably successful adults. Dyslexia is strongly heritable, occurring in up to 70% of identical twins and 50% of individuals who have a parent or sibling with dyslexia. Environmental factors are also important in reading development, even in children at genetic risk for dyslexia. Dyslexia can be treated. Once children are diagnosed with dyslexia because of reading failure, treatments are instructional. Instruction yields substantial improvement in reading accuracy for many, but not all, children if instruction is more intensive (for instance, 100 minutes per day for 8 weeks), occurs in small groups (1 or 2 students per teacher), and includes explicit and systematic instruction in phonological awareness and decoding strategies.

Five Describing Factors of Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tamboer, Peter; Vorst, Harrie C. M.; Oort, Frans J.

2016-01-01

Two subtypes of dyslexia (phonological, visual) have been under debate in various studies. However, the number of symptoms of dyslexia described in the literature exceeds the number of subtypes, and underlying relations remain unclear. We investigated underlying cognitive features of dyslexia with exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. A…

Cognitive Endophenotypes of Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moll, Kristina; Loff, Ariana; Snowling, Margaret J.

2013-01-01

The study investigated cognitive deficits associated with dyslexia and familial risk of dyslexia (endophenotypes) by comparing children from families with and without a history of dyslexia. Eighty-eight school-aged children were assessed on measures of phonology, language and rapid automatized naming. A series of regression analyses with family…

Teachers' Understandings, Perspectives, and Experiences of Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Worthy, Jo; DeJulio, Samuel; Svrcek, Natalie; Villarreal, Doris Ann; Derbyshire, Christine; LeeKeenan, Kira; Wiebe, Molly Trinh; Lammert, Catherine; Rubin, Jessica Cira; Salmerón, Cori

2016-01-01

Dyslexia policy and practice have been rapidly outpacing research. Due to legislation and media attention, schools are under pressure to attend to dyslexia, but research provides few clear answers about characteristics, identification, or instruction. Most dyslexia research takes place outside literacy education, and teachers' perspectives are…

Sound localization and word discrimination in reverberant environment in children with developmental dyslexia.

PubMed

Castro-Camacho, Wendy; Peñaloza-López, Yolanda; Pérez-Ruiz, Santiago J; García-Pedroza, Felipe; Padilla-Ortiz, Ana L; Poblano, Adrián; Villarruel-Rivas, Concepción; Romero-Díaz, Alfredo; Careaga-Olvera, Aidé

2015-04-01

Compare if localization of sounds and words discrimination in reverberant environment is different between children with dyslexia and controls. We studied 30 children with dyslexia and 30 controls. Sound and word localization and discrimination was studied in five angles from left to right auditory fields (-90o, -45o, 0o, +45o, +90o), under reverberant and no-reverberant conditions; correct answers were compared. Spatial location of words in no-reverberant test was deficient in children with dyslexia at 0º and +90o. Spatial location for reverberant test was altered in children with dyslexia at all angles, except –-90o. Word discrimination in no-reverberant test in children with dyslexia had a poor performance at left angles. In reverberant test, children with dyslexia exhibited deficiencies at -45o, -90o, and +45o angles. Children with dyslexia could had problems when have to locate sound, and discriminate words in extreme locations of the horizontal plane in classrooms with reverberation.

Coping successfully with dyslexia: an initial study of an inclusive school-based resilience programme.

PubMed

Firth, Nola; Frydenberg, Erica; Steeg, Charlotte; Bond, Lyndal

2013-05-01

A dyslexia coping programme entitled Success and Dyslexia was implemented in two primary schools within a whole-class coping programme and whole-school dyslexia professional development context. One hundred and two year 6 students, 23 of whom had dyslexia, undertook surveys pretest, post-test and at 1-year follow-up. Effectiveness of the coping programme and maintenance of effects for the students after transition to secondary school were investigated. Inclusion of contrast group data in the follow-up year suggested significant positive changes at first and second follow-ups in locus of control and nonproductive coping may also be associated with increase in age. Most trends were in the expected direction, especially for students with dyslexia. At follow-up, students with dyslexia reported similar perceived control and adaptive coping to students without dyslexia rather than a decrease in these areas as is usually the case. A larger sample and an ongoing control group are needed to confirm these results. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Auditory temporal processing skills in musicians with dyslexia.

PubMed

Bishop-Liebler, Paula; Welch, Graham; Huss, Martina; Thomson, Jennifer M; Goswami, Usha

2014-08-01

The core cognitive difficulty in developmental dyslexia involves phonological processing, but adults and children with dyslexia also have sensory impairments. Impairments in basic auditory processing show particular links with phonological impairments, and recent studies with dyslexic children across languages reveal a relationship between auditory temporal processing and sensitivity to rhythmic timing and speech rhythm. As rhythm is explicit in music, musical training might have a beneficial effect on the auditory perception of acoustic cues to rhythm in dyslexia. Here we took advantage of the presence of musicians with and without dyslexia in musical conservatoires, comparing their auditory temporal processing abilities with those of dyslexic non-musicians matched for cognitive ability. Musicians with dyslexia showed equivalent auditory sensitivity to musicians without dyslexia and also showed equivalent rhythm perception. The data support the view that extensive rhythmic experience initiated during childhood (here in the form of music training) can affect basic auditory processing skills which are found to be deficient in individuals with dyslexia. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Foundation doctors and dyslexia: a qualitative study of their experiences and coping strategies.

PubMed

Newlands, Freda; Shrewsbury, Duncan; Robson, Jean

2015-03-01

Dyslexia is the most common form of specific learning difficulty affecting approximately 6% of the general UK population and believed to affect approximately 2% of UK medical students. The impact of dyslexia on early practice has not been studied. To develop an understanding of the challenges faced by doctors with dyslexia in the first year of practice and their support requirements. Semistructured telephone interviews were conducted with seven foundation year 1 doctors with dyslexia from Scottish hospitals between March 2013 and August 2013. Foundation doctors indicated that due to their dyslexia, they experience difficulty with all forms of communication, time management and anxiety. There were concerns about disclosure of their dyslexia to colleagues and supervisors. Coping strategies used frequently were safety-netting and planning; technology solutions did offer some assistance. Although technological interventions have the potential to offer benefits to foundation doctors with dyslexia, increased openness about a diagnosis of dyslexia with discussion between doctor and supervisors about the challenges and anxieties is likely to provide the most benefit. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

The joint effects of risk status, gender, early literacy and cognitive skills on the presence of dyslexia among a group of high-risk Chinese children.

PubMed

Wong, Simpson W L; McBride-Chang, Catherine; Lam, Catherine; Chan, Becky; Lam, Fanny W F; Doo, Sylvia

2012-02-01

This study sought to examine factors that are predictive of future developmental dyslexia among a group of 5-year-old Chinese children at risk for dyslexia, including 62 children with a sibling who had been previously diagnosed with dyslexia and 52 children who manifested clinical at-risk factors in aspects of language according to testing by paediatricians. The age-5 performances on various literacy and cognitive tasks, gender and group status (familial risk or language delayed) were used to predict developmental dyslexia 2 years later using logistic regression analysis. Results showed that greater risk of dyslexia was related to slower rapid automatized naming, lower scores on morphological awareness, Chinese character recognition and English letter naming, and gender (boys had more risk). Three logistic equations were generated for estimating individual risk of dyslexia. The strongest models were those that included all print-related variables (including speeded number naming, character recognition and letter identification) and gender, with about 70% accuracy or above. Early identification of those Chinese children at risk for dyslexia can facilitate better dyslexia risk management. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Locating Dyslexic Performance: Text, Identity and Creativity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leveroy, Deborah

2013-01-01

Historically, dyslexia research has focused on the literacy aspects of dyslexia on children, and more recent definitions of dyslexia have included the cognitive processing aspects of verbal language, memory and organisation. However, these neuro-cognitive accounts largely conceptualise dyslexia as a neurological dysfunction, with only a small body…

Verbal and Non-verbal Fluency in Adults with Developmental Dyslexia: Phonological Processing or Executive Control Problems?

PubMed

Smith-Spark, James H; Henry, Lucy A; Messer, David J; Zięcik, Adam P

2017-08-01

The executive function of fluency describes the ability to generate items according to specific rules. Production of words beginning with a certain letter (phonemic fluency) is impaired in dyslexia, while generation of words belonging to a certain semantic category (semantic fluency) is typically unimpaired. However, in dyslexia, verbal fluency has generally been studied only in terms of overall words produced. Furthermore, performance of adults with dyslexia on non-verbal design fluency tasks has not been explored but would indicate whether deficits could be explained by executive control, rather than phonological processing, difficulties. Phonemic, semantic and design fluency tasks were presented to adults with dyslexia and without dyslexia, using fine-grained performance measures and controlling for IQ. Hierarchical regressions indicated that dyslexia predicted lower phonemic fluency, but not semantic or design fluency. At the fine-grained level, dyslexia predicted a smaller number of switches between subcategories on phonemic fluency, while dyslexia did not predict the size of phonemically related clusters of items. Overall, the results suggested that phonological processing problems were at the root of dyslexia-related fluency deficits; however, executive control difficulties could not be completely ruled out as an alternative explanation. Developments in research methodology, equating executive demands across fluency tasks, may resolve this issue. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Simulation of dyslexia. How literacy and cognitive skills can help distinguish college students with dyslexia from malingerers

PubMed Central

de Bree, Elise H.; de Jong, Peter F.

2018-01-01

Academic accommodations associated with a diagnosis of dyslexia might be incentives for college students without reading or spelling difficulties to feign dyslexia and obtain the diagnosis unfairly. In the current study we examined malingering practices by comparing the performance of college students instructed to malinger dyslexia (n = 28) to that of students actually diagnosed with dyslexia (n = 16). We also included a control group of students without reading and spelling difficulties (n = 28). The test battery included tasks tapping literacy skills as well as underlying cognitive skills associated with literacy outcomes. These tasks are commonly used in diagnosing dyslexia. We examined patterns in the performance of malingerers across tasks and tested whether malingerers could be identified based on their performance on a limited number of tasks. Results indicated that malingerers scored significantly lower than students with dyslexia on reading and spelling skills; i.e., the core characteristics of dyslexia. Especially reading performance was extremely low and not in line with students’ age and level of education. Findings for underlying cognitive skills were mixed. Overall, malingerers scored lower than students with dyslexia on tasks tapping mainly speed, whereas the two groups did not differ on tasks reflecting mainly accuracy. Based on word and pseudoword reading and letter and digit naming, the three groups could be distinguished with reasonable sensitivity and specificity. In all, results indicate that college students seem to understand on which tasks they should feign dyslexia, but tend to exaggerate difficulties on these tasks to the point where diagnosticians should mistrust performance. PMID:29782515

Foreign language reading and spelling in gifted students with dyslexia in secondary education.

PubMed

van Viersen, Sietske; de Bree, Elise H; Kalee, Lilian; Kroesbergen, Evelyn H; de Jong, Peter F

2017-01-01

A few studies suggest that gifted children with dyslexia have better literacy skills than averagely intelligent children with dyslexia. This finding aligns with the hypothesis that giftedness-related factors provide compensation for poor reading. The present study investigated whether, as in the native language (NL), the level of foreign language (FL) literacy of gifted students with dyslexia is higher than the literacy level of averagely intelligent students with dyslexia and whether this difference can be accounted for by the difference in their NL literacy level. The sample consisted of 148 Dutch native speaking secondary school students divided in four groups: dyslexia, gifted/dyslexia, typically developing (TD), and gifted. All students were assessed on word reading and orthographic knowledge in Dutch and English when they were in 7th or 8th grade. A subsample ( n  = 71) was (re)assessed on Dutch, English, French, and German literacy one year later. Results showed that Dutch gifted students with dyslexia have higher NL literacy levels than averagely intelligent students with dyslexia. As in the NL, a stepwise pattern of group differences was found for English word reading and spelling, i.e., dyslexia < gifted/dyslexia < TD < gifted. However, it was not found for French and German literacy performance. These results point towards compensation: the higher English literacy levels of gifted/dyslexic students compared to their averagely intelligent dyslexic peers result from mechanisms that are unique to English as a FL. Differences in results between FLs are discussed in terms of variation in orthographic transparency and exposure.

Coexisting Problem Behaviour in Severe Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dahle, Anne Elisabeth; Knivsberg, Ann-Mari; Andreassen, Anne Brit

2011-01-01

A small group of children and young adolescent with dyslexia has severely impaired reading skills despite prolonged special education. These are the students in focus. In dyslexia, problem behaviour, internalised as well as externalised, has previously been reported, so also for the participants with dyslexia in this study. The aim of the present…

Naming Speed in Dyslexia and Dyscalculia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Willburger, Edith; Fussenegger, Barbara; Moll, Kristina; Wood, Guilherme; Landerl, Karin

2008-01-01

In four carefully selected samples of 8- to 10-year old children with dyslexia (but age adequate arithmetic skills), dyscalculia (but age adequate reading skills), dyslexia/dyscalculia and controls a domain-general deficit in rapid automatized naming (RAN) was found for both dyslexia groups. Dyscalculic children exhibited a domain-specific deficit…

DYSLEXIA--IS THERE SUCH A THING.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

BOTEL, MORTON

THE THEORY OF DEVELOPMENTAL DYSLEXIA IS CONTRASTED WITH THE THEORY OF DEVELOPMENTAL IMMATURITY TO EXPLAIN EXTREME READING RETARDATION. DYSLEXIA IS DEFINED AS AN ORGANICALLY BASED READING DISABILITY WHICH IS DETERMINED INDIRECTLY SINCE NO ANATOMIC LESION, CHROMOSOME, OR GENE HAS YET BEEN FOUND RESPONSIBLE. DYSLEXIA IS USUALLY DEDUCED FROM (1)…

Developmental Dyslexia as Developmental and Linguistic Variation: Editor's Commentary.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leong, Che Kan

2002-01-01

This commentary reviews forthcoming articles on the scientific study of dyslexia, genetic and neurophysiological aspects of dyslexia, cross-linguistic aspects of literacy development and dyslexia, and theory-based practice. It concludes that educators should continue to strive to promote theory-based research and evidence-based practice to achieve…

Cognitive Linguistic Performances of Multilingual University Students Suspected of Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lindgren, Signe-Anita; Laine, Matti

2011-01-01

High-performing adults with compensated dyslexia pose particular challenges to dyslexia diagnostics. We compared the performance of 20 multilingual Finnish university students with suspected dyslexia with 20 age-matched and education-matched controls on an extensive test battery. The battery tapped various aspects of reading, writing, word…

Learners with Dyslexia: Exploring Their Experiences with Different Online Reading Affordances

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Chwen Jen; Keong, Melissa Wei Yin; Teh, Chee Siong; Chuah, Kee Man

2015-01-01

To date, empirically derived guidelines for designing accessible online learning environments for learners with dyslexia are still scarce. This study aims to explore the learning experience of learners with dyslexia when reading passages using different online reading affordances to derive some guidelines for dyslexia-friendly online text. The…

Learned Helplessness and Dyslexia: A Carts and Horses Issue?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kerr, H.

2001-01-01

Surveys attitudes towards and beliefs about dyslexia among Adult Basic Education (ABE) teachers and providers. Finds doubt, uncertainty and confusion about dyslexia and considerable misgiving. Discusses attribution theory and learned helplessness in the context of ABE. Argues that a diagnosis of dyslexia may be a maladaptive attribution and so…

Dyslexia Limits the Ability to Categorize Talker Dialect

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Long, Gayle Beam; Fox, Robert Allen; Jacewicz, Ewa

2016-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine whether the underlying phonological impairment in dyslexia is associated with a deficit in categorizing regional dialects. Method: Twenty adults with dyslexia, 20 school-age children with dyslexia, and 40 corresponding control listeners with average reading ability listened to sentences produced…

Developing an Ambivalence Perspective on Medical Labelling in Education: Case Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Solvang, Per

2007-01-01

There are several social actors involved in the process of constructing the social meaning of dyslexia--namely, parents, teachers, educational authorities and organisations representing dyslectics. Some of these actors emphasise the constructive social powers related to the dyslexia label, while others perceive dyslexia as diagnostic reasoning…

Omega-3 and dyslexia

PubMed Central

Zelcer, Michal; Goldman, Ran D.

2015-01-01

Abstract Question In light of the increase in the number of school-aged children diagnosed with dyslexia, what is the role of omega-3 supplements in the management of this condition? Answer Dyslexia is the most common learning disability and is known to have multifactorial causes. Recent evidence suggests that there is a connection between defects in highly unsaturated fatty acid metabolism and neurodevelopmental disorders such as dyslexia. While the benefit of omega-3 supplementation for children with dyslexia has been studied, evidence remains limited. Unified diagnostic criteria for dyslexia, objective measures of fatty acid deficiency, and close monitoring of dietary intake are some of the factors that would improve the quality of research in the field. PMID:26371100

Socially Desirable Responding and College Students with Dyslexia: Implications for the Assessment of Anxiety and Depression.

PubMed

Nelson, Jason M; Liebel, Spencer W

2018-02-01

We investigated self-reported depressive and anxiety-related symptoms among college students with dyslexia, with emphasis on the role of socially desirable responding (SDR) in understanding these reports. Analyses included examination of differences in self-reported depressive symptoms, anxiety-related symptoms, and SDR. We also examined the relationships among SDR, depressive symptoms, anxiety-related symptoms, and reading skills. Participants with dyslexia demonstrated significantly higher SDR than did participants without dyslexia, and higher SDR was significantly associated with lower self-reported depressive and anxiety-related symptoms. Moreover, higher SDR was significantly associated with lower reading skills. There was no group difference on anxiety-related symptoms, but participants with dyslexia had higher depressive symptoms than did participants without dyslexia when SDR was controlled. Implications for the assessment of anxiety and depression among college students with dyslexia are discussed. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Psychological Well-being Trajectories of Individuals with Dyslexia Aged 3-11 Years.

PubMed

Jordan, Julie-Ann; Dyer, Kevin

2017-05-01

Dyslexia has been associated with a range of psychological well-being issues in childhood. However, it is unclear if these difficulties stem from coping with academic struggles at school, or from other pre-existing diagnoses that sometimes co-occur with dyslexia. Using UK Millennium Cohort Study data (n = 7224) from 2003 to 2011, the present study compared psychological well-being development from ages 3-11 years for children with (1) dyslexia only; (2) special educational needs excluding dyslexia; (3) comorbid dyslexia and other special educational needs; and (4) no special educational needs. Growth curve modelling results controlling for race, gender, age and family income suggested that with the exception of conduct difficulties, psychological well-being issues related to dyslexia do not occur preschool; rather, they commence upon starting school. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A survey-based exploration of the impact of dyslexia on career progression of UK registered nurses.

PubMed

Morris, David; Turnbull, Patricia

2007-01-01

To explore the effects of dyslexia on the practice and career progression of UK registered nurses (RN). Literature suggests dyslexia can have a negative impact in the workplace and may pose particular difficulties for nurses, where accuracy in information processing activities is essential for practice. A questionnaire was used to survey RNs with dyslexia (n = 116) and results analysed using content analysis. Dyslexia provided a challenge to the everyday work of RNs, which was often met successfully using a range of individualized strategies. Career progression was achievable but compared with peers, was perceived to take longer. Disclosure of dyslexia to work-colleagues was selective and dependent on the perceived benefits. Informal support mechanisms were commonly utilized with formal management support less well defined. Dyslexia appears to have a negative impact on working practices and career progression, but remains a poorly understood and often hidden disability.

Aggression and Risk of Future Violence in Forensic Psychiatric Patients with and without Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Selenius, Heidi; Hellstrom, Ake; Belfrage, Henrik

2011-01-01

Dyslexia does not cause criminal behaviour, but it may worsen aggressive behaviour tendencies. In this study, aggressive behaviour and risk of future violence were compared between forensic psychiatric patients with and without dyslexia. Dyslexia was assessed using the Swedish phonological processing battery "The Pigeon". The patients…

"Just Deal with It": Neoliberalism in Dyslexic Students' Talk about Dyslexia and Learning at University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cameron, Harriet; Billington, Tom

2017-01-01

There are different ways of theorising dyslexia and different ways of constructing meanings around dyslexia in different learning contexts. This paper considers the role of neoliberalist ideology in shaping conversations about dyslexia and "fairness" during two focus group conversations analysed as part of a study into the discursive…

Reading Difficulties in Spanish Adults with Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Suárez-Coalla, Paz; Cuetos, Fernando

2015-01-01

Recent studies show that dyslexia persists into adulthood, even in highly educated and well-read people. The main characteristic that adults with dyslexia present is a low speed when reading. In Spanish, a shallow orthographic system, no studies about adults with dyslexia are available; and it is possible that the consistency of the orthographic…

Factors Associated with Successful Learning in Pupils with Dyslexia: A Motivational Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burden, Robert; Burdett, Julia

2005-01-01

In 2002, Neil Humphrey and Patricia Mullins published their research into personal constructs and attribution for academic success and failure in dyslexia in BJSE's "Research Section". Their work suggested that pupils with dyslexia, in a range of settings, experience real challenges to their self-esteem and that dyslexia leads to "negative…

Identification of Students with Dyslexia in California Public Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Futterman, Kathy R.

2017-01-01

One of the key problems facing public education today is the need for early and accurate identification of students with dyslexia. Students with dyslexia in public schools have historically been largely ignored or under-identified. California public school educators and administrators need to understand what dyslexia is and how to accurately…

Understanding Dyslexia. Learning Times. Volume 8, Number 2, Spring 2010

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

LDA Minnesota, 2010

2010-01-01

This issue of "Learning Times" includes a feature on understanding dyslexia. Dyslexia is a brain-based, often inherited, disorder that impairs a person's ability to read. It is not the result of low intelligence, lack of motivation, sensory impairment, or inadequate instruction. Early diagnosis of dyslexia is critical, and a child can be…

Developmental Dyslexia: Predicting Individual Risk

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thompson, Paul A.; Hulme, Charles; Nash, Hannah M.; Gooch, Debbie; Hayiou-Thomas, Emma; Snowling, Margaret J.

2015-01-01

Background: Causal theories of dyslexia suggest that it is a heritable disorder, which is the outcome of multiple risk factors. However, whether early screening for dyslexia is viable is not yet known. Methods: The study followed children at high risk of dyslexia from preschool through the early primary years assessing them from age 3 years and 6…

P300 Event-Related Potentials in Children with Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Papagiannopoulou, Eleni A.; Lagopoulos, Jim

2017-01-01

To elucidate the timing and the nature of neural disturbances in dyslexia and to further understand the topographical distribution of these, we examined entire brain regions employing the non-invasive auditory oddball P300 paradigm in children with dyslexia and neurotypical controls. Our findings revealed abnormalities for the dyslexia group in…

Connectionist neuropsychology: uncovering ultimate causes of acquired dyslexia.

PubMed

Woollams, Anna M

2014-01-01

Acquired dyslexia offers a unique window on to the nature of the cognitive and neural architecture supporting skilled reading. This paper provides an integrative overview of recent empirical and computational work on acquired dyslexia within the context of the primary systems framework as implemented in connectionist neuropsychological models. This view proposes that damage to general visual, phonological or semantic processing abilities are the root causes of different forms of acquired dyslexia. Recent case-series behavioural evidence concerning pure alexia, phonological dyslexia and surface dyslexia that supports this perspective is presented. Lesion simulations of these findings within connectionist models of reading demonstrate the viability of this approach. The commitment of such models to learnt representations allows them to capture key aspects of performance in each type of acquired dyslexia, particularly the associated non-reading deficits, the role of relearning and the influence of individual differences in the premorbid state of the reading system. Identification of these factors not only advances our understanding of acquired dyslexia and the mechanisms of normal reading but they are also relevant to the complex interactions underpinning developmental reading disorders.

Exploring the learning experiences of nursing students with dyslexia.

PubMed

Child, J; Langford, E

To examine the learning experiences of nursing students with dyslexia during clinical placements to establish ways of improving support in practice, A phenomenological lifeworld approach was adopted using semi-structured interviews. Students reflected on their experiences during clinical placements, allowing the researcher to gain an in-depth knowledge of the students' lived experience of dyslexia. Twelve student nurses, six with dyslexia and six without, were interviewed using a standard set of questions, and the data were collated and analysed. Using a comparison group of students without dyslexia was felt to be important to contextualise and compare the students' experiences. Three main themes emerged: the value of work-based learning days, the importance of the clinical placement mentor role and the need for advocacy. Both groups of nursing students contributed to recommendations relating to support in practice and those with dyslexia also shared their individual coping strategies, Nursing students with dyslexia may benefit from sharing placement experiences with colleagues outside the clinical environment. They may also benefit from receiving support from their placement mentor and a representative from the university who knows about dyslexia.

Connectionist neuropsychology: uncovering ultimate causes of acquired dyslexia

PubMed Central

Woollams, Anna M.

2014-01-01

Acquired dyslexia offers a unique window on to the nature of the cognitive and neural architecture supporting skilled reading. This paper provides an integrative overview of recent empirical and computational work on acquired dyslexia within the context of the primary systems framework as implemented in connectionist neuropsychological models. This view proposes that damage to general visual, phonological or semantic processing abilities are the root causes of different forms of acquired dyslexia. Recent case-series behavioural evidence concerning pure alexia, phonological dyslexia and surface dyslexia that supports this perspective is presented. Lesion simulations of these findings within connectionist models of reading demonstrate the viability of this approach. The commitment of such models to learnt representations allows them to capture key aspects of performance in each type of acquired dyslexia, particularly the associated non-reading deficits, the role of relearning and the influence of individual differences in the premorbid state of the reading system. Identification of these factors not only advances our understanding of acquired dyslexia and the mechanisms of normal reading but they are also relevant to the complex interactions underpinning developmental reading disorders. PMID:24324241

Inhibition and Updating, but Not Switching, Predict Developmental Dyslexia and Individual Variation in Reading Ability

PubMed Central

Doyle, Caoilainn; Smeaton, Alan F.; Roche, Richard A. P.; Boran, Lorraine

2018-01-01

To elucidate the core executive function profile (strengths and weaknesses in inhibition, updating, and switching) associated with dyslexia, this study explored executive function in 27 children with dyslexia and 29 age matched controls using sensitive z-mean measures of each ability and controlled for individual differences in processing speed. This study found that developmental dyslexia is associated with inhibition and updating, but not switching impairments, at the error z-mean composite level, whilst controlling for processing speed. Inhibition and updating (but not switching) error composites predicted both dyslexia likelihood and reading ability across the full range of variation from typical to atypical. The predictive relationships were such that those with poorer performance on inhibition and updating measures were significantly more likely to have a diagnosis of developmental dyslexia and also demonstrate poorer reading ability. These findings suggest that inhibition and updating abilities are associated with developmental dyslexia and predict reading ability. Future studies should explore executive function training as an intervention for children with dyslexia as core executive functions appear to be modifiable with training and may transfer to improved reading ability. PMID:29892245

Socioemotional Features and Resilience in Italian University Students with and without Dyslexia

PubMed Central

Ghisi, Marta; Bottesi, Gioia; Re, Anna M.; Cerea, Silvia; Mammarella, Irene C.

2016-01-01

Dyslexia is a permanent condition characterized by reading difficulties that include inaccurate or slow and effortful word reading, poor decoding, and poor spelling abilities. People with dyslexia may have psychological and psychopathological issues such as low self-esteem, poor resilience, and symptoms of depression and anxiety. They may also develop social problems and emotional issues, as well as low academic and social self-efficacy. The present study aimed to assess the psychological features of a sample of 28 Italian university students with dyslexia, comparing them with a control group of typically developing students matched for gender, education, and academic discipline, to enhance our knowledge of dyslexia outcomes in an Italian setting. The results show that university students with dyslexia experience higher levels of somatic complaints, social and attentional problems, lower self-esteem, and higher depression scores than controls, while no difference emerged between the two groups’ resilience scores. In conclusion, the present findings suggest that university students with dyslexia report more psychological issues than students without dyslexia and could benefit from intervention to improve their psychological and physical well-being. PMID:27065220

Dyslexia Limits the Ability to Categorize Talker Dialect

PubMed Central

Long, Gayle Beam; Jacewicz, Ewa

2016-01-01

Purpose The purpose of this study was to determine whether the underlying phonological impairment in dyslexia is associated with a deficit in categorizing regional dialects. Method Twenty adults with dyslexia, 20 school-age children with dyslexia, and 40 corresponding control listeners with average reading ability listened to sentences produced by multiple talkers (both sexes) representing two dialects: Midland dialect in Ohio (same as listeners' dialect) and Southern dialect in Western North Carolina. Participants' responses were analyzed using signal detection theory. Results Listeners with dyslexia were less sensitive to talker dialect than listeners with average reading ability. Children were less sensitive to dialect than adults. Under stimulus uncertainty, listeners with average reading ability were biased toward Ohio dialect, whereas listeners with dyslexia were unbiased in their responses. Talker sex interacted with sensitivity and bias differently for listeners with dyslexia than for listeners with average reading ability. The correlations between dialect sensitivity and phonological memory scores were strongest for adults with dyslexia. Conclusions The results imply that the phonological deficit in dyslexia arises from impaired access to intact phonological representations rather than from poorly specified representations. It can be presumed that the impeded access to implicit long-term memory representations for indexical (dialect) information is due to less efficient operations in working memory, including deficiencies in utilizing talker normalization processes. PMID:27575597

Early dynamics of white matter deficits in children developing dyslexia.

PubMed

Vanderauwera, Jolijn; Wouters, Jan; Vandermosten, Maaike; Ghesquière, Pol

2017-10-01

Neural anomalies have been demonstrated in dyslexia. Recent studies in pre-readers at risk for dyslexia and in pre-readers developing poor reading suggest that these anomalies might be a cause of their reading impairment. Our study goes one step further by exploring the neurodevelopmental trajectory of white matter anomalies in pre-readers with and without a familial risk for dyslexia (n=61) of whom a strictly selected sample develops dyslexia later on (n=15). We collected longitudinal diffusion MRI and behavioural data until grade 3. The results provide evidence that children with dyslexia exhibit pre-reading white matter anomalies in left and right long segment of the arcuate fasciculus (AF), with predictive power of the left segment above traditional cognitive measures and familial risk. Whereas white matter differences in the left AF seem most strongly related to the development of dyslexia, differences in the left IFOF and in the right AF seem driven by both familial risk and later reading ability. Moreover, differences in the left AF appeared to be dynamic. This study supports and expands recent insights into the neural basis of dyslexia, pointing towards pre-reading anomalies related to dyslexia, as well as underpinning the dynamic character of white matter. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Screening for Dyslexia in French-Speaking University Students: An Evaluation of the Detection Accuracy of the Alouette Test.

PubMed

Cavalli, Eddy; Colé, Pascale; Leloup, Gilles; Poracchia-George, Florence; Sprenger-Charolles, Liliane; El Ahmadi, Abdessadek

Developmental dyslexia is a lifelong impairment affecting 5% to 10% of the population. In French-speaking countries, although a number of standardized tests for dyslexia in children are available, tools suitable to screen for dyslexia in adults are lacking. In this study, we administered the Alouette reading test to a normative sample of 164 French university students without dyslexia and a validation sample of 83 students with dyslexia. The Alouette reading test is designed to screen for dyslexia in children, since it taps skills that are typically deficient in dyslexia (i.e., phonological skills). However, the test's psychometric properties have not previously been available, and it is not standardized for adults. The results showed that, on the Alouette test, dyslexic readers were impaired on measures of accuracy, speed, and efficiency (accuracy/reading time). We also found significant correlations between the Alouette reading efficiency and phonological efficiency scores. Finally, in terms of the Alouette test, speed-accuracy trade-offs were found in both groups, and optimal cutoff scores were determined with receiver operator characteristic curves analysis, yielding excellent discriminatory power, with 83.1% sensitivity and 100% specificity for reading efficiency. Thus, this study supports the Alouette test as a sensitive and specific screening tool for adults with dyslexia.

Evidence for the Late MMN as a Neurophysiological Endophenotype for Dyslexia

PubMed Central

Neuhoff, Nina; Bruder, Jennifer; Bartling, Jürgen; Warnke, Andreas; Remschmidt, Helmut; Müller-Myhsok, Bertram; Schulte-Körne, Gerd

2012-01-01

Dyslexia affects 5–10% of school-aged children and is therefore one of the most common learning disorders. Research on auditory event related potentials (AERP), particularly the mismatch negativity (MMN) component, has revealed anomalies in individuals with dyslexia to speech stimuli. Furthermore, candidate genes for this disorder were found through molecular genetic studies. A current challenge for dyslexia research is to understand the interaction between molecular genetics and brain function, and to promote the identification of relevant endophenotypes for dyslexia. The present study examines MMN, a neurophysiological correlate of speech perception, and its potential as an endophenotype for dyslexia in three groups of children. The first group of children was clinically diagnosed with dyslexia, whereas the second group of children was comprised of their siblings who had average reading and spelling skills and were therefore “unaffected” despite having a genetic risk for dyslexia. The third group consisted of control children who were not related to the other groups and were also unaffected. In total, 225 children were included in the study. All children showed clear MMN activity to/da/−/ba/contrasts that could be separated into three distinct MMN components. Whilst the first two MMN components did not differentiate the groups, the late MMN component (300–700 ms) revealed significant group differences. The mean area of the late MMN was attenuated in both the dyslexic children and their unaffected siblings in comparison to the control children. This finding is indicative of analogous alterations of neurophysiological processes in children with dyslexia and those with a genetic risk for dyslexia, without a manifestation of the disorder. The present results therefore further suggest that the late MMN might be a potential endophenotype for dyslexia. PMID:22606227

Dyslexia as Disability or Handicap: When Does Vocabulary Matter?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Elbro, Carsten

2010-01-01

General cognitive ability is still a factor in current definitions of dyslexia despite two decades of research showing little or no relevance to the nature of dyslexia. This article suggests one reason why this may be so. The suggestion is based on a distinction between dyslexia as a disability (poor ability)--as it is viewed and explained by…

Response Inhibition and Its Relationship to Phonological Processing in Children with and without Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schmid, Johanna M.; Labuhn, Andju S.; Hasselhorn, Marcus

2011-01-01

This study investigates response inhibition and its relationship to phonological processing in third-graders with and without dyslexia. Children with dyslexia (n = 20) and children without dyslexia (n = 16) were administered a stop signal task and a digit span forwards task. Initial analyses revealed phonological processing deficits in terms of a…

The Influence of Spelling Ability on Vocabulary Choices When Writing for Children with Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sumner, Emma; Connelly, Vincent; Barnett, Anna L.

2016-01-01

Spelling is a prerequisite to expressing vocabulary in writing. Research has shown that children with dyslexia are hesitant spellers when composing. This study aimed to determine whether the hesitant spelling of children with dyslexia, evidenced by frequent pausing, affects vocabulary choices when writing. A total of 31 children with dyslexia,…

The Role of Categorical Speech Perception and Phonological Processing in Familial Risk Children with and without Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hakvoort, Britt; de Bree, Elise; van der Leij, Aryan; Maassen, Ben; van Setten, Ellie; Maurits, Natasha; van Zuijen, Titia L.

2016-01-01

Purpose: This study assessed whether a categorical speech perception (CP) deficit is associated with dyslexia or familial risk for dyslexia, by exploring a possible cascading relation from speech perception to phonology to reading and by identifying whether speech perception distinguishes familial risk (FR) children with dyslexia (FRD) from those…

Adult Dyslexia and Attention Deficit Disorder in Finland--Project DyAdd: WAIS-III Cognitive Profiles

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Laasonen, Marja; Leppamaki, Sami; Tani, Pekka; Hokkanen, Laura

2009-01-01

The project Adult Dyslexia and Attention Deficit Disorder in Finland (Project DyAdd) compares adults (n = 119, 18-55 years) with dyslexia, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyslexia together with ADHD (comorbid), and healthy controls with neuropsychological, psychophysical, and biological methods. The focus of this article is on the…

Revisiting the "enigma" of musicians with dyslexia: Auditory sequencing and speech abilities.

PubMed

Zuk, Jennifer; Bishop-Liebler, Paula; Ozernov-Palchik, Ola; Moore, Emma; Overy, Katie; Welch, Graham; Gaab, Nadine

2017-04-01

Previous research has suggested a link between musical training and auditory processing skills. Musicians have shown enhanced perception of auditory features critical to both music and speech, suggesting that this link extends beyond basic auditory processing. It remains unclear to what extent musicians who also have dyslexia show these specialized abilities, considering often-observed persistent deficits that coincide with reading impairments. The present study evaluated auditory sequencing and speech discrimination in 52 adults comprised of musicians with dyslexia, nonmusicians with dyslexia, and typical musicians. An auditory sequencing task measuring perceptual acuity for tone sequences of increasing length was administered. Furthermore, subjects were asked to discriminate synthesized syllable continua varying in acoustic components of speech necessary for intraphonemic discrimination, which included spectral (formant frequency) and temporal (voice onset time [VOT] and amplitude envelope) features. Results indicate that musicians with dyslexia did not significantly differ from typical musicians and performed better than nonmusicians with dyslexia for auditory sequencing as well as discrimination of spectral and VOT cues within syllable continua. However, typical musicians demonstrated superior performance relative to both groups with dyslexia for discrimination of syllables varying in amplitude information. These findings suggest a distinct profile of speech processing abilities in musicians with dyslexia, with specific weaknesses in discerning amplitude cues within speech. Because these difficulties seem to remain persistent in adults with dyslexia despite musical training, this study only partly supports the potential for musical training to enhance the auditory processing skills known to be crucial for literacy in individuals with dyslexia. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Adults with developmental dyslexia show selective impairments in time-based and self-initiated prospective memory: Self-report and clinical evidence.

PubMed

Smith-Spark, James H; Zięcik, Adam P; Sterling, Christopher

2017-03-01

Prospective memory (PM; memory for delayed intentions) would seem to be impaired in dyslexia but evidence is currently limited in scope. There is a need, therefore, firstly, to explore PM under controlled conditions using a broader range of PM tasks than used previously and, secondly, to determine whether objectively measured and self-reported PM problems can be found in the same individuals with dyslexia. The responses of 30 adults with dyslexia were compared with those of 30 IQ-matched adults without dyslexia on a self-report and a clinical measure of PM. Dyslexia-related deficits were shown on the clinical measure overall and, more particularly, when PM responses had to be made to cues based on time rather than environmental events. Adults with dyslexia were also more likely to forget to carry out an intention under naturalistic conditions 24h later. On the self-report questionnaire, the group with dyslexia reported significantly more frequent problems with PM overall, despite using more techniques to aid their memory. In particular, problems were identified with longer-term PM tasks and PM which had to be self-initiated. Dyslexia-related PM deficits were found under both laboratory and everyday conditions in the same participants; the first time that this has been demonstrated. These findings support previous experimental research which has highlighted dyslexia-related deficits in PM when the enacting of intentions is based on time cues and/or has to be self-initiated rather than being in prompted by environmental events. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

False memory for orthographically versus semantically similar words in adolescents with dyslexia: a fuzzy-trace theory perspective.

PubMed

Obidziński, Michał; Nieznański, Marek

2017-10-01

The presented research was conducted in order to investigate the connections between developmental dyslexia and the functioning of verbatim and gist memory traces-assumed in the fuzzy-trace theory. The participants were 71 high school students (33 with dyslexia and 38 without learning difficulties). The modified procedure and multinomial model of Stahl and Klauer (simplified conjoint recognition model) was used to collect and analyze data. Results showed statistically significant differences in four of the model parameters: (a) the probability of verbatim trace recollection upon presentation of orthographically similar stimulus was higher in the control than dyslexia group, (b) the probability of verbatim trace recollection upon presentation of semantically similar stimulus was higher in the control than dyslexia group, (c) the probability of gist trace retrieval upon presentation of semantically similar stimulus was higher in the dyslexia than control group, and (d) the probability of gist trace retrieval upon target stimulus presentation (in the semantic condition) was higher in the control than dyslexia group. The obtained results suggest differences of memory functioning in terms of verbatim and gist trace retrieval between people with and without dyslexia on specific, elementary cognitive processes postulated by the fuzzy-trace theory. These can indicate new approaches in the education of persons with developmental dyslexia, focused on specific impairments and the strengths of their memory functioning.

Prosodic Similarity Effects in Short-Term Memory in Developmental Dyslexia.

PubMed

Goswami, Usha; Barnes, Lisa; Mead, Natasha; Power, Alan James; Leong, Victoria

2016-11-01

Children with developmental dyslexia are characterized by phonological difficulties across languages. Classically, this 'phonological deficit' in dyslexia has been investigated with tasks using single-syllable words. Recently, however, several studies have demonstrated difficulties in prosodic awareness in dyslexia. Potential prosodic effects in short-term memory have not yet been investigated. Here we create a new instrument based on three-syllable words that vary in stress patterns, to investigate whether prosodic similarity (the same prosodic pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables) exerts systematic effects on short-term memory. We study participants with dyslexia and age-matched and younger reading-level-matched typically developing controls. We find that all participants, including dyslexic participants, show prosodic similarity effects in short-term memory. All participants exhibited better retention of words that differed in prosodic structure, although participants with dyslexia recalled fewer words accurately overall compared to age-matched controls. Individual differences in prosodic memory were predicted by earlier vocabulary abilities, by earlier sensitivity to syllable stress and by earlier phonological awareness. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of prosodic similarity effects in short-term memory. The implications of a prosodic similarity effect for theories of lexical representation and of dyslexia are discussed. © 2016 The Authors. Dyslexia published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. © 2016 The Authors. Dyslexia published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Children with Dyslexia Are Slow Writers Because They Pause More Often and Not Because They Are Slow at Handwriting Execution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sumner, Emma; Connelly, Vincent; Barnett, Anna L.

2013-01-01

It is commonly assumed that children with dyslexia are slower at handwriting than other children. However, evidence of slow handwriting in children with dyslexia is very mixed. Thirty-one children with dyslexia, aged 9 years, were compared to both age-matched children and younger spelling-ability matched children. Participants completed an…

Investigating Speech Perception in Children with Dyslexia: Is There Evidence of a Consistent Deficit in Individuals?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Messaoud-Galusi, Souhila; Hazan, Valerie; Rosen, Stuart

2011-01-01

Purpose: The claim that speech perception abilities are impaired in dyslexia was investigated in a group of 62 children with dyslexia and 51 average readers matched in age. Method: To test whether there was robust evidence of speech perception deficits in children with dyslexia, speech perception in noise and quiet was measured using 8 different…

"I Don't Know What It Is to Be Able to Read": How Students with Dyslexia Experience Their Reading Impairment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wennas Brante, Eva

2013-01-01

Better understanding of the diverse reading abilities of people with dyslexia is necessary for the design of more effective learning situations, which are vital both to students with dyslexia and to their teachers. Seven individuals with dyslexia currently or formerly in higher education were interviewed about their reading experiences to learn…

Auditory Temporal Structure Processing in Dyslexia: Processing of Prosodic Phrase Boundaries Is Not Impaired in Children with Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Geiser, Eveline; Kjelgaard, Margaret; Christodoulou, Joanna A.; Cyr, Abigail; Gabrieli, John D. E.

2014-01-01

Reading disability in children with dyslexia has been proposed to reflect impairment in auditory timing perception. We investigated one aspect of timing perception--"temporal grouping"--as present in prosodic phrase boundaries of natural speech, in age-matched groups of children, ages 6-8 years, with and without dyslexia. Prosodic phrase…

Screening for Dyslexia in French-Speaking University Students: An Evaluation of the Detection Accuracy of the "Alouette" Test

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cavalli, Eddy; Colé, Pascale; Leloup, Gilles; Poracchia-George, Florence; Sprenger-Charolles, Liliane; El Ahmadi, Abdessadek

2018-01-01

Developmental dyslexia is a lifelong impairment affecting 5% to 10% of the population. In French-speaking countries, although a number of standardized tests for dyslexia in children are available, tools suitable to screen for dyslexia in adults are lacking. In this study, we administered the "Alouette" reading test to a normative sample…

Evaluating the Impact of Dyslexia Laws on the Identification of Specific Learning Disability and Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Phillips, B. Anne Barber; Odegard, Timothy N.

2017-01-01

Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that impacts word reading accuracy and/or reading fluency. Over half of the states in the USA have passed legislation intended to promote better identification of individuals with dyslexia. To date, no study has been conducted to investigate the potential impact of state laws on the identification of…

Dyslexia and Voxel-Based Morphometry: Correlations between Five Behavioural Measures of Dyslexia and Gray and White Matter Volumes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tamboer, Peter; Scholte, H. Steven; Vorst, Harrie C. M.

2015-01-01

In voxel-based morphometry studies of dyslexia, the relation between causal theories of dyslexia and gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM) volume alterations is still under debate. Some alterations are consistently reported, but others failed to reach significance. We investigated GM alterations in a large sample of Dutch students (37 dyslexics…

The Dyslexia Handbook: Procedures Concerning Dyslexia and Related Disorders = Manual sobre la dislexia: Procedimientos relacionados con la dislexia y otros desordenes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Texas Education Agency, Austin.

This handbook, available in English and Spanish, contains the Texas State Board of Education's approved procedures concerning dyslexia and related disorders and information regarding the state's dyslexia statutes and their relation to the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 504, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Chapters…

Analysing Conflicting Approaches to Dyslexia on a European Project: Moving to a More Strategic, Participatory, Strength-Based and Integrated Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davis, J. M.; Deponio, P.

2014-01-01

This paper draws from our experiences of an EU Life Long Learning Programme Project: GATE Understanding Dyslexia Phenomena Between Pre-Primary And Primary (2009-2011) to discuss different conceptual positions concerning dyslexia. It compares medical notions of dyslexia with perspectives from childhood and disability studies to question the ways in…

Postural Control in Children with Dyslexia: Effects of Emotional Stimuli in a Dual-Task Environment.

PubMed

Goulème, Nathalie; Gerard, Christophe-Loïc; Bucci, Maria Pia

2017-08-01

The aim of this study was to compare the visual exploration strategies used during a postural control task across participants with and without dyslexia. We simultaneously recorded eye movements and postural control while children were viewing different types of emotional faces. Twenty-two children with dyslexia and twenty-two aged-matched children without dyslexia participated in the study. We analysed the surface area, the length and the mean velocity of the centre of pressure for balance in parallel with visual saccadic latency, the number of saccades and the time spent in regions of interest. Our results showed that postural stability in children with dyslexia was weaker and the surface area of their centre of pressure increased significantly when they viewed an unpleasant face. Moreover, children with dyslexia had different strategies to those used by children without dyslexia during visual exploration, and in particular when they viewed unpleasant emotional faces. We suggest that lower performance in emotional face processing in children with dyslexia could be due to a difference in their visual strategies, linked to their identification of unpleasant emotional faces. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The incidence of dyslexia among young offenders in Kuwait.

PubMed

Elbeheri, Gad; Everatt, John; Al Malki, Mohammad

2009-05-01

This paper investigates the incidence of dyslexia among young offenders in Kuwait. A total of 91 children/young adults from 8 juvenile delinquent welfare centres across Kuwait were interviewed and tested. A measure of non-verbal reasoning ability was used to exclude those with low general ability. The remaining 53 participants were tested on their ability to identify alliteration and rhyme, retain and manipulate sequences of digit and letter names, decode novel letter strings and identify words within letter chains. Participants' reading accuracy, rate of reading, reading comprehension and ability to spell correctly dictated text were also assessed. These measures were used to determine those with indicators of dyslexia. The results indicated that the percentage of individuals presenting evidence of dyslexia was much larger (greater than 20%) in this population of young offenders than would be expected based on the national average (around 6%) of dyslexics in Kuwait derived from a nationwide study (A survey study of dyslexia in Kuwait, Kuwait Dyslexia Association: Kuwait City; 2002). These findings replicate previous evidence for an increased frequency of dyslexia among young offenders. The implications of such findings are discussed in terms of dyslexia awareness, socio-cultural factors, education and intervention, particularly in Kuwait juvenile delinquent welfare centres.

Adults with dyslexia demonstrate space-based and object-based covert attention deficits: shifting attention to the periphery and shifting attention between objects in the left visual field.

PubMed

Buchholz, Judy; Aimola Davies, Anne

2005-02-01

Performance on a covert visual attention task is compared between a group of adults with developmental dyslexia (specifically phonological difficulties) and a group of age and IQ matched controls. The group with dyslexia were generally slower to detect validly-cued targets. Costs of shifting attention toward the periphery when the target was invalidly cued were significantly higher for the group with dyslexia, while costs associated with shifts toward the fovea tended to be lower. Higher costs were also shown by the group with dyslexia for up-down shifts of attention in the periphery. A visual field processing difference was found, in that the group with dyslexia showed higher costs associated with shifting attention between objects in they LVF. These findings indicate that these adults with dyslexia have difficulty in both the space-based and the object-based components of covert visual attention, and more specifically to stimuli located in the periphery.

A taxometric investigation of developmental dyslexia subtypes.

PubMed

O'Brien, Beth A; Wolf, Maryanne; Lovett, Maureen W

2012-02-01

Long-standing issues with the conceptualization, identification and subtyping of developmental dyslexia persist. This study takes an alternative approach to examine the heterogeneity of developmental dyslexia using taxometric classification techniques. These methods were used with a large sample of 671 children ages 6-8 who were diagnosed with severe reading disorders. Latent characteristics of the sample are assessed in regard to posited subtypes with phonological deficits and naming speed deficits, thus extending prior work by addressing whether these deficits embody separate classes of individuals. Findings support separate taxa of dyslexia with and without phonological deficits. Different latent structure for naming speed deficits was found depending on the definitional criterion used to define dyslexia. Non-phonologically based forms of dyslexia showed particular difficulty with naming speed and reading fluency. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

What do preservice teachers from the USA and the UK know about dyslexia?

PubMed

Washburn, Erin K; Binks-Cantrell, Emily S; Joshi, R Malatesha

2014-02-01

The purpose of the study was to examine the knowledge base of preservice teachers from the USA and the UK of dyslexia as a language-based learning disability. A survey (both US and UK versions) was constructed using current research-based understandings of dyslexia as a language-based learning disability. One hundred and one preservice teachers from the USA and 70 preservice teachers from the UK were administered the survey. Results indicated that participants in the two groups demonstrated some similar accurate knowledge about dyslexia as well as displaying some common misunderstandings about dyslexia. Recommendations concerning preservice teacher preparation and professional development for in-service teachers about dyslexia as well as future research directions are discussed. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Dyslexia in general practice education: considerations for recognition and support.

PubMed

Shrewsbury, Duncan

2016-07-01

Dyslexia is a common developmental learning difficulty, which persists throughout life. It is highly likely that those working in primary care will know, or even work with someone who has dyslexia. Dyslexia can impact on performance in postgraduate training and exams. The stereotypical characteristics of dyslexia, such as literacy difficulties, are often not obvious in adult learners. Instead, recognition requires a holistic approach to evaluating personal strengths and difficulties, in the context of a supportive relationship. Strategies to support dyslexic learners should consider recommendations made in formal diagnostic reports, and aim to address self-awareness and coping skills.

Neurobiology of Dyslexia

PubMed Central

Norton, Elizabeth S.; Beach, Sara D.; Gabrieli, John D. E.

2014-01-01

Dyslexia is one of the most common learning disabilities, yet its brain basis and core causes are not yet fully understood. Neuroimaging methods, including structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging, diffusion tensor imaging, and electrophysiology, have significantly contributed to knowledge about the neurobiology of dyslexia. Recent studies have discovered brain differences prior to formal instruction that likely encourage or discourage learning to read effectively, distinguished between brain differences that likely reflect the etiology of dyslexia versus brain differences that are the consequences of variation in reading experience, and identified distinct neural networks associated with specific psychological factors that are associated with dyslexia. PMID:25290881

Word Recognition and Cognitive Profiles of Chinese Pre-School Children at Risk for Dyslexia through Language Delay or Familial History of Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McBride-Chang, Catherine; Lam, Fanny; Lam, Catherine; Doo, Sylvia; Wong, Simpson W. L.; Chow, Yvonne Y. Y.

2008-01-01

Background: This study sought to identify cognitive abilities that might distinguish Hong Kong Chinese kindergarten children at risk for dyslexia through either language delay or familial history of dyslexia from children who were not at risk and to examine how these abilities were associated with Chinese word recognition. The cognitive skills of…

The Development of Children at Familial Risk for Dyslexia: Birth to Early School Age

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lyytinen, Heikki; Aro, Mikko; Eklund, Kenneth; Erskine, Jane; Guttorm, Tomi; Laakso, Marja-Leena; Leppanen, Paavo H. T.; Lyytinen, Paula; Poikkeus, Anna-Maija; Richardson, Ulla; Torppa, Minna

2004-01-01

Children at risk for familial dyslexia (n = 107) and their controls (n = 93) have been followed from birth to school entry in the Jyvaskyla Longitudinal study of Dyslexia (JLD) on developmental factors linked to reading and dyslexia. At the point of school entry, the majority of the at-risk children displayed decoding ability that fell at least 1…

Music and Dyslexia: The Therapeutic Use of Instrument (Piano) Training with a Child with Dyslexia (A Case Study)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eren, Bilgehan

2017-01-01

Dyslexia is defined as a difficulty in learning at an expected level according to age, intelligence and education that is given, even though the intelligence level of the individual is normal or above normal. Individuals with dyslexia have difficulties in many developmental areas that can be considered in the scope of music therapy. Interventions…

Perceptual organization of speech signals by children with and without dyslexia

PubMed Central

Nittrouer, Susan; Lowenstein, Joanna H.

2013-01-01

Developmental dyslexia is a condition in which children encounter difficulty learning to read in spite of adequate instruction. Although considerable effort has been expended trying to identify the source of the problem, no single solution has been agreed upon. The current study explored a new hypothesis, that developmental dyslexia may be due to faulty perceptual organization of linguistically relevant sensory input. To test that idea, sentence-length speech signals were processed to create either sine-wave or noise-vocoded analogs. Seventy children between 8 and 11 years of age, with and without dyslexia participated. Children with dyslexia were selected to have phonological awareness deficits, although those without such deficits were retained in the study. The processed sentences were presented for recognition, and measures of reading, phonological awareness, and expressive vocabulary were collected. Results showed that children with dyslexia, regardless of phonological subtype, had poorer recognition scores than children without dyslexia for both kinds of degraded sentences. Older children with dyslexia recognized the sine-wave sentences better than younger children with dyslexia, but no such effect of age was found for the vocoded materials. Recognition scores were used as predictor variables in regression analyses with reading, phonological awareness, and vocabulary measures used as dependent variables. Scores for both sorts of sentence materials were strong predictors of performance on all three dependent measures when all children were included, but only performance for the sine-wave materials explained significant proportions of variance when only children with dyslexia were included. Finally, matching young, typical readers with older children with dyslexia on reading abilities did not mitigate the group difference in recognition of vocoded sentences. Conclusions were that children with dyslexia have difficulty organizing linguistically relevant sensory input, but learn to do so for the structure preserved by sine-wave signals before they do so for other sorts of signal structure. These perceptual organization deficits could account for difficulties acquiring refined linguistic representations, including those of a phonological nature, although ramifications are different across affected children. PMID:23702597

Perceptual organization of speech signals by children with and without dyslexia.

PubMed

Nittrouer, Susan; Lowenstein, Joanna H

2013-08-01

Developmental dyslexia is a condition in which children encounter difficulty learning to read in spite of adequate instruction. Although considerable effort has been expended trying to identify the source of the problem, no single solution has been agreed upon. The current study explored a new hypothesis, that developmental dyslexia may be due to faulty perceptual organization of linguistically relevant sensory input. To test that idea, sentence-length speech signals were processed to create either sine-wave or noise-vocoded analogs. Seventy children between 8 and 11 years of age, with and without dyslexia participated. Children with dyslexia were selected to have phonological awareness deficits, although those without such deficits were retained in the study. The processed sentences were presented for recognition, and measures of reading, phonological awareness, and expressive vocabulary were collected. Results showed that children with dyslexia, regardless of phonological subtype, had poorer recognition scores than children without dyslexia for both kinds of degraded sentences. Older children with dyslexia recognized the sine-wave sentences better than younger children with dyslexia, but no such effect of age was found for the vocoded materials. Recognition scores were used as predictor variables in regression analyses with reading, phonological awareness, and vocabulary measures used as dependent variables. Scores for both sorts of sentence materials were strong predictors of performance on all three dependent measures when all children were included, but only performance for the sine-wave materials explained significant proportions of variance when only children with dyslexia were included. Finally, matching young, typical readers with older children with dyslexia on reading abilities did not mitigate the group difference in recognition of vocoded sentences. Conclusions were that children with dyslexia have difficulty organizing linguistically relevant sensory input, but learn to do so for the structure preserved by sine-wave signals before they do so for other sorts of signal structure. These perceptual organization deficits could account for difficulties acquiring refined linguistic representations, including those of a phonological nature, although ramifications are different across affected children. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The effect of learning on feedback-related potentials in adolescents with dyslexia: an EEG-ERP study.

PubMed

Kraus, Dror; Horowitz-Kraus, Tzipi

2014-01-01

Individuals with dyslexia exhibit associated learning deficits and impaired executive functions. The Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) is a learning-based task that relies heavily on executive functioning, in particular, attention shift and working memory. Performance during early and late phases of a series within the task represents learning and implementation of a newly learned rule. Here, we aimed to examine two event-related potentials associated with learning, feedback-related negativity (FRN)-P300 complex, in individuals with dyslexia performing the WCST. Adolescents with dyslexia and age-matched typical readers performed the Madrid card sorting test (MCST), a computerized version of the WCST. Task performance, reading measures, and cognitive measures were collected. FRN and the P300 complex were acquired using the event-related potentials methodology and were compared in early vs late errors within a series. While performing the MCST, both groups showed a significant reduction in average reaction times and a trend toward decreased error rates. Typical readers performed consistently better than individuals with dyslexia. FRN amplitudes in early phases were significantly smaller in dyslexic readers, but were essentially equivalent to typical readers in the late phase. P300 amplitudes were initially smaller among readers with dyslexia and tended to decrease further in late phases. Differences in FRN amplitudes for early vs late phases were positively correlated with those of P300 amplitudes in the entire sample. Individuals with dyslexia demonstrate a behavioral and electrophysiological change within single series of the MCST. However, learning patterns seem to differ between individuals with dyslexia and typical readers. We attribute these differences to the lower baseline performance of individuals with dyslexia. We suggest that these changes represent a fast compensatory mechanism, demonstrating the importance of learning strategies on reading among individuals with dyslexia.

Dyslexia Linked to Visual Strengths Useful in Astronomy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schneps, Matthew H.; Brockmole, J. R.; Rose, L. T.; Pomplun, M.; Sonnert, G.; Greenhill, L. J.

2011-05-01

Dyslexia is a hereditary neurological condition characterized by difficulties in reading, writing, and spelling. The fact that those with dyslexia include many accomplished scientists, including some recognized with a Nobel Prize, has prompted researchers to suggest that the neurology of dyslexia may predispose these individuals to advantages in visually-intensive domains such as science. Here, we report evidence of a link between dyslexia and abilities for visual processing useful in astronomy. First, we show that when images of natural scenes are Gaussian-blurred, so as to remove high-frequency detail (and resemble many astronomical images), college students with dyslexia significantly outperform those who are typical readers in learning the spatial contexts presented. Second, we show that when the threshold ability to detect radio signatures characteristic of black holes is measured in a laboratory simulation, astrophysicists with dyslexia significantly outperform those who are typical readers in this task when the visual periphery is important. In a third experiment, using eye-tracking technologies, we demonstrate that visual strategies significantly correlate with success in the black hole task, but that college students with dyslexia tend not to employ the strategies most likely to lead to success. Collectively, these studies suggest that dyslexia is linked to neurological advantages useful in astronomical careers, but that left to their own devices students with dyslexia may not benefit from these advantages without practice or training. These studies imply that many students who are struggling to read may find successful careers in astronomy or other fields that build on visual advantages linked to their reading disability, but that education and training may be vital in helping these students realize their strengths. This material is based upon work supported by the George E. Burch Fellowship (Smithsonian Institution) and the National Science Foundation under Grants HRD-0726032 and HRD-0930962.

Cortical thickness abnormalities associated with dyslexia, independent of remediation status.

PubMed

Ma, Yizhou; Koyama, Maki S; Milham, Michael P; Castellanos, F Xavier; Quinn, Brian T; Pardoe, Heath; Wang, Xiuyuan; Kuzniecky, Ruben; Devinsky, Orrin; Thesen, Thomas; Blackmon, Karen

2015-01-01

Abnormalities in cortical structure are commonly observed in children with dyslexia in key regions of the "reading network." Whether alteration in cortical features reflects pathology inherent to dyslexia or environmental influence (e.g., impoverished reading experience) remains unclear. To address this question, we compared MRI-derived metrics of cortical thickness (CT), surface area (SA), gray matter volume (GMV), and their lateralization across three different groups of children with a historical diagnosis of dyslexia, who varied in current reading level. We compared three dyslexia subgroups with: (1) persistent reading and spelling impairment; (2) remediated reading impairment (normal reading scores), and (3) remediated reading and spelling impairments (normal reading and spelling scores); and a control group of (4) typically developing children. All groups were matched for age, gender, handedness, and IQ. We hypothesized that the dyslexia group would show cortical abnormalities in regions of the reading network relative to controls, irrespective of remediation status. Such a finding would support that cortical abnormalities are inherent to dyslexia and are not a consequence of abnormal reading experience. Results revealed increased CT of the left fusiform gyrus in the dyslexia group relative to controls. Similarly, the dyslexia group showed CT increase of the right superior temporal gyrus, extending into the planum temporale, which resulted in a rightward CT asymmetry on lateralization indices. There were no group differences in SA, GMV, or their lateralization. These findings held true regardless of remediation status. Each reading level group showed the same "double hit" of atypically increased left fusiform CT and rightward superior temporal CT asymmetry. Thus, findings provide evidence that a developmental history of dyslexia is associated with CT abnormalities, independent of remediation status.

Doctors with dyslexia: strategies and support.

PubMed

Locke, Rachel; Alexander, Gail; Mann, Richard; Kibble, Sharon; Scallan, Samantha

2017-10-01

Looking beyond dyslexia as an individual doctor's issue requires adjusting a working environment to better serve the needs of doctors with dyslexia. With an increasing number of doctors disclosing dyslexia at medical school, how can educators best provide this support? Our research looks at the impact of dyslexia on clinical practice and the coping strategies used by doctors to minimise the effect. Qualitative data were collected from 14 doctors with dyslexia using semi-structured interviews and by survey. 'In situ' demonstration interviews were conducted in order to understand how dyslexia is managed in the workplace from first-hand experience. Employers and educators who have responsibility for meeting the needs of this group were also consulted. Even in cases of doctors who had a diagnosis, they often did not disclose their dyslexia to their employer. Study participants reported having developed individual ways of coping and devised useful 'workarounds'. Support from employers comes in the form of 'reasonable adjustments', although from our data we cannot be sure that such adjustments contribute to an 'enabling' work environment. Supportive characteristics included the opportunity to shadow others and the time and space to complete paperwork on a busy ward. How can educators best provide support [for doctors with dyslexia]? Doctors with dyslexia need to be helped to feel comfortable enough to disclose. Educators need to challenge any negative assumptions that exist as well as promote understanding about the elements that contribute to a positive working environment. As a result of the research there is now practice available for educators to identify evidence-based strategies and resources. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd and The Association for the Study of Medical Education.

Cortical thickness abnormalities associated with dyslexia, independent of remediation status

PubMed Central

Ma, Yizhou; Koyama, Maki S.; Milham, Michael P.; Castellanos, F. Xavier; Quinn, Brian T.; Pardoe, Heath; Wang, Xiuyuan; Kuzniecky, Ruben; Devinsky, Orrin; Thesen, Thomas; Blackmon, Karen

2014-01-01

Abnormalities in cortical structure are commonly observed in children with dyslexia in key regions of the “reading network.” Whether alteration in cortical features reflects pathology inherent to dyslexia or environmental influence (e.g., impoverished reading experience) remains unclear. To address this question, we compared MRI-derived metrics of cortical thickness (CT), surface area (SA), gray matter volume (GMV), and their lateralization across three different groups of children with a historical diagnosis of dyslexia, who varied in current reading level. We compared three dyslexia subgroups with: (1) persistent reading and spelling impairment; (2) remediated reading impairment (normal reading scores), and (3) remediated reading and spelling impairments (normal reading and spelling scores); and a control group of (4) typically developing children. All groups were matched for age, gender, handedness, and IQ. We hypothesized that the dyslexia group would show cortical abnormalities in regions of the reading network relative to controls, irrespective of remediation status. Such a finding would support that cortical abnormalities are inherent to dyslexia and are not a consequence of abnormal reading experience. Results revealed increased CT of the left fusiform gyrus in the dyslexia group relative to controls. Similarly, the dyslexia group showed CT increase of the right superior temporal gyrus, extending into the planum temporale, which resulted in a rightward CT asymmetry on lateralization indices. There were no group differences in SA, GMV, or their lateralization. These findings held true regardless of remediation status. Each reading level group showed the same “double hit” of atypically increased left fusiform CT and rightward superior temporal CT asymmetry. Thus, findings provide evidence that a developmental history of dyslexia is associated with CT abnormalities, independent of remediation status. PMID:25610779

Decoding Dyslexia, a Common Learning Disability | NIH MedlinePlus the Magazine

MedlinePlus

... JavaScript on. Feature: Dyslexia Decoding Dyslexia, a Common Learning Disability Past Issues / Winter 2016 Table of Contents What Are Learning Disabilities? Learning disabilities affect how someone learns to read, ...

Perspectives on dyslexia

PubMed Central

Siegel, Linda S

2006-01-01

Dyslexia, or a reading disability, occurs when an individual has significant difficulty with speed and accuracy of word decoding. Comprehension of text and spelling are also affected. The diagnosis of dyslexia involves the use of reading tests, but the continuum of reading performance means that any cutoff point is arbitrary. The IQ score does not play a role in the diagnosis of dyslexia. The cognitive difficulties of dyslexics include problems with speech perception, recognizing and manipulating the basic sounds in a language, language memory, and learning the sounds of letters. Dyslexia is a neurological condition with a genetic basis. There are abnormalities in the brains of dyslexic individuals. There are also differences in the electrophysiological and structural characteristics of the brains of dyslexics. Physicians play a particularly important role in recognizing children who are at risk for dyslexia and helping their parents obtain the proper assessment. PMID:19030329

Planum Temporale Morphology in Children with Developmental Dyslexia

PubMed Central

Bloom, Juliana Sanchez; Garcia-Barrera, Mauricio A.; Miller, Carlin J.; Miller, Scott R.; Hynd, George W.

2013-01-01

The planum temporale is a highly lateralized cortical region, located within Wernicke’s area, which is thought to be involved in auditory processing, phonological processing, and language. Research has linked abnormal morphology of the planum temporale to developmental dyslexia, although results have varied in large part due to methodological inconsistencies in the literature. This study examined the asymmetry of the planum temporale in 29 children who met criteria for dyslexia and 26 children whose reading was unimpaired. Leftward asymmetry of the planum temporale was found in the total sample and this leftward asymmetry was significantly reduced in children with dyslexia. This reduced leftward asymmetry in children with dyslexia was due to a planum temporale that is larger in the right hemisphere. This study lends support to the idea that planum temporale asymmetry is altered in children with developmental dyslexia. PMID:23707683

DOD SCHOOLS: Additional Reporting Could Improve Accountability for Academic Achievement of Students with Dyslexia

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-12-01

Representatives DOD SCHOOLS Additional Reporting Could Improve Accountability for Academic Achievement of Students with Dyslexia December...Could Improve Accountability for Academic Achievement of Students with Dyslexia 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6...Students with Dyslexia Highlights of GAO-08-70, a report to the Chairman, Committee on Science and Technology, House of Representatives Many of our

Increased variability of stimulus-driven cortical responses is associated with genetic variability in children with and without dyslexia.

PubMed

Centanni, T M; Pantazis, D; Truong, D T; Gruen, J R; Gabrieli, J D E; Hogan, T P

2018-05-26

Individuals with dyslexia exhibit increased brainstem variability in response to sound. It is unknown as to whether increased variability extends to neocortical regions associated with audition and reading, extends to visual stimuli, and whether increased variability characterizes all children with dyslexia or, instead, a specific subset of children. We evaluated the consistency of stimulus-evoked neural responses in children with (N = 20) or without dyslexia (N = 12) as measured by magnetoencephalography (MEG). Approximately half of the children with dyslexia had significantly higher levels of variability in cortical responses to both auditory and visual stimuli in multiple nodes of the reading network. There was a significant and positive relationship between the number of risk alleles at rs6935076 in the dyslexia-susceptibility gene KIAA0319 and the degree of neural variability in primary auditory cortex across all participants. This gene has been linked with neural variability in rodents and in typical readers. These findings indicate that unstable representations of auditory and visual stimuli in auditory and other reading-related neocortical regions are present in a subset of children with dyslexia and support the link between the gene KIAA0319 and the auditory neural variability across children with or without dyslexia. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Writing Problems in Developmental Dyslexia: Under-Recognized and Under-Treated2,3

PubMed Central

Berninger, Virginia W.; Nielsen, Kathleen H.; Abbott, Robert D.; Wijsman, Ellen; Raskind, Wendy

2008-01-01

The International Dyslexia Association defines dyslexia as unexpected problems of neurobiological origin in accuracy and rate of oral reading of single real words, single pseudowords, or text or of written spelling. However, prior research has focused more on the reading than the spelling problems of students with dyslexia. A test battery was administered to 122 children who met inclusion criteria for dyslexia and qualified their families for participation in a family genetics study that has been ongoing for over a decade. Their parents completed the same test battery. Although a past structural equation modeling study of typically developing children identified a significant path from handwriting to composition quality, the current structural equation modeling study identified a significant path from spelling to composition for children and their parents with dyslexia. Grapho-motor planning did not contribute uniquely to their composition, showing that writing is not just a motor skill. Students with dyslexia do have a problem in automatic letter writing and naming, which was related to impaired inhibition and verbal fluency, and may explain their spelling problems. Results are discussed in reference to the importance of providing explicit instruction in the phonological, orthographic, and morphological processes of spelling and in composition to students with dyslexia and not only offering accommodation for their writing problems. PMID:18438452

Advances in Dyslexia Genetics-New Insights Into the Role of Brain Asymmetries.

PubMed

Paracchini, S; Diaz, R; Stein, J

2016-01-01

Dyslexia is a common condition affecting up to 10% school-aged children. There is strong evidence that genetics plays an important role in dyslexia and is expected to be complex in nature. Few specific susceptibility factors have been identified so far, but their functional characterization has provided novel insights into the biology of dyslexia. In particular, they point to an unexpected role of candidate genes for dyslexia in the biology of cilia, cellular organelles required in many processes including the establishment of left-right asymmetries early in development. This observation has brought back into the spotlight the old idea of a link between dyslexia and handedness. Yet much of the genetics contributing to dyslexia remains unexplained. The lack of biological markers, clear diagnostic criteria, and homogeneous assessment strategies are just some of the factors preventing the collection of the cohorts powered enough for large-scale genetic studies. While the technology and methods to generate and handle large-scale data have reached unprecedented potential, the main challenge remains in establishing universal guidelines to collect suitable phenotype information across independent studies. These difficulties reflect the complex nature of dyslexia which is highly heterogeneous and often co-occurs with other neurodevelopmental disorders. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Executive functions in adults with developmental dyslexia.

PubMed

Smith-Spark, James H; Henry, Lucy A; Messer, David J; Edvardsdottir, Elisa; Zięcik, Adam P

2016-01-01

Executive functioning (EF) deficits are well recognized in developmental dyslexia, yet the majority of studies have concerned children rather than adults, ignored the subjective experience of the individual with dyslexia (with regard to their own EFs), and have not followed current theoretical perspectives on EFs. The current study addressed these shortfalls by administering a self-report measure of EF (BRIEF-A; Roth, Isquith, & Gioia, 2005) and experimental tasks to IQ-matched groups of adults with and without dyslexia. The laboratory-based tasks tested the three factors constituting the framework of EF proposed by Miyake et al. (2000). In comparison to the group without dyslexia, the participants with dyslexia self-reported more frequent EF problems in day-to-day life, with these difficulties centering on metacognitive processes (working memory, planning, task monitoring, and organization) rather than on the regulation of emotion and behaviour. The participants with dyslexia showed significant deficits in EF (inhibition, set shifting, and working memory). The findings indicated that dyslexia-related problems have an impact on the daily experience of adults with the condition. Further, EF difficulties are present in adulthood across a range of laboratory-based measures, and, given the nature of the experimental tasks presented, extend beyond difficulties related solely to phonological processing. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Dyslexia and dyscalculia: two learning disorders with different cognitive profiles.

PubMed

Landerl, Karin; Fussenegger, Barbara; Moll, Kristina; Willburger, Edith

2009-07-01

This study tests the hypothesis that dyslexia and dyscalculia are associated with two largely independent cognitive deficits, namely a phonological deficit in the case of dyslexia and a deficit in the number module in the case of dyscalculia. In four groups of 8- to 10-year-olds (42 control, 21 dyslexic, 20 dyscalculic, and 26 dyslexic/dyscalculic), phonological awareness, phonological and visual-spatial short-term and working memory, naming speed, and basic number processing skills were assessed. A phonological deficit was found for both dyslexic groups, irrespective of additional arithmetic deficits, but not for the dyscalculia-only group. In contrast, deficits in processing of symbolic and nonsymbolic magnitudes were observed in both groups of dyscalculic children, irrespective of additional reading difficulties, but not in the dyslexia-only group. Cognitive deficits in the comorbid dyslexia/dyscalculia group were additive; that is, they resulted from the combination of two learning disorders. These findings suggest that dyslexia and dyscalculia have separable cognitive profiles, namely a phonological deficit in the case of dyslexia and a deficient number module in the case of dyscalculia.

Hemispheric asymmetries in the orientation and location of the lateral geniculate nucleus in dyslexia.

PubMed

Giraldo-Chica, Mónica; Schneider, Keith A

2018-05-01

Human brain asymmetry reflects normal specialization of functional roles and may derive from evolutionary, hereditary, developmental, experiential, and pathological factors (Toga & Thompson, 2003). Geschwind and Galaburda (1985) suggested that processing difficulties in dyslexia are due to structural differences between hemispheres. Because of its potential significance to the controversial magnocellular theory of dyslexia, we investigated hemispheric differences in the human lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN), the primary visual relay and control nucleus in the thalamus, in subjects with dyslexia compared to normal readers. We acquired and averaged multiple high-resolution proton density (PD) weighted structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) volumes to measure in detail the anatomical boundaries of the LGN in each hemisphere. We observed hemispheric asymmetries in the orientation of the nucleus in subjects with dyslexia that were absent in controls. We also found differences in the location of the LGN between hemispheres in controls but not in subjects with dyslexia. Neither the precise anatomical differences in the LGN nor their functional consequences are known, nor is it clear whether the differences might be causes or effects of dyslexia. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The Joint Effects of Risk Status, Gender, Early Literacy and Cognitive Skills on the Presence of Dyslexia among a Group of High-Risk Chinese Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wong, Simpson W. L.; McBride-Chang, Catherine; Lam, Catherine; Chan, Becky; Lam, Fanny W. F.; Doo, Sylvia

2012-01-01

This study sought to examine factors that are predictive of future developmental dyslexia among a group of 5-year-old Chinese children at risk for dyslexia, including 62 children with a sibling who had been previously diagnosed with dyslexia and 52 children who manifested clinical at-risk factors in aspects of language according to testing by…

[Clinical diagnosis of dyslexia].

PubMed

Martínez Hermosillo, A; Balderas Gil, A

1980-01-01

In 5 years of experience at the Instituto Nacional de la Comunicacion Humana, 302 clinical histories showed the diagnosis of dyslexia. The following parameters were studied: age, sex, heredofamilial history, gestation, psychomotor development, clinical picture, examination of the language (type, reading, spontaneous writing, dictation, mathematic concepts), laterality, scholarship, scholar failures, psychological study. The following results were obtained: Dyslexia was more important or frequent between 5 to 8.9 years of age. Males predominated 3:1. The heredofamilial history was important. Dyslexia prevailed in products of the first gestations. A high disturbance was found in the psychomotor development of a large percent of dyslexic patients. Examination of language was also important. Dyslexia was more frequent in right-handed patients. Scholar failures in one or more instances were found. The psychological study must be done. If dyslexia is diagnosed on time, it may be prevented and all unwanted sequelae may be avoided.

University Students with Dyslexia: A Qualitative Exploratory Study of Learning Practices, Challenges and Strategies.

PubMed

MacCullagh, Lois; Bosanquet, Agnes; Badcock, Nicholas A

2017-02-01

People with dyslexia are vastly under-represented in universities (Katusic et al., , Richardson & Wydell, ; Stampoltzis & Polychronopoulou, ). This situation is of concern for modern societies that value social justice. This study was designed to explore learning experiences of university students with dyslexia and factors that could contribute to their success. Thirteen students with dyslexia and 20 non-dyslexic peers were interviewed about their university learning experiences using a semi-structured qualitative approach. Students with dyslexia described engaging in learning activities intensively, frequently and strategically. They reported challenges and strengths relating to study skills, lectures, assessments, technology and support services. They also described helpful strategies including self-directed adaptive techniques, provisions from lecturers and assistance from the university. These findings suggest that students with dyslexia experience broad challenges at university, but helpful strategies may be available. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Neural processing of amplitude and formant rise time in dyslexia.

PubMed

Peter, Varghese; Kalashnikova, Marina; Burnham, Denis

2016-06-01

This study aimed to investigate how children with dyslexia weight amplitude rise time (ART) and formant rise time (FRT) cues in phonetic discrimination. Passive mismatch responses (MMR) were recorded for a/ba/-/wa/contrast in a multiple deviant odd-ball paradigm to identify the neural response to cue weighting in 17 children with dyslexia and 17 age-matched control children. The deviant stimuli had either partial or full ART or FRT cues. The results showed that ART did not generate an MMR in either group, whereas both partial and full FRT cues generated MMR in control children while only full FRT cues generated MMR in children with dyslexia. These findings suggest that children, both controls and those with dyslexia, discriminate speech based on FRT cues and not ART cues. However, control children have greater sensitivity to FRT cues in speech compared to children with dyslexia. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Spelling in adolescents with dyslexia: errors and modes of assessment.

PubMed

Tops, Wim; Callens, Maaike; Bijn, Evi; Brysbaert, Marc

2014-01-01

In this study we focused on the spelling of high-functioning students with dyslexia. We made a detailed classification of the errors in a word and sentence dictation task made by 100 students with dyslexia and 100 matched control students. All participants were in the first year of their bachelor's studies and had Dutch as mother tongue. Three main error categories were distinguished: phonological, orthographic, and grammatical errors (on the basis of morphology and language-specific spelling rules). The results indicated that higher-education students with dyslexia made on average twice as many spelling errors as the controls, with effect sizes of d ≥ 2. When the errors were classified as phonological, orthographic, or grammatical, we found a slight dominance of phonological errors in students with dyslexia. Sentence dictation did not provide more information than word dictation in the correct classification of students with and without dyslexia. © Hammill Institute on Disabilities 2012.

[5-year course of dyslexia – Persistence, sex effects, performance in reading and spelling, and school-related success].

PubMed

Wyschkon, Anne; Schulz, Franziska; Gallit, Finja Sunnyi; Poltz, Nadine; Kohn, Juliane; Moraske, Svenja; Bondü, Rebecca; von Aster, Michael; Esser, Günter

2018-03-01

The study examines the 5-year course of children with dyslexia with regard to their sex. Furthermore, the study investigates the impact of dyslexia on the performance in reading and spelling skills and school-related success. A group of 995 6- to 16-year-olds were examined at the initial assessment. Part of the initial sample was then re-examined after 43 and 63 months. The diagnosis of dyslexia was based on the double discrepancy criterion using a standard deviation of 1.5. Though they had no intellectual deficits, the children showed a considerable discrepancy between their reading or writing abilities and (1) their nonverbal intelligence and (2) the mean of their grade norm. Nearly 70 % of those examined had a persisting diagnosis of dyslexia over a period of 63 months. The 5-year course was not influenced by sex. Despite average intelligence, the performance in writing and spelling of children suffering from dyslexia was one standard deviation below a control group without dyslexia with average intelligence and 0.5 standard deviations below a group of children suffering from intellectual deficits. Furthermore, the school-related success of the dyslexics was significantly lower than those of children with average intelligence. Dyslexics showed similar school-related success rates to children suffering from intellectual deficits. Dyslexia represents a considerable developmental risk. The adverse impact of dyslexia on school-related success supports the importance of early diagnostics and intervention. It also underlines the need for reliable and general accepted diagnostic criteria. It is important to define such criteria in light of the prevalence rates.

A virtual reality test identifies the visuospatial strengths of adolescents with dyslexia.

PubMed

Attree, Elizabeth A; Turner, Mark J; Cowell, Naina

2009-04-01

Research suggests that the deficits characterizing dyslexia may also be associated with superior visuospatial abilities. Other research suggests that superior visuospatial abilities of people with dyslexia may not have been so far identified because of the lack of appropriate tests of real-life spatial ability. A recent small-scale study found that visuospatial superiority was evident in men with dyslexia. This study assessed the visuospatial ability of adolescents with dyslexia in order to determine whether these adolescents performed better on a pseudo real-life visuospatial test than did their nondyslexic peers. Forty-two adolescents took part in the study. There was an equal numerical split between the experimental and control groups. The experimental group all had a diagnosis of dyslexia by an educational psychologist or specialist teacher. Visuospatial ability was assessed using the Recall of Designs and the Pattern Construction subtests from the British Ability Scales (2nd edition; BAS-11) together with a computer-generated virtual environment test. The assessments were administered in a counterbalanced order. Adolescents with dyslexia tended to perform less well than their nondyslexic peers on the BAS-11 tests; however, this difference was not statistically significant. For the computer-generated virtual environment test (pseudo real-life measure), statistically significant higher scores were achieved by the dyslexic group. These findings suggest that adolescents with dyslexia may exhibit superior visuospatial strengths on certain pseudo real-life tests of spatial ability. The usefulness of these findings is discussed in relation to possible implications for assessment and educational intervention programs for adolescents with dyslexia.

Sex-specific gray matter volume differences in females with developmental dyslexia.

PubMed

Evans, Tanya M; Flowers, D Lynn; Napoliello, Eileen M; Eden, Guinevere F

2014-05-01

Developmental dyslexia, characterized by unexpected reading difficulty, is associated with anomalous brain anatomy and function. Previous structural neuroimaging studies have converged in reports of less gray matter volume (GMV) in dyslexics within left hemisphere regions known to subserve language. Due to the higher prevalence of dyslexia in males, these studies are heavily weighted towards males, raising the question whether studies of dyslexia in females only and using the same techniques, would generate the same findings. In a replication study of men, we obtained the same findings of less GMV in dyslexics in left middle/inferior temporal gyri and right postcentral/supramarginal gyri as reported in the literature. However, comparisons in women with and without dyslexia did not yield left hemisphere differences, and instead, we found less GMV in right precuneus and paracentral lobule/medial frontal gyrus. In boys, we found less GMV in left inferior parietal cortex (supramarginal/angular gyri), again consistent with previous work, while in girls differences were within right central sulcus, spanning adjacent gyri, and left primary visual cortex. Our investigation into anatomical variants in dyslexia replicates existing studies in males, but at the same time shows that dyslexia in females is not characterized by involvement of left hemisphere language regions but rather early sensory and motor cortices (i.e., motor and premotor cortex, primary visual cortex). Our findings suggest that models on the brain basis of dyslexia, primarily developed through the study of males, may not be appropriate for females and suggest a need for more sex-specific investigations into dyslexia.

Sex-specific Gray Matter Volume Differences in Females with Developmental Dyslexia

PubMed Central

Evans, Tanya M.; Flowers, D. Lynn; Napoliello, Eileen M.; Eden, Guinevere F.

2013-01-01

Developmental dyslexia, characterized by unexpected reading difficulty, is associated with anomalous brain anatomy and function. Previous structural neuroimaging studies have converged in reports of less gray matter volume (GMV) in dyslexics within left hemisphere regions known to subserve language. Due to the higher prevalence of dyslexia in males, these studies are heavily weighted towards males, raising the question whether studies of dyslexia in females only and using the same techniques, would generate the same findings. In a replication study of men we obtained the same findings of less GMV in dyslexics in left middle/inferior temporal gyri and right postcentral/supramarginal gyri as reported in the literature. However, comparisons in women with and without dyslexia did not yield left hemisphere differences and instead we found less GMV in right precuneus and paracentral lobule/medial frontal gyrus. In boys, we found less GMV in left inferior parietal cortex (supramarginal/angular gyri), again consistent with previous work, while in girls differences were within right central sulcus, spanning adjacent gyri, and left primary visual cortex. Our investigation into anatomical variants in dyslexia replicates existing studies in males, but at the same time shows that dyslexia in females is not characterized by involvement of left hemisphere language regions but rather early sensory and motor cortices (i.e. motor and premotor cortex, primary visual cortex). Our findings suggest that models on the brain basis of dyslexia, primarily developed through the study of males, may not be appropriate for females and suggest a need for more sex-specific investigations into dyslexia. PMID:23625146

Race and Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hoyles, Asher; Hoyles, Martin

2010-01-01

This article begins with a definition of dyslexia as genetic, involving language processing and phonological awareness. It goes beyond reading and writing difficulties to include, for example, sequencing, orientation, short-term memory, speed, circumlocution, organisational skills, visual thinking, self-esteem and anger. Dyslexia, though…

RADAR: A novel fast-screening method for reading difficulties with special focus on dyslexia.

PubMed

Smyrnakis, Ioannis; Andreadakis, Vassilios; Selimis, Vassilios; Kalaitzakis, Michail; Bachourou, Theodora; Kaloutsakis, Georgios; Kymionis, George D; Smirnakis, Stelios; Aslanides, Ioannis M

2017-01-01

Dyslexia is a developmental learning disorder of single word reading accuracy and/or fluency, with compelling research directed towards understanding the contributions of the visual system. While dyslexia is not an oculomotor disease, readers with dyslexia have shown different eye movements than typically developing students during text reading. Readers with dyslexia exhibit longer and more frequent fixations, shorter saccade lengths, more backward refixations than typical readers. Furthermore, readers with dyslexia are known to have difficulty in reading long words, lower skipping rate of short words, and high gaze duration on many words. It is an open question whether it is possible to harness these distinctive oculomotor scanning patterns observed during reading in order to develop a screening tool that can reliably identify struggling readers, who may be candidates for dyslexia. Here, we introduce a novel, fast, objective, non-invasive method, named Rapid Assessment of Difficulties and Abnormalities in Reading (RADAR) that screens for features associated with the aberrant visual scanning of reading text seen in dyslexia. Eye tracking parameter measurements that are stable under retest and have high discriminative power, as indicated by their ROC (receiver operating characteristic) curves, were obtained during silent text reading. These parameters were combined to derive a total reading score (TRS) that can reliably separate readers with dyslexia from typical readers. We tested TRS in a group of school-age children ranging from 8.5 to 12.5 years of age. TRS achieved 94.2% correct classification of children tested. Specifically, 35 out of 37 control (specificity 94.6%) and 30 out of 32 readers with dyslexia (sensitivity 93.8%) were classified correctly using RADAR, under a circular validation condition (see section Results/Total Reading Score) where the individual evaluated was not included in the test construction group. In conclusion, RADAR is a novel, automated, fast and reliable way to identify children at high risk of dyslexia that is amenable to large-scale screening. Moreover, analysis of eye movement parameters obtained with RADAR during reading will likely be useful for implementing individualized treatment strategies and for monitoring objectively the success of chosen interventions. We envision that it will be possible to use RADAR as a sensitive, objective, and quantitative first pass screen to identify individuals with reading disorders that manifest with abnormal oculomotor reading strategies, like dyslexia.

RADAR: A novel fast-screening method for reading difficulties with special focus on dyslexia

PubMed Central

Smyrnakis, Ioannis; Andreadakis, Vassilios; Selimis, Vassilios; Kalaitzakis, Michail; Bachourou, Theodora; Kaloutsakis, Georgios; Kymionis, George D.; Smirnakis, Stelios; Aslanides, Ioannis M.

2017-01-01

Dyslexia is a developmental learning disorder of single word reading accuracy and/or fluency, with compelling research directed towards understanding the contributions of the visual system. While dyslexia is not an oculomotor disease, readers with dyslexia have shown different eye movements than typically developing students during text reading. Readers with dyslexia exhibit longer and more frequent fixations, shorter saccade lengths, more backward refixations than typical readers. Furthermore, readers with dyslexia are known to have difficulty in reading long words, lower skipping rate of short words, and high gaze duration on many words. It is an open question whether it is possible to harness these distinctive oculomotor scanning patterns observed during reading in order to develop a screening tool that can reliably identify struggling readers, who may be candidates for dyslexia. Here, we introduce a novel, fast, objective, non-invasive method, named Rapid Assessment of Difficulties and Abnormalities in Reading (RADAR) that screens for features associated with the aberrant visual scanning of reading text seen in dyslexia. Eye tracking parameter measurements that are stable under retest and have high discriminative power, as indicated by their ROC (receiver operating characteristic) curves, were obtained during silent text reading. These parameters were combined to derive a total reading score (TRS) that can reliably separate readers with dyslexia from typical readers. We tested TRS in a group of school-age children ranging from 8.5 to 12.5 years of age. TRS achieved 94.2% correct classification of children tested. Specifically, 35 out of 37 control (specificity 94.6%) and 30 out of 32 readers with dyslexia (sensitivity 93.8%) were classified correctly using RADAR, under a circular validation condition (see section Results/Total Reading Score) where the individual evaluated was not included in the test construction group. In conclusion, RADAR is a novel, automated, fast and reliable way to identify children at high risk of dyslexia that is amenable to large-scale screening. Moreover, analysis of eye movement parameters obtained with RADAR during reading will likely be useful for implementing individualized treatment strategies and for monitoring objectively the success of chosen interventions. We envision that it will be possible to use RADAR as a sensitive, objective, and quantitative first pass screen to identify individuals with reading disorders that manifest with abnormal oculomotor reading strategies, like dyslexia. PMID:28800632

Mothers speak differently to infants at-risk for dyslexia.

PubMed

Kalashnikova, Marina; Goswami, Usha; Burnham, Denis

2018-01-01

Dyslexia is a neurodevelopmental disorder manifested in deficits in reading and spelling skills that is consistently associated with difficulties in phonological processing. Dyslexia is genetically transmitted, but its manifestation in a particular individual is thought to depend on the interaction of epigenetic and environmental factors. We adopt a novel interactional perspective on early linguistic environment and dyslexia by simultaneously studying two pre-existing factors, one maternal and one infant, that may contribute to these interactions; and two behaviours, one maternal and one infant, to index the effect of these factors. The maternal factor is whether mothers are themselves dyslexic or not (with/without dyslexia) and the infant factor is whether infants are at-/not-at family risk for dyslexia (due to their mother or father being dyslexic). The maternal behaviour is mothers' infant-directed speech (IDS), which typically involves vowel hyperarticulation, thought to benefit speech perception and language acquisition. The infant behaviour is auditory perception measured by infant sensitivity to amplitude envelope rise time, which has been found to be reduced in dyslexic children. Here, at-risk infants showed significantly poorer acoustic sensitivity than not-at-risk infants and mothers only hyperarticulated vowels to infants who were not at-risk for dyslexia. Mothers' own dyslexia status had no effect on IDS quality. Parental speech input is thus affected by infant risk status, with likely consequences for later linguistic development. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Phonological deficits in specific language impairment and developmental dyslexia: towards a multidimensional model

PubMed Central

Ramus, Franck; Marshall, Chloe R.; Rosen, Stuart

2013-01-01

An on-going debate surrounds the relationship between specific language impairment and developmental dyslexia, in particular with respect to their phonological abilities. Are these distinct disorders? To what extent do they overlap? Which cognitive and linguistic profiles correspond to specific language impairment, dyslexia and comorbid cases? At least three different models have been proposed: the severity model, the additional deficit model and the component model. We address this issue by comparing children with specific language impairment only, those with dyslexia-only, those with specific language impairment and dyslexia and those with no impairment, using a broad test battery of language skills. We find that specific language impairment and dyslexia do not always co-occur, and that some children with specific language impairment do not have a phonological deficit. Using factor analysis, we find that language abilities across the four groups of children have at least three independent sources of variance: one for non-phonological language skills and two for distinct sets of phonological abilities (which we term phonological skills versus phonological representations). Furthermore, children with specific language impairment and dyslexia show partly distinct profiles of phonological deficit along these two dimensions. We conclude that a multiple-component model of language abilities best explains the relationship between specific language impairment and dyslexia and the different profiles of impairment that are observed. PMID:23413264

A new self-report inventory of dyslexia for students: criterion and construct validity.

PubMed

Tamboer, Peter; Vorst, Harrie C M

2015-02-01

The validity of a Dutch self-report inventory of dyslexia was ascertained in two samples of students. Six biographical questions, 20 general language statements and 56 specific language statements were based on dyslexia as a multi-dimensional deficit. Dyslexia and non-dyslexia were assessed with two criteria: identification with test results (Sample 1) and classification using biographical information (both samples). Using discriminant analyses, these criteria were predicted with various groups of statements. All together, 11 discriminant functions were used to estimate classification accuracy of the inventory. In Sample 1, 15 statements predicted the test criterion with classification accuracy of 98%, and 18 statements predicted the biographical criterion with classification accuracy of 97%. In Sample 2, 16 statements predicted the biographical criterion with classification accuracy of 94%. Estimations of positive and negative predictive value were 89% and 99%. Items of various discriminant functions were factor analysed to find characteristic difficulties of students with dyslexia, resulting in a five-factor structure in Sample 1 and a four-factor structure in Sample 2. Answer bias was investigated with measures of internal consistency reliability. Less than 20 self-report items are sufficient to accurately classify students with and without dyslexia. This supports the usefulness of self-assessment of dyslexia as a valid alternative to diagnostic test batteries. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Pinpointing the deficit in executive functions in adolescents with dyslexia performing the Wisconsin card sorting test: an ERP study.

PubMed

Horowitz-Kraus, Tzipi

2014-01-01

Adolescents with dyslexia exhibit well-established impairments in executive abilities. The Wisconsin card sorting test (WCST) is an executive test that yields surprisingly inconsistent results with this population. The current study aimed to shed light on the contradictory findings in the literature regarding the performance levels by individuals with dyslexia in WCST. We used a computerized-WCST (named the 'Madrid-Card Sorting Test') assessing executive functions using the Event-Related Potentials (ERPs) methodology. Adolescents with dyslexia exhibited a higher error rate and slower reaction times. This was most evident in the later trials of the series. However, differences in ERPs between the two groups were found only in the "target-locked" conditions, where individuals with dyslexia displayed decreased ERP components (N100, P300) compared to skilled readers. The changes between the groups in the "shift" compared to the "stay" conditions suggest the central role of working memory both in basic (e.g., shifting) and higher order (e.g., reading) processes in individuals with dyslexia. These findings suggest the central role of working memory both in basic (e.g., shifting) and higher order (e.g., reading) processes in individuals with dyslexia. The intact shifting mechanism and the working memory deficit may guide the building of more efficient intervention programs for individuals with dyslexia in the future.

Self-Reports of Increased Prospective and Retrospective Memory Problems in Adults with Developmental Dyslexia.

PubMed

Smith-Spark, James H; Zięcik, Adam P; Sterling, Christopher

2016-08-01

Short-term and working memory problems in dyslexia are well-documented, but other memory domains have received little empirical scrutiny, despite some evidence to suggest that they might be impaired. Prospective memory is memory for delayed intentions, whilst retrospective memory relates to memory for personally experienced past events. To gain an understanding of subjective everyday memory experience, a self-report measure designed to tap prospective and retrospective memory was administered to 28 adults with dyslexia and 26 IQ-matched adults without dyslexia. Adults with dyslexia reported experiencing significantly more frequent problems with memory than the adults without dyslexia. Group differences were found across seven out of the eight questionnaire scales. Further to these analyses, the participants' own ratings were compared with proxy ratings provided by close associates. The perception of poorer memory abilities in the participants did not differ between respondent types. The self-reported difficulties are, thus, unlikely to be the result of lowered self-esteem or metacognitive awareness. More frequent difficulties with both types of memory would seem, therefore, to be experienced by adults with dyslexia in everyday life. Further laboratory-based research is recommended to explore both memory domains in dyslexia and to identify the cognitive mechanisms by which these problems occur. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Reading accuracy and speed of vowelized and unvowelized scripts among dyslexic readers of Hebrew: the road not taken.

PubMed

Schiff, Rachel; Katzir, Tami; Shoshan, Noa

2013-07-01

The present study examined the effects of orthographic transparency on reading ability of children with dyslexia in two Hebrew scripts. The study explored the reading accuracy and speed of vowelized and unvowelized Hebrew words of fourth-grade children with dyslexia. A comparison was made to typically developing readers of two age groups: a group matched by chronological age and a group of children who are 2 years younger, presumably at the end of the reading acquisition process. An additional purpose was to investigate the role of vowelization in the reading ability of unvowelized script among readers with dyslexia in an attempt to assess whether vowelization plays a mediating role for reading speed of unvowelized scripts. The present study found no significant differences in reading accuracy and speed between vowelized and unvowelized scripts among fourth-grade readers with dyslexia. The reading speed of fourth-graders with dyslexia was similar to typically developing second-graders for both the vowelized and unvowelized words. However, fourth-grade children with dyslexia performed lower than the typically developing second-graders in the reading accuracy of vowelized script. Furthermore, for readers with dyslexia, accuracy in reading both vowelized and unvowelized words mediated the reading speed of unvowelized scripts. These results may be a sign that Hebrew-speaking children with dyslexia have severe difficulties that prevent them from developing strategies for more efficient reading.

Speech Recognition in Noise by Children with and without Dyslexia: How is it Related to Reading?

PubMed

Nittrouer, Susan; Krieg, Letitia M; Lowenstein, Joanna H

2018-06-01

Developmental dyslexia is commonly viewed as a phonological deficit that makes it difficult to decode written language. But children with dyslexia typically exhibit other problems, as well, including poor speech recognition in noise. The purpose of this study was to examine whether the speech-in-noise problems of children with dyslexia are related to their reading problems, and if so, if a common underlying factor might explain both. The specific hypothesis examined was that a spectral processing disorder results in these children receiving smeared signals, which could explain both the diminished sensitivity to phonological structure - leading to reading problems - and the speech recognition in noise difficulties. The alternative hypothesis tested in this study was that children with dyslexia simply have broadly based language deficits. Ninety-seven children between the ages of 7 years; 10 months and 12 years; 9 months participated: 46 with dyslexia and 51 without dyslexia. Children were tested on two dependent measures: word reading and recognition in noise with two types of sentence materials: as unprocessed (UP) signals, and as spectrally smeared (SM) signals. Data were collected for four predictor variables: phonological awareness, vocabulary, grammatical knowledge, and digit span. Children with dyslexia showed deficits on both dependent and all predictor variables. Their scores for speech recognition in noise were poorer than those of children without dyslexia for both the UP and SM signals, but by equivalent amounts across signal conditions indicating that they were not disproportionately hindered by spectral distortion. Correlation analyses on scores from children with dyslexia showed that reading ability and speech-in-noise recognition were only mildly correlated, and each skill was related to different underlying abilities. No substantial evidence was found to support the suggestion that the reading and speech recognition in noise problems of children with dyslexia arise from a single factor that could be defined as a spectral processing disorder. The reading and speech recognition in noise deficits of these children appeared to be largely independent. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Neuroanatomical anomalies of dyslexia: Disambiguating the effects of disorder, performance, and maturation.

PubMed

Xia, Zhichao; Hoeft, Fumiko; Zhang, Linjun; Shu, Hua

2016-01-29

An increasing body of studies has revealed neuroanatomical impairments in developmental dyslexia. However, whether these structural anomalies are driven by dyslexia (disorder-specific effects), absolute reading performance (performance-dependent effects), and/or further influenced by age (maturation-sensitive effects) remains elusive. To help disentangle these sources, the current study used a novel disorder (dyslexia vs. control) by maturation (younger vs. older) factorial design in 48 Chinese children who were carefully matched. This design not only allows for direct comparison between dyslexics versus controls matched for chronological age and reading ability, but also enables examination of the influence of maturation and its interaction with dyslexia. Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) showed that dyslexic children had reduced regional gray matter volume in the left temporo-parietal cortex (spanning over Heschl's gyrus, planum temporale and supramarginal gyrus), middle frontal gyrus, superior occipital gyrus, and reduced regional white matter in bilateral parieto-occipital regions (left cuneus and right precuneus) compared with both age-matched and reading-level matched controls. Therefore, maturational stage-invariant neurobiological signatures of dyslexia were found in brain regions that have been associated with impairments in the auditory/phonological and attentional systems. On the other hand, maturational stage-dependent effects on dyslexia were observed in three regions (left ventral occipito-temporal cortex, left dorsal pars opercularis and genu of the corpus callosum), all of which were previously reported to be involved in fluent reading and its development. These striking dissociations collectively suggest potential atypical developmental trajectories of dyslexia, where underlying mechanisms are currently unknown but may be driven by interactions between genetic and/or environmental factors. In summary, this is the first study to disambiguate maturational stage on neuroanatomical anomalies of dyslexia in addition to the effects of disorder, reading performance and maturational stage on neuroanatomical anomalies of dyslexia, despite the limitation of a relatively small sample-size. These results will hopefully encourage future research to place greater emphasis on taking a developmental perspective to dyslexia, which may, in turn, further our understanding of the etiological basis of this neurodevelopmental disorder, and ultimately optimize early identification and remediation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Neuroanatomical Anomalies of Dyslexia: Disambiguating the Effects of Disorder, Performance, and Maturation

PubMed Central

Xia, Zhichao; Hoeft, Fumiko; Zhang, Linjun; Shu, Hua

2016-01-01

An increasing body of studies has revealed neuroanatomical impairments in developmental dyslexia. However, whether these structural anomalies are driven by dyslexia (disorder-specific effects), absolute reading performance (performance-dependent effects), and/or further influenced by age (maturation-sensitive effects) remains elusive. To help disentangle these sources, the current study used a novel disorder (dyslexia vs. control) by maturation (younger vs. older) factorial design in 48 Chinese children who were carefully matched. This design not only allows for direct comparison between dyslexics versus controls matched for chronological age and reading ability, but also enables examination of the influence of maturation and its interaction with dyslexia. Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) showed that dyslexic children had reduced regional gray matter volume in the left temporo-parietal cortex (spanning over Heschl’s gyrus, planum temporale and supramarginal gyrus), middle frontal gyrus, superior occipital gyrus, and reduced regional white matter in bilateral parieto-occipital regions (left cuneus and right precuneus) compared with both age-matched and reading-level matched controls. Therefore, maturational stage-invariant neurobiological signatures of dyslexia were found in brain regions that have been associated with impairments in the auditory/phonological and attentional systems. On the other hand, maturational stage-dependent effects on dyslexia were observed in three regions (left ventral occipito-temporal cortex, left dorsal pars opercularis and genu of the corpus callosum), all of which were previously reported to be involved in fluent reading and its development. These striking dissociations collectively suggest potential atypical developmental trajectories of dyslexia, where underlying mechanisms are currently unknown but may be driven by interactions between genetic and/or environmental factors. In summary, this is the first study to disambiguate maturational stage on neuroanatomical anomalies of dyslexia in addition to the effects of disorder, reading performance and maturational stage on neuroanatomical anomalies of dyslexia, despite the limitation of a relatively small sample-size. These results will hopefully encourage future research to place greater emphasis on taking a developmental perspective to dyslexia, which may, in turn, further our understanding of the etiological basis of this neurodevelopmental disorder, and ultimately optimize early identification and remediation. PMID:26679527

Dyslexia: Neuroanatomical/Neurolinguistic Perspectives.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hynd, George W.; Hynd, Cynthia R.

1984-01-01

Reviews attempts to adequately define dyslexia with a focus on recent efforts at developing a nosology of dyslexia and discusses the neurological basis of reading and severe reading failure with an emphasis on validating evidence provided through brain-mapping procedures and postmortem studies. (HOD)

The Role of Categorical Speech Perception and Phonological Processing in Familial Risk Children With and Without Dyslexia.

PubMed

Hakvoort, Britt; de Bree, Elise; van der Leij, Aryan; Maassen, Ben; van Setten, Ellie; Maurits, Natasha; van Zuijen, Titia L

2016-12-01

This study assessed whether a categorical speech perception (CP) deficit is associated with dyslexia or familial risk for dyslexia, by exploring a possible cascading relation from speech perception to phonology to reading and by identifying whether speech perception distinguishes familial risk (FR) children with dyslexia (FRD) from those without dyslexia (FRND). Data were collected from 9-year-old FRD (n = 37) and FRND (n = 41) children and age-matched controls (n = 49) on CP identification and discrimination and on the phonological processing measures rapid automatized naming, phoneme awareness, and nonword repetition. The FRD group performed more poorly on CP than the FRND and control groups. Findings on phonological processing align with the literature in that (a) phonological processing related to reading and (b) the FRD group showed the lowest phonological processing outcomes. Furthermore, CP correlated weakly with reading, but this relationship was fully mediated by rapid automatized naming. Although CP phonological skills are related to dyslexia, there was no strong evidence for a cascade from CP to phonology to reading. Deficits in CP at the behavioral level are not directly associated with dyslexia.

Investigating speech perception in children with dyslexia: is there evidence of a consistent deficit in individuals?

PubMed Central

Messaoud-Galusi, Souhila; Hazan, Valerie; Rosen, Stuart

2012-01-01

Purpose The claim that speech perception abilities are impaired in dyslexia was investigated in a group of 62 dyslexic children and 51 average readers matched in age. Method To test whether there was robust evidence of speech perception deficits in children with dyslexia, speech perception in noise and quiet was measured using eight different tasks involving the identification and discrimination of a complex and highly natural synthetic ‘pea’-‘bee’ contrast (copy synthesised from natural models) and the perception of naturally-produced words. Results Children with dyslexia, on average, performed more poorly than average readers in the synthetic syllables identification task in quiet and in across-category discrimination (but not when tested using an adaptive procedure). They did not differ from average readers on two tasks of word recognition in noise or identification of synthetic syllables in noise. For all tasks, a majority of individual children with dyslexia performed within norms. Finally, speech perception generally did not correlate with pseudo-word reading or phonological processing, the core skills related to dyslexia. Conclusions On the tasks and speech stimuli we used, most children with dyslexia do not appear to show a consistent deficit in speech perception. PMID:21930615

Neural encoding of the speech envelope by children with developmental dyslexia.

PubMed

Power, Alan J; Colling, Lincoln J; Mead, Natasha; Barnes, Lisa; Goswami, Usha

2016-09-01

Developmental dyslexia is consistently associated with difficulties in processing phonology (linguistic sound structure) across languages. One view is that dyslexia is characterised by a cognitive impairment in the "phonological representation" of word forms, which arises long before the child presents with a reading problem. Here we investigate a possible neural basis for developmental phonological impairments. We assess the neural quality of speech encoding in children with dyslexia by measuring the accuracy of low-frequency speech envelope encoding using EEG. We tested children with dyslexia and chronological age-matched (CA) and reading-level matched (RL) younger children. Participants listened to semantically-unpredictable sentences in a word report task. The sentences were noise-vocoded to increase reliance on envelope cues. Envelope reconstruction for envelopes between 0 and 10Hz showed that the children with dyslexia had significantly poorer speech encoding in the 0-2Hz band compared to both CA and RL controls. These data suggest that impaired neural encoding of low frequency speech envelopes, related to speech prosody, may underpin the phonological deficit that causes dyslexia across languages. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A General Audiovisual Temporal Processing Deficit in Adult Readers With Dyslexia.

PubMed

Francisco, Ana A; Jesse, Alexandra; Groen, Margriet A; McQueen, James M

2017-01-01

Because reading is an audiovisual process, reading impairment may reflect an audiovisual processing deficit. The aim of the present study was to test the existence and scope of such a deficit in adult readers with dyslexia. We tested 39 typical readers and 51 adult readers with dyslexia on their sensitivity to the simultaneity of audiovisual speech and nonspeech stimuli, their time window of audiovisual integration for speech (using incongruent /aCa/ syllables), and their audiovisual perception of phonetic categories. Adult readers with dyslexia showed less sensitivity to audiovisual simultaneity than typical readers for both speech and nonspeech events. We found no differences between readers with dyslexia and typical readers in the temporal window of integration for audiovisual speech or in the audiovisual perception of phonetic categories. The results suggest an audiovisual temporal deficit in dyslexia that is not specific to speech-related events. But the differences found for audiovisual temporal sensitivity did not translate into a deficit in audiovisual speech perception. Hence, there seems to be a hiatus between simultaneity judgment and perception, suggesting a multisensory system that uses different mechanisms across tasks. Alternatively, it is possible that the audiovisual deficit in dyslexia is only observable when explicit judgments about audiovisual simultaneity are required.

The Nature of Verbal Short-Term Impairment in Dyslexia: The Importance of Serial Order

PubMed Central

Majerus, Steve; Cowan, Nelson

2016-01-01

Verbal short-term memory (STM) impairment is one of the most consistent associated deficits observed in developmental reading disorders such as dyslexia. Few studies have addressed the nature of this STM impairment, especially as regards the ability to temporarily store serial order information. This question is important as studies in typically developing children have shown that serial order STM abilities are predictors of oral and written language development. Associated serial order STM deficits in dyslexia may therefore further increase the learning difficulties in these populations. In this mini review, we show that specific serial order STM impairment is frequently reported in both dyslexic children and adults with a history of dyslexia. Serial order STM impairment appears to occur for the retention of both verbal and visuo-spatial sequence information. Serial order STM impairment is, however, not a characteristic of every individual dyslexic subject and is not specific to dyslexia. Future studies need to determine whether serial order STM impairment is a risk factor which, in association with phonological processing deficits, can lead to dyslexia or whether serial order STM impairment reflects associated deficits causally unrelated to dyslexia. PMID:27752247

Learner-generated drawing for phonological and orthographic dyslexic readers.

PubMed

Wang, Li-Chih; Yang, Hsien-Ming; Tasi, Hung-Ju; Chan, Shih-Yi

2013-01-01

This study presents an examination of learner-generated drawing for different reading comprehension subtypes of dyslexic students and control students. The participants were 22 phonological dyslexic students, 20 orthographic dyslexic students, 21 double-deficit dyslexic students, and 45 age-, gender-, and IQ-matched control students. The major evaluation tools included word recognition task, orthographic task, phonological awareness task, and scenery texts and questions. Comparisons of the four groups of students showed differences among phonological dyslexia, orthographic dyslexia, double-deficit dyslexia, and the chronological age control groups in pre- and posttest performance of scenery texts. Differences also existed in relevant questions and the effect of the learner-generated drawing method. The pretest performance showed problems in the dyslexic samples in reading the scenery texts and answering relevant questions. The posttest performance revealed certain differences among phonological dyslexia, orthographic dyslexia, double-deficit dyslexia, and the chronological age control group. Finally, all dyslexic groups obtained a great effect from using the learner-generated drawing, particularly orthographic dyslexia. These results suggest that the learner-generated drawing was also useful for dyslexic students, with the potential for use in the classroom for teaching text reading to dyslexic students. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

'Speedy action over goal orientation': cognitive impulsivity in male forensic patients with dyslexia.

PubMed

Dåderman, Anna M; Meurling, Ann Wirsén; Levander, Sten

2012-11-01

Previous neuropsychiatric studies suggest a relationship between reading disability and cognitive impulsivity. This relationship is not entirely explained by the high comorbidity between reading disability and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), as children with a co-occurrence of these disorders tend to be more impulsive than those with ADHD only. Other research has demonstrated that poor verbal skill (irrespective of the presence of dyslexia) deficits in executive functions and impulsivity are important risk factors for criminal behaviour. The present study bridges these two research traditions by examining whether patients undergoing forensic psychiatric investigation who also have dyslexia, have a cognitive style characterized by impulsivity. Male forensic patients (mean age 27 years, range 16-35) with (n = 9) and without (n = 13) dyslexia were evaluated on the computerized EuroCog test battery. The findings suggest that patients with dyslexia tend to use a cognitive impulsive style and suggest a more direct link between dyslexia and cognitive impulsivity that is not mediated by the presence of ADHD. In order to identify treatment needs and tailor treatment accordingly, forensic patients should be assessed with respect to poor verbal skill, dyslexia and impulsivity. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Exploring the impact of living with dyslexia: The perspectives of children and their parents.

PubMed

Leitão, Suze; Dzidic, Peta; Claessen, Mary; Gordon, Joanne; Howard, Kate; Nayton, Mandy; Boyes, Mark E

2017-06-01

A small but growing body of literature indicates that children with dyslexia are at elevated risk of internalising and externalising mental health problems. However, little research addresses why this might be the case, particularly from the point of view of the children or their parents. This study therefore aimed to explore the lived experiences of children with dyslexia, and their parents. Drawing on a phenomenological approach, 13 children with dyslexia and 21 parents were interviewed. The semi-structured interviews were analysed thematically. Dyslexia was seen to impact at the individual, family and community level. Children's accounts of their experiences were ecologically situated at both the micro and mesosystem levels of Bronfenbrenner's ecological model, while parent's accounts extended to include the exosystem. Both also reflected on "difference", a theme related to cultural and attitudinal views at the level of the macrosystem. Presentation of the themes contrasts the experiences of children and parents, illustrating that the experience of dyslexia is indicative of broader challenges associated with societal values and attitudes that privilege perceived ability and shame difference. This study provides information that could be used to inform and educate families and teachers about the impact of living with dyslexia.

Predicting dyslexia at age 11 from a risk index questionnaire at age 5.

PubMed

Helland, Turid; Plante, Elena; Hugdahl, Kenneth

2011-08-01

This study focused on predicting dyslexia in children ahead of formal literacy training. Because dyslexia is a constitutional impairment, risk factors should be seen in preschool. It was hypothesized that data gathered at age 5 using questions targeting the dyslexia endophenotype should be reliable and valid predictors of dyslexia at age 11. A questionnaire was given to caretakers of 120 5-year-old children, and a risk index score was calculated based on questions regarding health, laterality, motor skills, language, special needs education and heredity. An at-risk group (n = 25) and matched controls (n = 24) were followed until age 11, when a similar questionnaire and literacy tests were administered to the children who participated in the follow-up study (22 at risk and 20 control). Half of the at-risk children and two of the control children at age 5 were identified as having dyslexia at age 11 (8 girls and 5 boys). It is concluded that it is possible to identify children at the age of 5 who will have dyslexia at the age of 11 through a questionnaire approach. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Reasoning and dyslexia: a spatial strategy may impede reasoning with visually rich information.

PubMed

Bacon, Alison M; Handley, Simon J; McDonald, Emma L

2007-02-01

Bacon, Handley, and Newstead (2003, 2004), have presented evidence for individual differences in reasoning strategies, with most people seeming to represent and manipulate problem information using either a verbal or a spatial strategy. There is also evidence that individuals with dyslexia are inclined to conceptualise information in a visuo-spatial, rather than a verbal, way (e.g. von Károlyi et al., 2003). If so, we might expect a higher proportion of individuals with dyslexia to be spatial reasoners, compared with individuals who do not have dyslexia. The study reported here directly compared strategies reported by these two groups of participants on a syllogistic reasoning task. Moreover, problem content was manipulated so that reasoning across concrete and abstract materials could be compared. The findings suggest that whilst most individuals without dyslexia use a verbal strategy, reasoners with dyslexia do tend to adopt a spatial approach, though their performance is impaired with visually concrete materials. However, when reasoning with more abstract content, they perform comparably with non-dyslexic controls. The paper discusses these results in the light of recent research which has suggested that visual images may impede reasoning, and considers how individuals with dyslexia may differ from other reasoners.

Statistical Learning and Dyslexia: A Systematic Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schmalz, Xenia; Altoè, Gianmarco; Mulatti, Claudio

2017-01-01

The existing literature on developmental dyslexia (hereafter: dyslexia) often focuses on isolating cognitive skills which differ across dyslexic and control participants. Among potential correlates, previous research has studied group differences between dyslexic and control participants in performance on statistical learning tasks. A statistical…

Developmental dyslexia: predicting individual risk

PubMed Central

Thompson, Paul A; Hulme, Charles; Nash, Hannah M; Gooch, Debbie; Hayiou-Thomas, Emma; Snowling, Margaret J

2015-01-01

Background Causal theories of dyslexia suggest that it is a heritable disorder, which is the outcome of multiple risk factors. However, whether early screening for dyslexia is viable is not yet known. Methods The study followed children at high risk of dyslexia from preschool through the early primary years assessing them from age 3 years and 6 months (T1) at approximately annual intervals on tasks tapping cognitive, language, and executive-motor skills. The children were recruited to three groups: children at family risk of dyslexia, children with concerns regarding speech, and language development at 3;06 years and controls considered to be typically developing. At 8 years, children were classified as ‘dyslexic’ or not. Logistic regression models were used to predict the individual risk of dyslexia and to investigate how risk factors accumulate to predict poor literacy outcomes. Results Family-risk status was a stronger predictor of dyslexia at 8 years than low language in preschool. Additional predictors in the preschool years include letter knowledge, phonological awareness, rapid automatized naming, and executive skills. At the time of school entry, language skills become significant predictors, and motor skills add a small but significant increase to the prediction probability. We present classification accuracy using different probability cutoffs for logistic regression models and ROC curves to highlight the accumulation of risk factors at the individual level. Conclusions Dyslexia is the outcome of multiple risk factors and children with language difficulties at school entry are at high risk. Family history of dyslexia is a predictor of literacy outcome from the preschool years. However, screening does not reach an acceptable clinical level until close to school entry when letter knowledge, phonological awareness, and RAN, rather than family risk, together provide good sensitivity and specificity as a screening battery. PMID:25832320

Strong motion deficits in dyslexia associated with DCDC2 gene alteration.

PubMed

Cicchini, Guido Marco; Marino, Cecilia; Mascheretti, Sara; Perani, Daniela; Morrone, Maria Concetta

2015-05-27

Dyslexia is a specific impairment in reading that affects 1 in 10 people. Previous studies have failed to isolate a single cause of the disorder, but several candidate genes have been reported. We measured motion perception in two groups of dyslexics, with and without a deletion within the DCDC2 gene, a risk gene for dyslexia. We found impairment for motion particularly strong at high spatial frequencies in the population carrying the deletion. The data suggest that deficits in motion processing occur in a specific genotype, rather than the entire dyslexia population, contributing to the large variability in impairment of motion thresholds in dyslexia reported in the literature. Copyright © 2015 the authors 0270-6474/15/358059-06$15.00/0.

Comorbidities in Preschool Children at Family Risk of Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gooch, Debbie; Hulme, Charles; Nash, Hannah M.; Snowling, Margaret J.

2014-01-01

Background: Comorbidity among developmental disorders such as dyslexia, language impairment, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and developmental coordination disorder is common. This study explores comorbid weaknesses in preschool children at family risk of dyslexia with and without language impairment and considers the role that…

Are There Lower Repetition Priming Effects in Children with Developmental Dyslexia? Priming Effects in Spanish with the Masked Lexical Decision Task.

PubMed

Nievas-Cazorla, Francisco; Soriano-Ferrer, Manuel; Sánchez-López, Pilar

2016-01-01

The aim of this study was to compare the reaction times and errors of Spanish children with developmental dyslexia to the reaction times and errors of readers without dyslexia on a masked lexical decision task with identity or repetition priming. A priming paradigm was used to study the role of the lexical deficit in dyslexic children, manipulating the frequency and length of the words, with a short Stimulus Onset Asynchrony (SOA = 150 ms) and degraded stimuli. The sample consisted of 80 participants from 9 to 14 years old, divided equally into a group with a developmental dyslexia diagnosis and a control group without dyslexia. Results show that identity priming is higher in control children (133 ms) than in dyslexic children (55 ms). Thus, the "frequency" and "word length" variables are not the source or origin of this reduction in identity priming reaction times in children with developmental dyslexia compared to control children.

Acquired dyslexia in a Turkish-English speaker.

PubMed

Raman, Ilhan; Weekes, Brendan S

2005-06-01

The Turkish script is characterised by completely transparent bidirectional mappings between orthography and phonology. To date, there has been no reported evidence of acquired dyslexia in Turkish speakers leading to the naïve view that reading and writing problems in Turkish are probably rare. We examined the extent to which phonological impairment and orthographic transparency influence reading disorders in a native Turkish speaker. BRB is a bilingual Turkish-English speaker with deep dysphasia accompanied by acquired dyslexia in both languages. The main findings are an effect of imageability on reading in Turkish coincident with surface dyslexia in English and preserved nonword reading. BRB's acquired dyslexia suggests that damage to phonological representations might have a consequence for learning to read in Turkish. We argue that BRB's acquired dyslexia has a common locus in chronic underactivation of phonological representations in Turkish and English. Despite a common locus, reading problems manifest themselves differently according to properties of the script and the type of task.

Brain basis of phonological awareness for spoken language in children and its disruption in dyslexia.

PubMed

Kovelman, Ioulia; Norton, Elizabeth S; Christodoulou, Joanna A; Gaab, Nadine; Lieberman, Daniel A; Triantafyllou, Christina; Wolf, Maryanne; Whitfield-Gabrieli, Susan; Gabrieli, John D E

2012-04-01

Phonological awareness, knowledge that speech is composed of syllables and phonemes, is critical for learning to read. Phonological awareness precedes and predicts successful transition from language to literacy, and weakness in phonological awareness is a leading cause of dyslexia, but the brain basis of phonological awareness for spoken language in children is unknown. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to identify the neural correlates of phonological awareness using an auditory word-rhyming task in children who were typical readers or who had dyslexia (ages 7-13) and a younger group of kindergarteners (ages 5-6). Typically developing children, but not children with dyslexia, recruited left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) when making explicit phonological judgments. Kindergarteners, who were matched to the older children with dyslexia on standardized tests of phonological awareness, also recruited left DLPFC. Left DLPFC may play a critical role in the development of phonological awareness for spoken language critical for reading and in the etiology of dyslexia.

Short-term memory for order but not for item information is impaired in developmental dyslexia.

PubMed

Hachmann, Wibke M; Bogaerts, Louisa; Szmalec, Arnaud; Woumans, Evy; Duyck, Wouter; Job, Remo

2014-07-01

Recent findings suggest that people with dyslexia experience difficulties with the learning of serial order information during the transition from short- to long-term memory (Szmalec et al. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, & Cognition 37(5): 1270-1279, 2011). At the same time, models of short-term memory increasingly incorporate a distinction of order and item processing (Majerus et al. Cognition 107: 395-419, 2008). The current study is aimed to investigate whether serial order processing deficiencies in dyslexia can be traced back to a selective impairment of short-term memory for serial order and whether this impairment also affects processing beyond the verbal domain. A sample of 26 adults with dyslexia and a group of age and IQ-matched controls participated in a 2 × 2 × 2 experiment in which we assessed short-term recognition performance for order and item information, using both verbal and nonverbal material. Our findings indicate that, irrespective of the type of material, participants with dyslexia recalled the individual items with the same accuracy as the matched control group, whereas the ability to recognize the serial order in which those items were presented appeared to be affected in the dyslexia group. We conclude that dyslexia is characterized by a selective impairment of short-term memory for serial order, but not for item information, and discuss the integration of these findings into current theoretical views on dyslexia and its associated dysfunctions.

Mathematical abilities in dyslexic children: a diffusion tensor imaging study.

PubMed

Koerte, Inga K; Willems, Anna; Muehlmann, Marc; Moll, Kristina; Cornell, Sonia; Pixner, Silvia; Steffinger, Denise; Keeser, Daniel; Heinen, Florian; Kubicki, Marek; Shenton, Martha E; Ertl-Wagner, Birgit; Schulte-Körne, Gerd

2016-09-01

Dyslexia is characterized by a deficit in language processing which mainly affects word decoding and spelling skills. In addition, children with dyslexia also show problems in mathematics. However, for the latter, the underlying structural correlates have not been investigated. Sixteen children with dyslexia (mean age 9.8 years [0.39]) and 24 typically developing children (mean age 9.9 years [0.29]) group matched for age, gender, IQ, and handedness underwent 3 T MR diffusion tensor imaging as well as cognitive testing. Tract-Based Spatial Statistics were performed to correlate behavioral data with diffusion data. Children with dyslexia performed worse than controls in standardized verbal number tasks, such as arithmetic efficiency tests (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division). In contrast, the two groups did not differ in the nonverbal number line task. Arithmetic efficiency, representing the total score of the four arithmetic tasks, multiplication, and division, correlated with diffusion measures in widespread areas of the white matter, including bilateral superior and inferior longitudinal fasciculi in children with dyslexia compared to controls. Children with dyslexia demonstrated lower performance in verbal number tasks but performed similarly to controls in a nonverbal number task. Further, an association between verbal arithmetic efficiency and diffusion measures was demonstrated in widespread areas of the white matter suggesting compensatory mechanisms in children with dyslexia compared to controls. Taken together, poor fact retrieval in children with dyslexia is likely a consequence of deficits in the language system, which not only affects literacy skills but also impacts on arithmetic skills.

Atypical right hemisphere response to slow temporal modulations in children with developmental dyslexia.

PubMed

Cutini, Simone; Szűcs, Dénes; Mead, Natasha; Huss, Martina; Goswami, Usha

2016-12-01

Phase entrainment of neuronal oscillations is thought to play a central role in encoding speech. Children with developmental dyslexia show impaired phonological processing of speech, proposed theoretically to be related to atypical phase entrainment to slower temporal modulations in speech (<10Hz). While studies of children with dyslexia have found atypical phase entrainment in the delta band (~2Hz), some studies of adults with developmental dyslexia have shown impaired entrainment in the low gamma band (~35-50Hz). Meanwhile, studies of neurotypical adults suggest asymmetric temporal sensitivity in auditory cortex, with preferential processing of slower modulations by right auditory cortex, and faster modulations processed bilaterally. Here we compared neural entrainment to slow (2Hz) versus faster (40Hz) amplitude-modulated noise using fNIRS to study possible hemispheric asymmetry effects in children with developmental dyslexia. We predicted atypical right hemisphere responding to 2Hz modulations for the children with dyslexia in comparison to control children, but equivalent responding to 40Hz modulations in both hemispheres. Analyses of HbO concentration revealed a right-lateralised region focused on the supra-marginal gyrus that was more active in children with dyslexia than in control children for 2Hz stimulation. We discuss possible links to linguistic prosodic processing, and interpret the data with respect to a neural 'temporal sampling' framework for conceptualizing the phonological deficits that characterise children with developmental dyslexia across languages. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Auditory Stimulus Processing and Task Learning Are Adequate in Dyslexia, but Benefits From Regularities Are Reduced.

PubMed

Daikhin, Luba; Raviv, Ofri; Ahissar, Merav

2017-02-01

The reading deficit for people with dyslexia is typically associated with linguistic, memory, and perceptual-discrimination difficulties, whose relation to reading impairment is disputed. We proposed that automatic detection and usage of serial sound regularities for individuals with dyslexia is impaired (anchoring deficit hypothesis), leading to the formation of less reliable sound predictions. Agus, Carrión-Castillo, Pressnitzer, and Ramus, (2014) reported seemingly contradictory evidence by showing similar performance by participants with and without dyslexia in a demanding auditory task that contained task-relevant regularities. To carefully assess the sensitivity of participants with dyslexia to regularities of this task, we replicated their study. Thirty participants with and 24 without dyslexia performed the replicated task. On each trial, a 1-s noise stimulus was presented. Participants had to decide whether the stimulus contained repetitions (was constructed from a 0.5-s noise segment repeated twice) or not. It is implicit in this structure that some of the stimuli with repetitions were themselves repeated across trials. We measured the ability to detect within-noise repetitions and the sensitivity to cross-trial repetitions of the same noise stimuli. We replicated the finding of similar mean performance. However, individuals with dyslexia were less sensitive to the cross-trial repetition of noise stimuli and tended to be more sensitive to repetitions in novel noise stimuli. These findings indicate that online auditory processing for individuals with dyslexia is adequate but their implicit retention and usage of sound regularities is indeed impaired.

Genomewide scan identifies susceptibility locus for dyslexia on Xq27 in an extended Dutch family.

PubMed

de Kovel, C G F; Hol, F A; Heister, J G A M; Willemen, J J H T; Sandkuijl, L A; Franke, B; Padberg, G W

2004-09-01

Dyslexia is a common disorder with a strong genetic component, but despite significant research effort, the aetiology is still largely unknown. To identify loci contributing to dyslexia risk. This was a genomewide linkage analysis in a single large family. Dutch families with at least two first degree relatives suffering from dyslexia participated in the study. Participants were recruited through an advertisement campaign in papers and magazines. The main outcome measure was linkage between genetic markers and dyslexia phenotype. Using parametric linkage analysis, we found strong evidence for a locus influencing dyslexia on Xq27.3 (multipoint lod = 3.68). Recombinations in two family members flanked an 8 cM region, comprising 11 currently confirmed genes. All four males carrying the risk haplotype had very low scores on the reading tests. The presentation in females was more variable, but 8/9 females carrying the risk haplotype were diagnosed dyslexic by our composite score, so we considered the putative risk allele to be dominant with reduced penetrance. Linkage was not found in an additional collection of affected sibling pairs. A locus influencing dyslexia risk is probably located between markers DXS1227 and DXS8091 on the X chromosome, closely situated to a locus indicated by a published genome scan of English sibling pairs. Although the locus may not be a common cause for dyslexia, the relatively small and gene poor region offers hope to identify the responsible gene.

Genomewide scan identifies susceptibility locus for dyslexia on Xq27 in an extended Dutch family

PubMed Central

de Kovel, C G F; Hol, F; Heister, J; Willemen, J; Sandkuijl, L; Franke, B; Padberg, G

2004-01-01

Context: Dyslexia is a common disorder with a strong genetic component, but despite significant research effort, the aetiology is still largely unknown. Objective: To identify loci contributing to dyslexia risk. Methods: This was a genomewide linkage analysis in a single large family. Dutch families with at least two first degree relatives suffering from dyslexia participated in the study. Participants were recruited through an advertisement campaign in papers and magazines. The main outcome measure was linkage between genetic markers and dyslexia phenotype. Results: Using parametric linkage analysis, we found strong evidence for a locus influencing dyslexia on Xq27.3 (multipoint lod = 3.68). Recombinations in two family members flanked an 8 cM region, comprising 11 currently confirmed genes. All four males carrying the risk haplotype had very low scores on the reading tests. The presentation in females was more variable, but 8/9 females carrying the risk haplotype were diagnosed dyslexic by our composite score, so we considered the putative risk allele to be dominant with reduced penetrance. Linkage was not found in an additional collection of affected sibling pairs. Conclusions: A locus influencing dyslexia risk is probably located between markers DXS1227 and DXS8091 on the X chromosome, closely situated to a locus indicated by a published genome scan of English sibling pairs. Although the locus may not be a common cause for dyslexia, the relatively small and gene poor region offers hope to identify the responsible gene. PMID:15342694

Psychological Resources of Adults with Developmental Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lockiewicz, Marta; Bogdanowicz, Katarzyna M.; Bogdanowicz, Marta

2014-01-01

The aim of our study was to describe specific psychological resources of adults with developmental dyslexia and compare them with psychological resources of adults without developmental dyslexia. Potential differences were analyzed in visual-spatial, creative, and motivational abilities. No evidence was found for either creative, or visuospatial…

Visuospatial Superiority in Developmental Dyslexia: Myth or Reality?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brunswick, Nicola; Martin, G. Neil; Marzano, Lisa

2010-01-01

Anecdotal evidence indicates that dyslexia is positively associated with superior visuospatial ability but empirical evidence is inconsistent. We explicitly tested the hypothesis that dyslexia is associated with visuospatial advantage in 20 dyslexic and 21 unimpaired adult readers using paper-and-pencil measures and tests of "everyday"…

Reading and Dyslexia in Different Orthographies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brunswick, Nicola, Ed.; McDougall, Sine, Ed.; de Mornay Davies, Paul, Ed.

2010-01-01

This book provides a unique and accessible account of current research on reading and dyslexia in different orthographies. While most research has been conducted in English, this text presents cross-language comparisons to provide insights into universal aspects of reading development and developmental dyslexia in alphabetic and non-alphabetic…

Language-Universal Sensory Deficits in Developmental Dyslexia: English, Spanish, and Chinese

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goswami, Usha; Wang, H.-L. Sharon; Cruz, Alicia; Fosker, Tim; Mead, Natasha; Huss, Martina

2011-01-01

Studies in sensory neuroscience reveal the critical importance of accurate sensory perception for cognitive development. There is considerable debate concerning the possible sensory correlates of "phonological processing", the primary cognitive risk factor for developmental dyslexia. Across languages, children with dyslexia have a specific…

Personal Constructs and Attribution for Academic Success and Failure in Dyslexia.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Humphrey, Neil; Mullins, Patricia M.

2002-01-01

A British study examined relationships between dyslexia and the ways in which students perceive themselves as learners, specifically their personal constructs and attributional styles. Results indicated that dyslexia has negative consequences for students' individual development. Suggestions are offered for making schools more "dyslexia…

Lateralized Temporal Order Judgement in Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liddle, Elizabeth B.; Jackson, Georgina M.; Rorden, Chris; Jackson, Stephen R.

2009-01-01

Temporal and spatial attentional deficits in dyslexia were investigated using a lateralized visual temporal order judgment (TOJ) paradigm that allowed both sensitivity to temporal order and spatial attentional bias to be measured. Findings indicate that adult participants with a positive screen for dyslexia were significantly less sensitive to the…

Dyslexia in Regular Orthographies: Manifestation and Causation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wimmer, Heinz; Schurz, Matthias

2010-01-01

This article summarizes our research on the manifestation of dyslexia in German and on cognitive deficits, which may account for the severe reading speed deficit and the poor orthographic spelling performance that characterize dyslexia in regular orthographies. An only limited causal role of phonological deficits (phonological awareness,…

Delayed Detection of Tonal Targets in Background Noise in Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chait, Maria; Eden, Guinevere; Poeppel, David; Simon, Jonathan Z.; Hill, Deborah F.; Flowers, D. Lynn

2007-01-01

Individuals with developmental dyslexia are often impaired in their ability to process certain linguistic and even basic non-linguistic auditory signals. Recent investigations report conflicting findings regarding impaired low-level binaural detection mechanisms associated with dyslexia. Binaural impairment has been hypothesized to stem from a…

What Can Reduce Letter Migrations in Letter Position Dyslexia?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Friedmann, Naama; Rahamim, Einav

2014-01-01

Letter position dyslexia (LPD) is a peripheral dyslexia that causes errors of letter position within words, such as reading "cloud" as "could." In this study, we assessed the effect of various display manipulations and reading methods on the reading of 10 Hebrew readers with developmental LPD. These manipulations included…

A Critical Disability Pedagogy: Legitimizing Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cosenza, Julie

2017-01-01

A common understanding is that dyslexia is the inability to spell words, the inability to recall symbols, the inability to recognize sight words, or the inability to decode. Dyslexia is often described in deficiency language--the inability to do something. Deficiency language is a product of special education and continues to dominate common…

Greek University Students with Dyslexia: An Interview Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stampoltzis, Aglaia; Polychronopoulou, Stavroula

2009-01-01

This paper reports a study exploring the personal and educational experiences of Greek students with dyslexia in higher education. Interviews with 16 students with dyslexia (11 male and five female) were conducted to investigate how they experienced school, peer relations, labelling, family support, university, self-esteem and how they made their…

Mothers Speak Differently to Infants At-Risk for Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kalashnikova, Marina; Goswami, Usha; Burnham, Denis

2018-01-01

Dyslexia is a neurodevelopmental disorder manifested in deficits in reading and spelling skills that is consistently associated with difficulties in phonological processing. Dyslexia is genetically transmitted, but its manifestation in a particular individual is thought to depend on the interaction of epigenetic and environmental factors. We adopt…

Cognitive Profiles of Chinese Adolescents with Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chung, Kevin K. H.; Ho, Connie Suk-Han; Chan, David W.; Tsang, Suk-Man; Lee, Suk-Han

2010-01-01

The present study sought to identify cognitive abilities that might distinguish Hong Kong Chinese adolescents with and without dyslexia and examined the cognitive profile of dyslexic adolescents in order to better understand this important problem. The performance of 27 Chinese adolescents with childhood diagnoses of dyslexia was compared with 27…

Auditory and Motor Rhythm Awareness in Adults with Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomson, Jennifer M.; Fryer, Ben; Maltby, James; Goswami, Usha

2006-01-01

Children with developmental dyslexia appear to be insensitive to basic auditory cues to speech rhythm and stress. For example, they experience difficulties in processing duration and amplitude envelope onset cues. Here we explored the sensitivity of adults with developmental dyslexia to the same cues. In addition, relations with expressive and…

Phonology, Reading Development, and Dyslexia: A Cross-Linguistic Perspective.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goswami, Usha

2002-01-01

This article presents a theoretical overview at the cognitive level of the role of phonological awareness in reading development and developmental dyslexia across languages. It is argued that the primary deficit in developmental dyslexia in all languages lies in representing speech sounds: a deficit in phonological representation. (Contains…

A Critical Analysis of Dyslexia Legislation in Three States

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Worthy, Jo; Villarreal, Doris; Godfrey, Vickie; DeJulio, Sam; Stefanski, Angela; Leitze, Amy; Cooper, Jennifer

2017-01-01

After a multitude of studies across more than a century, researchers have failed to consistently identify characteristics or patterns that distinguish dyslexia from other decoding challenges. Many researchers and educators argue the construct is too vague and contradictory to be useful for educators. Nevertheless, attention to dyslexia in policy…

Paired Associate Learning in Chinese Children with Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Li, Hong; Shu, Hua; McBride-Chang, Catherine; Liu, Hong Yun; Xue, Jin

2009-01-01

A total of 82 Chinese 11- and 12-year-olds with and without dyslexia were tested on four paired associate learning (PAL) tasks, phonological awareness, morphological awareness, rapid naming, and verbal short-term memory in three different experiments. Experiment 1 demonstrated that children with dyslexia were significantly poorer in visual-verbal…

Dyslexia and Severe Reading Disability.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ngandu, Kathleen M.

This handbook contains advice for the teacher in diagnosing dyslexia and developing an individualized program for overcoming severe reading problems. Observable characteristics of dyslexia are listed as an aid to the teacher's diagnosis, but it is emphasized that cooperation between the teacher and a reading specialist is of great importance in…

Dyslexia: A Mother's Role

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Washburn, Erin K.

2014-01-01

Children and adolescents with dyslexia are at greater risk for academic failure and socioemotional problems than their non-dyslexic peers. However, researchers have suggested that individuals with dyslexia can benefit from a strong support system. Further, researchers have noted that mothers are integral to their child's support system. However,…

(Dis)connections between Specific Language Impairment and Dyslexia in Chinese

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wong, Anita M.-Y.; Ho, Connie S.-H.; Au, Terry K.-F.; Kidd, Joanna C.; Ng, Ashley K.-H.; Yip, Lesley P.-W.; Lam, Catherine C.-C.

2015-01-01

Specific language impairment (SLI) and dyslexia are found to co-occur in school-aged children learning Chinese, a non-alphabetic language (Wong, Kidd, Ho, & Au in "Sci Stud Read" 14:30--57, 2010). This paper examined the "Distinct" hypothesis--that SLI and dyslexia have different cognitive deficits and behavioural…

Meeting the Needs of Students with Dyslexia and Dyscalculia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Witzel, Bradley; Mize, Minnie

2018-01-01

Understanding dyslexia and dyscalculia is not only important to helping students achieve, it has also been recently legislated in one southeastern state. The purpose of the North Carolina House Bill 149 is to ensure that students identified with learning disabilities, including dyslexia and dyscalculia, receive the appropriate assessment and…

Impaired Balance in Developmental Dyslexia? A Meta-Analysis of the Contending Evidence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rochelle, Kim S. H.; Talcott, Joel B.

2006-01-01

Background: Developmental dyslexia is typically defined by deficits in phonological skills, but it is also associated with anomalous performance on measures of balance. Although balance assessments are included in several screening batteries for dyslexia, the association between impairments in literacy and deficits in postural stability could be…

Dyslexia across Languages: Orthography and the Brain-Gene-Behavior Link

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCardle, Peggy, Ed.; Miller, Brett, Ed.; Lee, Jun Ren, Ed.; Tzeng, Ovid J. L., Ed.

2011-01-01

What causes dyslexia, and how does it manifest across languages? As bilingualism becomes increasingly important globally, these questions have never been more critical--and this comprehensive volume from The Dyslexia Foundation explores them in unprecedented depth. Bringing together the best brain-based, genetics, and behavioral research in the…

Electrophysiological Indices of Phonological Impairments in Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Desroches, Amy S.; Newman, Randy Lynn; Robertson, Erin K.; Joanisse, Marc F.

2013-01-01

Purpose: A range of studies have shown difficulties in perceiving acoustic and phonetic information in dyslexia; however, much less is known about how such difficulties relate to the perception of individual words. The authors present data from event-related potentials (ERPs) examining the hypothesis that children with dyslexia have difficulties…

Academic Motivation in Children with Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lodygowska, Ewa; Chec, Magdalena; Samochowiec, Agnieszka

2017-01-01

The authors' purpose was to determine which form of therapeutic aid may influence academic approach and avoidance motivation in children with dyslexia. There were 165 children with dyslexia assessed with the use of "I and my school" questionnaire. The authors considered the children's previous therapeutic experience and on its basis they…

Assessment of Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Proctor, Carla M.; Mather, Nancy; Stephens-Pisecco, Tammy L.; Jaffe, Lynne E.

2017-01-01

School psychologists are often involved in evaluating students who have been referred for reading problems or are suspected of having dyslexia. To accomplish this task, it is important to have a thorough understanding of dyslexia, and know what factors to consider. Therefore, the purposes of this article are to describe: (1) the primary and…

The Diagnosis Dilemma: Dyslexia and Visual-Spatial Ability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kotsopoulos, Donna; Zambrzycka, Joanna; Makosz, Samantha; Asdrubolini, Emma; Babic, Jovana; Best, Olivia; Bines, Tara; Cook, Samantha; Farrell, Natalie; Gisondi, Victoria; Scott, Meghan; Siderius, Christina; Smith, Dyoni

2017-01-01

Visual-spatial ability is important for mathematics learning but also for future STEM participation. Some studies report children with dyslexia have superior visual-spatial skills and other studies report a deficit. We sought to further explore the relationship between children formally identified as having dyslexia and visual-spatial ability.…

Visual Stress in Adults with and without Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Singleton, Chris; Trotter, Susannah

2005-01-01

The relationship between dyslexia and visual stress (sometimes known as Meares-Irlen syndrome) is uncertain. While some theorists have hypothesised an aetiological link between the two conditions, mediated by the magnocellular visual system, at the present time the predominant theories of dyslexia and visual stress see them as distinct, unrelated…

Phonological Precedence in Dyslexia: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schneider-Zioga, Patricia

2012-01-01

Developmental dyslexia is believed to involve a phonological deficit of which the exact properties have not been clearly established. This article presents the findings of a longitudinal case study that suggest that, at least for some people with dyslexia, the fundamental problem involves a disturbance of temporal-spatial ordering abilities. A…

High Reading Skills Mask Dyslexia in Gifted Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van Viersen, Sietske; Kroesbergen, Evelyn H.; Slot, Esther M.; de Bree, Elise H.

2016-01-01

This study investigated how gifted children with dyslexia might be able to mask literacy problems and the role of possible compensatory mechanisms. The sample consisted of 121 Dutch primary school children that were divided over four groups (typically developing [TD] children, children with dyslexia, gifted children, gifted children with…

Reading Disorders in Primary Progressive Aphasia: A Behavioral and Neuroimaging Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brambati, S. M.; Ogar, J.; Neuhaus, J.; Miller, B. L.; Gorno-Tempini, M. L.

2009-01-01

Previous neuropsychological studies on acquired dyslexia revealed a double dissociation in reading impairments. Patients with phonological dyslexia have selective difficulty in reading pseudo-words, while those with surface dyslexia misread exception words. This double dissociation in reading abilities has often been reported in brain-damaged…

P300 event-related potentials in children with dyslexia.

PubMed

Papagiannopoulou, Eleni A; Lagopoulos, Jim

2017-04-01

To elucidate the timing and the nature of neural disturbances in dyslexia and to further understand the topographical distribution of these, we examined entire brain regions employing the non-invasive auditory oddball P300 paradigm in children with dyslexia and neurotypical controls. Our findings revealed abnormalities for the dyslexia group in (i) P300 latency, globally, but greatest in frontal brain regions and (ii) decreased P300 amplitude confined to the central brain regions (Fig. 1). These findings reflect abnormalities associated with a diminished capacity to process mental workload as well as delayed processing of this information in children with dyslexia. Furthermore, the topographical distribution of these findings suggests a distinct spatial distribution for the observed P300 abnormalities. This information may be useful in future therapeutic or brain stimulation intervention trials.

Probabilistic Category Learning in Developmental Dyslexia: Evidence from Feedback and Paired-Associate Weather Prediction Tasks

PubMed Central

Gabay, Yafit; Vakil, Eli; Schiff, Rachel; Holt, Lori L.

2015-01-01

Objective Developmental dyslexia is presumed to arise from specific phonological impairments. However, an emerging theoretical framework suggests that phonological impairments may be symptoms stemming from an underlying dysfunction of procedural learning. Method We tested procedural learning in adults with dyslexia (n=15) and matched-controls (n=15) using two versions of the Weather Prediction Task: Feedback (FB) and Paired-associate (PA). In the FB-based task, participants learned associations between cues and outcomes initially by guessing and subsequently through feedback indicating the correctness of response. In the PA-based learning task, participants viewed the cue and its associated outcome simultaneously without overt response or feedback. In both versions, participants trained across 150 trials. Learning was assessed in a subsequent test without presentation of the outcome, or corrective feedback. Results The Dyslexia group exhibited impaired learning compared with the Control group on both the FB and PA versions of the weather prediction task. Conclusions The results indicate that the ability to learn by feedback is not selectively impaired in dyslexia. Rather it seems that the probabilistic nature of the task, shared by the FB and PA versions of the weather prediction task, hampers learning in those with dyslexia. Results are discussed in light of procedural learning impairments among participants with dyslexia. PMID:25730732

Surface developmental dyslexia is as prevalent as phonological dyslexia when appropriate control groups are employed.

PubMed

Wybrow, Dean P; Hanley, J Richard

2015-01-01

Previous investigations of the incidence of developmental surface and phonological dyslexia using reading-age-matched control groups have identified many more phonological dyslexics (poor nonword reading relative to irregular-word reading) than surface dyslexics (poor irregular-word reading relative to nonword reading). However, because the measures that have been used to estimate reading age include irregular-word reading ability, they appear inappropriate for assessing the incidence of surface dyslexia. The current study used a novel method for generating control groups whose reading ability was matched to that of the dyslexic sample. The incidence of surface dyslexia was assessed by comparing dyslexic performance with that of a control group who were matched with the dyslexics on a test of nonword reading. The incidence of phonological dyslexia was assessed with reference to a control group who were matched with the dyslexics at irregular-word reading. These control groups led to the identification of an approximately equal number of children with surface and phonological dyslexia. It appeared that selecting control participants who were matched with dyslexics for reading age led to the recruitment of individuals with relatively high nonword reading scores relative to their irregular-word reading scores compared with other types of control group. The theoretical implications of these findings are discussed.

Improvement of the Error-detection Mechanism in Adults with Dyslexia Following Reading Acceleration Training.

PubMed

Horowitz-Kraus, Tzipi

2016-05-01

The error-detection mechanism aids in preventing error repetition during a given task. Electroencephalography demonstrates that error detection involves two event-related potential components: error-related and correct-response negativities (ERN and CRN, respectively). Dyslexia is characterized by slow, inaccurate reading. In particular, individuals with dyslexia have a less active error-detection mechanism during reading than typical readers. In the current study, we examined whether a reading training programme could improve the ability to recognize words automatically (lexical representations) in adults with dyslexia, thereby resulting in more efficient error detection during reading. Behavioural and electrophysiological measures were obtained using a lexical decision task before and after participants trained with the reading acceleration programme. ERN amplitudes were smaller in individuals with dyslexia than in typical readers before training but increased following training, as did behavioural reading scores. Differences between the pre-training and post-training ERN and CRN components were larger in individuals with dyslexia than in typical readers. Also, the error-detection mechanism as represented by the ERN/CRN complex might serve as a biomarker for dyslexia and be used to evaluate the effectiveness of reading intervention programmes. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Evaluation of the Bangor Dyslexia Test (BDT) for use with Adults.

PubMed

Reynolds, Andrea Elaine; Caravolas, Markéta

2016-02-01

The Bangor Dyslexia Test (BDT) is a short, easy-to-administer screener for use with a broad age range, which has been in use in the UK for over three decades. A distinctive feature of the battery is its focus on skills requiring aspects of verbal and phonological processing without, however, measuring literacy skills per se. Despite its longstanding existence and usage, there has been no evaluation of the psychometric properties of the battery as an adult dyslexia screener. We examined the psychometric properties of the BDT and evaluated its capacity to discriminate between adults with and without dyslexia. A large archival sample of university students with dyslexia (n = 193) and students with no reported literacy difficulties (n = 40) were compared on the BDT as well as on literacy and cognitive measures. Statistical analyses revealed the BDT to be a reliable (α = .72) and valid dyslexia screening tool with the capacity to effectively identify adults at risk of the disorder with an overall classification rate of 94% (sensitivity 96.4% and specificity 82.5%). In addition, higher indices of dyslexia risk on the BDT were associated with lower scores on standardized measures of literacy. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

IQ of four-year-olds who go on to develop dyslexia.

PubMed

van Bergen, Elsje; de Jong, Peter F; Maassen, Ben; Krikhaar, Evelien; Plakas, Anna; van der Leij, Aryan

2014-01-01

Do children who go on to develop dyslexia show normal verbal and nonverbal development before reading onset? According to the aptitude-achievement discrepancy model, dyslexia is defined as a discrepancy between intelligence and reading achievement. One of the underlying assumptions is that the general cognitive development of children who fail to learn to read has been normal. The current study tests this assumption. In addition, we investigated whether possible IQ deficits are uniquely related to later reading or are also related to arithmetic. Four-year-olds (N = 212) with and without familial risk for dyslexia were assessed on 10 IQ subtests. Reading and arithmetic skills were measured 4 years later, at the end of Grade 2. Relative to the controls, the at-risk group without dyslexia had subtle impairments only in the verbal domain, whereas the at-risk group with dyslexia lagged behind across IQ tasks. Nonverbal IQ was associated with both reading and arithmetic, whereas verbal IQ was uniquely related to later reading. The children who went on to develop dyslexia performed relatively poorly in both verbal and nonverbal abilities at age 4, which challenges the discrepancy model. Furthermore, we discuss possible causal and epiphenomenal models explaining the links between early IQ and later reading. © Hammill Institute on Disabilities 2013.

Developmental Dyslexia: Early Precursors, Neurobehavioral Markers, and Biological Substrates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Benasich, April A., Ed.; Fitch, R. Holly, Ed.

2012-01-01

Understanding the precursors and early indicators of dyslexia is key to early identification and effective intervention. Now there's a single research volume that brings together the very latest knowledge on the earliest stages of dyslexia and the diverse genetic, neurobiological, and cognitive factors that may contribute to it. Based on findings…

Spoken Sentence Production in College Students with Dyslexia: Working Memory and Vocabulary Effects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wiseheart, Rebecca; Altmann, Lori J. P.

2018-01-01

Background: Individuals with dyslexia demonstrate syntactic difficulties on tasks of language comprehension, yet little is known about spoken language production in this population. Aims: To investigate whether spoken sentence production in college students with dyslexia is less proficient than in typical readers, and to determine whether group…

A Comparative Case Study of Learning Strategies and Recommendations of Five Professional Musicians with Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nelson, Kent Peter; Hourigan, Ryan M.

2016-01-01

Many of the characteristics of dyslexia--such as difficulties with decoding written symbols, phonemic awareness, physical coordination, and readable handwriting--may adversely affect music learning. Despite challenges, individuals with dyslexia can succeed in music. The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of five professional…

Non-Adjacent Dependency Learning in Infants at Familial Risk of Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kerkhoff, Annemarie; de Bree, Elise; de Klerk, Maartje; Wijnen, Frank

2013-01-01

This study tests the hypothesis that developmental dyslexia is (partly) caused by a deficit in implicit sequential learning, by investigating whether infants at familial risk of dyslexia can track non-adjacent dependencies in an artificial language. An implicit learning deficit would hinder detection of such dependencies, which mark grammatical…

Developmental Dyslexia: An Evaluation of a Theory.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Satz, Paul; Van Nostrand, Gary K.

The paper reviews a theory advanced by Satz and Sparrow (1970) which purports to explain the nature and cause of specific developmental dyslexia, and evaluates several developmental hypotheses which are generated bythe theory. The theory postulates that developmental dyslexia is not a unitary syndrome but rather reflects a lag in the maturation of…

Dyslexia Profiles across Orthographies Differing in Transparency: An Evaluation of Theoretical Predictions Contrasting English and Greek

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Diamanti, Vassiliki; Goulandris, Nata; Campbell, Ruth; Protopapas, Athanassios

2018-01-01

We examined the manifestation of dyslexia in a cross-linguistic study contrasting English and Greek children with dyslexia compared to chronological age and reading-level control groups on reading accuracy and fluency, phonological awareness, short-term memory, rapid naming, orthographic choice, and spelling. Materials were carefully matched…

Using Photography and Art in Concept Mapping Research with Adults with Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams Carawan, Lena; Nalavany, Blace

2010-01-01

Reflexive photography for individual interviews and the use of art with focus groups provides a valuable method for exploring the psychosocial issues encountered by adults with dyslexia. Reflexive photography and art is particularly appropriate when interviewing adults with dyslexia who may have difficulty expressing and focusing on what they want…

Dyslexia and Inclusion: Assessment and Support in Higher Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Farmer, Marian; Riddick, Barbara; Sterling, Christopher

This book addresses issues in the inclusion of students with dyslexia in programs of higher education in the United Kingdom. Chapter 1 examines debates around assessing students with dyslexia and urges a "modular" approach. Chapter 2 looks at assessment of areas of impairment traditionally considered to be dyslexic. Chapter 3 considers…

Double Dissociation of Functions in Developmental Dyslexia and Dyscalculia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rubinsten, Orly; Henik, Avishai

2006-01-01

This work examines the association between symbols and their representation in adult developmental dyscalculia and dyslexia. Experiment 1 used comparative judgment of numerals, and it was found that in physical comparisons (e.g., 3-5 vs. 3-5) the dyscalculia group showed a significantly smaller congruity effect than did the dyslexia and the…

Speech Perception Abilities of Adults with Dyslexia: Is There Any Evidence for a True Deficit?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hazan, Valerie; Messaoud-Galusi, Souhila; Rosen, Stuart; Nouwens, Suzan; Shakespeare, Bethanie

2009-01-01

Purpose: This study investigated whether adults with dyslexia show evidence of a consistent speech perception deficit by testing phoneme categorization and word perception in noise. Method: Seventeen adults with dyslexia and 20 average readers underwent a test battery including standardized reading, language and phonological awareness tests, and…

An Attempt to Simulate Letter-by-Letter Dyslexia in Normal Readers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fiset, Stephanie; Arguin, Martin; Fiset, Daniel

2006-01-01

We attempted to simulate the main features of letter-by-letter (LBL) dyslexia in normal readers through stimulus degradation (i.e. contrast reduction and removal of high spatial frequencies). The results showed the word length and the letter confusability effects characteristic of LBL dyslexia. However, the interaction of letter confusability and…

Dyslexia at a Behavioural and a Cognitive Level

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Helland, Turid

2007-01-01

The aim of this study was to see whether patterns of neuro-cognitive assets and deficits seen in dyslexia also would lead to different patterns of reading and writing. A group of dyslexic children was subgrouped by language comprehension and mathematics skills in accordance with the definition of the British Dyslexia Association of 1998. This…

Identifying Students with Dyslexia in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tops, Wim; Callens, Maaike; Lammertyn, Jan; Van Hees, Valerie; Brysbaert, Marc

2012-01-01

An increasing number of students with dyslexia enter higher education. As a result, there is a growing need for standardized diagnosis. Previous research has suggested that a small number of tests may suffice to reliably assess students with dyslexia, but these studies were based on post hoc discriminant analysis, which tends to overestimate the…

Rise Time Perception and Detection of Syllable Stress in Adults with Developmental Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leong, Victoria; Hamalainen, Jarmo; Soltesz, Fruzsina; Goswami, Usha

2011-01-01

Introduction: The perception of syllable stress has not been widely studied in developmental dyslexia, despite strong evidence for auditory rhythmic perceptual difficulties. Here we investigate the hypothesis that perception of sound rise time is related to the perception of syllable stress in adults with developmental dyslexia. Methods: A…

Impaired Perception of Syllable Stress in Children with Dyslexia: A Longitudinal Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goswami, Usha; Mead, Natasha; Fosker, Tim; Huss, Martina; Barnes, Lisa; Leong, Victoria

2013-01-01

Prosodic patterning is a key structural element of spoken language. However, the potential role of prosodic awareness in the phonological difficulties that characterise children with developmental dyslexia has been little studied. Here we report the first longitudinal study of sensitivity to syllable stress in children with dyslexia, enabling the…

Word Learning Deficits in Children with Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alt, Mary; Hogan, Tiffany; Green, Samuel; Gray, Shelley; Cabbage, Kathryn; Cowan, Nelson

2017-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate word learning in children with dyslexia to ascertain their strengths and weaknesses during the configuration stage of word learning. Method: Children with typical development (N = 116) and dyslexia (N = 68) participated in computer-based word learning games that assessed word learning in 4 sets…

Impaired Visual Attention in Children with Dyslexia.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heiervang, Einar; Hugdahl, Kenneth

2003-01-01

A cue-target visual attention task was administered to 25 children (ages 10-12) with dyslexia. Results showed a general pattern of slower responses in the children with dyslexia compared to controls. Subjects also had longer reaction times in the short and long cue-target interval conditions (covert and overt shift of attention). (Contains…

Developmental Dyslexia and Widespread Activation across the Cerebellar Hemispheres

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baillieux, Hanne; Vandervliet, Everhard J. M.; Manto, Mario; Parizel, Paul M.; De Deyn, Peter P.; Marien, Peter

2009-01-01

Developmental dyslexia is the most common learning disability in school-aged children with an estimated incidence of five to ten percent. The cause and pathophysiological substrate of this developmental disorder is unclear. Recently, a possible involvement of the cerebellum in the pathogenesis of dyslexia has been postulated. In this study, 15…

Dyslexia and the Studio: Bridging the Gap between Theory and Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alden, Sandy; Pollock, Venda Louise

2011-01-01

It is generally accepted that art and design related disciplines attract a higher proportion of students with dyslexia than traditional academic counterparts. Combined with this is a prevalent perception that dyslexia predominantly affects students' writing and linguistic ability and it is this, as well as an increased visual-spatial sensibility,…

Process Dissociation of Sight Vocabulary and Phonetic Decoding in Reading: A New Perspective on Surface and Phonological Dyslexias

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McDougall, Patricia; Borowsky, Ron; MacKinnon, G. E.; Hymel, Shelley

2005-01-01

Recent research on developmental dyslexia has suggested a phonological core deficit hypothesis (e.g., Manis, Seidenberg, Doi, McBride-Chang, & Peterson, 1996; Stanovich, Siegel, & Gottardo, 1997) whereby pure cases of developmental phonological dyslexia (dysfunctional phonetic decoding processing but normal sight vocabulary processing) can exist,…

Kindergarten through Second-Grade Teachers' Knowledge and Beliefs about Dyslexia Assessment and Retention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Foreman-Sinclair, Kimberly Ann

2012-01-01

The purpose of this mixed research study was to investigate early assessment and identification for dyslexia in kindergarten through second grade, and to examine whether teachers' knowledge and beliefs lead to the practice of retaining students in grade rather than recommending formal dyslexia assessment. This study investigated both kindergarten…

Whole-Word Shape Effect in Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lavidor, Michal

2011-01-01

The research question here was whether whole-word shape cues might facilitate reading in dyslexia following reports of how normal-reading children benefit from using this cue when learning to read. We predicted that adults with dyslexia would tend to rely more on orthographic rather than other cues when reading, and therefore would be more…

Genetics and Neuroscience in Dyslexia: Perspectives for Education and Remediation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schulte-Korne, Gerd; Ludwig, Kerstin U.; el Sharkawy, Jennifer; Nothen, Markus M.; Muller-Myhsok, Bertram; Hoffmann, Per

2007-01-01

Our understanding of the causes of a developmental disorder like dyslexia has received recent input from both neuroscience and genetics. The discovery of 4 candidate genes for dyslexia and the identification of neuronal networks engaged when children read and spell are the basis for introducing this knowledge into education. However, the input…

Longitudinal Stability of Pre-Reading Skill Profiles of Kindergarten Children: Implications for Early Screening and Theories of Reading

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ozernov-Palchik, Ola; Norton, Elizabeth S.; Sideridis, Georgios; Beach, Sara D.; Wolf, Maryanne; Gabrieli, John D. E.; Gaab, Nadine

2017-01-01

Research suggests that early identification of developmental dyslexia is important for mitigating the negative effects of dyslexia, including reduced educational attainment and increased socioemotional difficulties. The strongest pre-literacy predictors of dyslexia are rapid automatized naming (RAN), phonological awareness (PA), letter knowledge,…

Successful Strategies of Individuals with Dyslexia in the Field of Music: A Comparative Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nelson, Kent Peter

2014-01-01

Many of the symptoms of dyslexia--such as difficulties with decoding written symbols, phonemic awareness, physical coordination, and readable handwriting--may adversely affect music learning. Despite challenges, some individuals with dyslexia succeed in music. The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of five professional musicians…

Differentiating the Neural Response to Intervention in Children with Developmental Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Odegard, Timothy N.; Ring, Jeremiah; Smith, Stephanie; Biggan, John; Black, Jeff

2008-01-01

Developmental dyslexia is associated with functional abnormalities within reading areas of the brain. For some children diagnosed with dyslexia, phonologically based remediation programs appear to rehabilitate brain function in key reading areas (Shaywitz et al., Biological Psychiatry 55: 101-110, 2004; Simos et al., Neuroscience 58: 1203-1213,…

A Quasi-Experimental Analysis of Second Graders with Dyslexia Using the Motor Markers in the Cerebellar Deficit Hypothesis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stark, Sandra Kathleen

2013-01-01

Developmental dyslexia is a specific impairment of reading ability in the presence of normal intelligence and adequate reading instruction. Current research has linked dyslexia to genetic underpinnings, which are identifiable. Furthermore, there are cognitive processes that are influenced by unique genetically programmed neural networks that…

A Critical Approach towards Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leonard, Bobby

2005-01-01

This article discusses dyslexia (one of the many complex issues that affects students) and the ways to tackle it appropriately. Dyslexia is described as a syndrome in which a person's reading and/or writing ability is significantly lower than that which would be predicted by his or her general level of intelligence. People are diagnosed as…

Dyslexia Training Program. What Works Clearinghouse Intervention Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

What Works Clearinghouse, 2010

2010-01-01

The "Dyslexia Training Program," developed at the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children, is a Tier III reading intervention program that provides intensive phonics instruction to children with dyslexia, primarily in grades two through five. It is a comprehensive two-year program that bridges the gap for school districts in which a…

Auditory Temporal Processing and Working Memory: Two Independent Deficits for Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fostick, Leah; Bar-El, Sharona; Ram-Tsur, Ronit

2012-01-01

Dyslexia is a neuro-cognitive disorder with a strong genetic basis, characterized by a difficulty in acquiring reading skills. Several hypotheses have been suggested in an attempt to explain the origin of dyslexia, among which some have suggested that dyslexic readers might have a deficit in auditory temporal processing, while others hypothesized…

Lecturer Perspectives on Dyslexia within One Greek University: A Pilot Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stampoltzis, Aglaia; Tsitsou, Elisavet; Plesti, Helen; Kalouri, Rani

2015-01-01

Introduction: Dyslexia is a learning difficulty which affects people in different ways. During the last decades the number of students with dyslexia entering higher education increased steadily. Method: This paper reports a pilot study exploring the attitudes, views and experiences of faculty members at one small size Greek university regarding…

The Learning Experiences of Students with Dyslexia in a Greek Higher Education Institution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stampoltzis , Aglaia; Tsitsou, Elisavet; Plesti, Helen; Kalouri, Rani

2015-01-01

Dyslexia is the most common declared disability at universities which primarily affects reading, writing, speed of processing and organization. Many students with dyslexia have "invisible" difficulties that require different types of accommodations. The aim of this study is to give voice to the learning experiences of ten students with…

Foreign Language Reading and Spelling in Gifted Students with Dyslexia in Secondary Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van Viersen, Sietske; de Bree, Elise H.; Kalee, Lilian; Kroesbergen, Evelyn H.; de Jong, Peter F.

2017-01-01

A few studies suggest that gifted children with dyslexia have better literacy skills than averagely intelligent children with dyslexia. This finding aligns with the hypothesis that giftedness-related factors provide compensation for poor reading. The present study investigated whether, as in the native language (NL), the level of foreign language…

Motor Skills, Automaticity and Developmental Dyslexia: A Review of the Research Literature

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Savage, Robert

2004-01-01

This paper reviews a body of prominent theories of automaticity in developmental dyslexia. The first part of the review considers the relationship between dyslexia and rapid automatic naming and fluency. Additional theoretical and empirical advances are suggested to this already strong research base. In particular, there is a need is for…

Anchoring the Deficit of the Anchor Deficit: Dyslexia or Attention?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Willburger, Edith; Landerl, Karin

2010-01-01

In the anchoring deficit hypothesis of dyslexia ("Trends Cogn. Sci.", 2007; 11: 458-465), it is proposed that perceptual problems arise from the lack of forming a perceptual anchor for repeatedly presented stimuli. A study designed to explicitly test the specificity of the anchoring deficit for dyslexia is presented. Four groups, representing all…

Reduced Sensitivity to Slow-Rate Dynamic Auditory Information in Children with Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Poelmans, Hanne; Luts, Heleen; Vandermosten, Maaike; Boets, Bart; Ghesquiere, Pol; Wouters, Jan

2011-01-01

The etiology of developmental dyslexia remains widely debated. An appealing theory postulates that the reading and spelling problems in individuals with dyslexia originate from reduced sensitivity to slow-rate dynamic auditory cues. This low-level auditory deficit is thought to provoke a cascade of effects, including inaccurate speech perception…

IQ of Four-Year-Olds Who Go on to Develop Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van Bergen, Elsje; de Jong, Peter F.; Maassen, Ben; Krikhaar, Evelien; Plakas, Anna; van der Leij, Aryan

2014-01-01

Do children who go on to develop dyslexia show normal verbal and nonverbal development before reading onset? According to the aptitude-achievement discrepancy model, dyslexia is defined as a discrepancy between intelligence and reading achievement. One of the underlying assumptions is that the general cognitive development of children who fail to…

Auditory Stimulus Processing and Task Learning Are Adequate in Dyslexia, but Benefits from Regularities Are Reduced

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Daikhin, Luba; Raviv, Ofri; Ahissar, Merav

2017-01-01

Purpose: The reading deficit for people with dyslexia is typically associated with linguistic, memory, and perceptual-discrimination difficulties, whose relation to reading impairment is disputed. We proposed that automatic detection and usage of serial sound regularities for individuals with dyslexia is impaired (anchoring deficit hypothesis),…

Syntactic Comprehension in Reading and Listening: A Study with French Children with Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Casalis, Severine; Leuwers, Christel; Hilton, Heather

2013-01-01

This study examined syntactic comprehension in French children with dyslexia in both listening and reading. In the first syntactic comprehension task, a partial version of the Epreuve de Comprehension syntaxico-semantique (ECOSSE test; French adaptation of Bishop's test for receptive grammar test) children with dyslexia performed at a lower level…

Chinese Handwriting Performance of Primary School Children with Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lam, Sutie S. T.; Au, Ricky K. C.; Leung, Howard W. H.; Li-Tsang, Cecilia W. P.

2011-01-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the Chinese handwriting performance of typical children and children with dyslexia, and to examine whether speed and accuracy of handwriting could reliably discriminate these two groups of children. One hundred and thirty-seven children with dyslexia and 756 typical children were recruited from main stream…

"Dyslexia": Toward Semantical Clarification.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Manzo, Anthony V.; Duffelmeyer, Fred

A formulated definition of the term dyslexia is proposed in this paper in order to clarify the semantical confusion which exists among both specialists and the general public. Dyslexia is explained as a generic term for severe and puzzling reading disability, found to be both acute (where reading-age lags 25 percent or more below mental age) and…

Developmental Dyslexia in Chinese and English Populations: Dissociating the Effect of Dyslexia from Language Differences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hu, Wei; Lee, Hwee Ling; Zhang, Qiang; Liu, Tao; Geng, Li Bo; Seghier, Mohamed L.; Shakeshaft, Clare; Twomey, Tae; Green, David W.; Yang, Yi Ming; Price, Cathy J.

2010-01-01

Previous neuroimaging studies have suggested that developmental dyslexia has a different neural basis in Chinese and English populations because of known differences in the processing demands of the Chinese and English writing systems. Here, using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we provide the first direct statistically based investigation…

Teacher knowledge of basic language concepts and dyslexia.

PubMed

Washburn, Erin K; Joshi, R Malatesha; Binks-Cantrell, Emily S

2011-05-01

Roughly one-fifth of the US population displays one or more symptoms of dyslexia: a specific learning disability that affects an individual's ability to process written language. Consequently, elementary school teachers are teaching students who struggle with inaccurate or slow reading, poor spelling, poor writing, and other language processing difficulties. Findings from studies have indicated that teachers lack essential knowledge needed to teach struggling readers, particularly children with dyslexia. However, few studies have sought to assess teachers' knowledge and perceptions about dyslexia in conjunction with knowledge of basic language concepts related to reading instruction. Thus, the purpose of the present study was to examine elementary school teachers' knowledge of basic language concepts and their knowledge and perceptions about dyslexia. Findings from the present study indicated that teachers, on average, were able to display implicit skills related to certain basic language concepts (i.e. syllable counting), but failed to demonstrate explicit knowledge of others (i.e. phonics principles). Also, teachers seemed to hold the common misconception that dyslexia is a visual processing deficit rather than phonological processing deficit. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The double-deficit hypothesis: a comprehensive analysis of the evidence.

PubMed

Vukovic, Rose K; Siegel, Linda S

2006-01-01

The double-deficit hypothesis of developmental dyslexia proposes that deficits in phonological processing and naming speed represent independent sources of dysfunction in dyslexia. The present article is a review of the evidence for the double-deficit hypothesis, including a discussion of recent findings related to the hypothesis. Studies in this area have been characterized by variability in methodology--how dyslexia is defined and identified, and how dyslexia subtypes are classified. Such variability sets limitations on the extent to which conclusions may be drawn with respect to the double-deficit hypothesis. Furthermore, the literature is complicated by the persistent finding that measures of phonological processing and naming speed are significantly correlated, resulting in a statistical artifact that makes it difficult to disentangle the influence of naming speed from that of phonological processing. Longitudinal and intervention studies of the double-deficit hypothesis are needed to accumulate evidence that investigates a naming speed deficit that is independent of a phonological deficit for readers with dyslexia. The existing evidence does not support a persistent core deficit in naming speed for readers with dyslexia.

Beyond Auditory Sensory Processing Deficits: Lexical Tone Perception Deficits in Chinese Children With Developmental Dyslexia.

PubMed

Tong, Xiuhong; Tong, Xiuli; King Yiu, Fung

Increasing evidence suggests that children with developmental dyslexia exhibit a deficit not only at the segmental level of phonological processing but also, by extension, at the suprasegmental level. However, it remains unclear whether such a suprasegmental phonological processing deficit is due to a difficulty in processing acoustic cues of speech rhythm, such as rise time and intensity. This study set out to investigate to what extent suprasegmental phonological processing (i.e., Cantonese lexical tone perception) and rise time sensitivity could distinguish Chinese children with dyslexia from typically developing children. Sixteen children with dyslexia and 44 age-matched controls were administered a Cantonese lexical tone perception task, psychoacoustic tasks, a nonverbal reasoning ability task, and word reading and dictation tasks. Children with dyslexia performed worse than controls on Cantonese lexical tone perception, rise time, and intensity. Furthermore, Cantonese lexical tone perception appeared to be a stable indicator that distinguishes children with dyslexia from controls, even after controlling for basic auditory processing skills. These findings suggest that suprasegmental phonological processing (i.e., lexical tone perception) is a potential factor that accounts for reading difficulty in Chinese.

Reading disorders and dyslexia.

PubMed

Hulme, Charles; Snowling, Margaret J

2016-12-01

We review current knowledge about the nature of reading development and disorders, distinguishing between the processes involved in learning to decode print, and the processes involved in reading comprehension. Children with decoding difficulties/dyslexia experience deficits in phoneme awareness, letter-sound knowledge and rapid automatized naming in the preschool years and beyond. These phonological/language difficulties appear to be proximal causes of the problems in learning to decode print in dyslexia. We review data from a prospective study of children at high risk of dyslexia to show that being at family risk of dyslexia is a primary risk factor for poor reading and children with persistent language difficulties at school entry are more likely to develop reading problems. Early oral language difficulties are strong predictors of later difficulties in reading comprehension. There are two distinct forms of reading disorder in children: dyslexia (a difficulty in learning to translate print into speech) and reading comprehension impairment. Both forms of reading problem appear to be predominantly caused by deficits in underlying oral language skills. Implications for screening and for the delivery of robust interventions for language and reading are discussed.

Development of reading and phonological skills of children at family risk for dyslexia: a longitudinal analysis from kindergarten to sixth grade.

PubMed

Dandache, Sophie; Wouters, Jan; Ghesquière, Pol

2014-11-01

The main focus of this article is to develop a better understanding of the developmental trajectories of literacy and phonological skills within Dutch-speaking children. Children at high and low risk for dyslexia were followed and compared at four different moments: kindergarten and first, third and sixth grades. Three groups were then compared: (1) dyslexic readers; (2) normal readers at high risk for dyslexia; and (3) normal readers at low risk for dyslexia. Children diagnosed with dyslexia scored lower than high-risk normal readers on phonological awareness (PA), rapid automatized naming (RAN), verbal short-term memory and literacy skills. Normal readers at high risk scored between both groups, confirming that dyslexia is to be considered as a continuum rather than an all-or-none condition. Growth analyses showed that the three groups evolved similarly on all measures except for phoneme deletion and literacy measures. Finally, solely PA and RAN explained a significant amount of variance in the evolution of reading skills. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Exploring Text and Icon Graph Interpretation in Students with Dyslexia: An Eye-tracking Study.

PubMed

Kim, Sunjung; Wiseheart, Rebecca

2017-02-01

A growing body of research suggests that individuals with dyslexia struggle to use graphs efficiently. Given the persistence of orthographic processing deficits in dyslexia, this study tested whether graph interpretation deficits in dyslexia are directly related to difficulties processing the orthographic components of graphs (i.e. axes and legend labels). Participants were 80 college students with and without dyslexia. Response times and eye movements were recorded as students answered comprehension questions about simple data displayed in bar graphs. Axes and legends were labelled either with words (mixed-modality graphs) or icons (orthography-free graphs). Students also answered informationally equivalent questions presented in sentences (orthography-only condition). Response times were slower in the dyslexic group only for processing sentences. However, eye tracking data revealed group differences for processing mixed-modality graphs, whereas no group differences were found for the orthography-free graphs. When processing bar graphs, students with dyslexia differ from their able reading peers only when graphs contain orthographic features. Implications for processing informational text are discussed. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The overstimulated state of dyslexia: perception, knowledge, and learning.

PubMed

Arkowitz, S W

2000-01-01

Dyslexia is far more than a learning disorder; it has significant impact on personality organization. While dyslexia usually begins to manifest most clearly in early latency when the challenge of learning to read is at its height, often the dyslexic child's ego development and functioning has already been adversely affected. The literature from neuropsychology suggests that dyslexia is a subtle language-processing disorder that affects emotional, cognitive, and social development. The neuroanatomical literature also suggests a significant correlation between the neurodevelopmental basis for dyslexia, the caregiving environment, and psychological development. These two bodies of literature and analytic observations of a dyslexic patient suggest that the dyslexic individual may have a neurological deficit that increases vulnerability to overstimulation. The author hypothesizes that emotional and cognitive states result and reappear within the analytic encounter. This complicates clinical assessment and technical decisions. The author presents an analytic case and examines (1) the impact of deficit on the development of conflict; (2) the impact of the overwhelmed ego on the mastery of developmental tasks; and (3) the impact of dyslexia on dysgnosia, transference, and analytic process and technique.

Morphological differences in the lateral geniculate nucleus associated with dyslexia

PubMed Central

Giraldo-Chica, Mónica; Hegarty, John P.; Schneider, Keith A.

2015-01-01

Developmental dyslexia is a common learning disability characterized by normal intelligence but difficulty in skills associated with reading, writing and spelling. One of the most prominent, albeit controversial, theories of dyslexia is the magnocellular theory, which suggests that malfunction of the magnocellular system in the brain is responsible for the behavioral deficits. We sought to test the basis of this theory by directly measuring the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN), the only location in the brain where the magnocellular and parvocellular streams are spatially disjoint. Using high-resolution proton-density weighted MRI scans, we precisely measured the anatomical boundaries of the LGN in 13 subjects with dyslexia (five female) and 13 controls (three female), all 22–26 years old. The left LGN was significantly smaller in volume in subjects with dyslexia and also differed in shape; no differences were observed in the right LGN. The functional significance of this asymmetry is unknown, but these results are consistent with the magnocellular theory and support theories of dyslexia that involve differences in the early visual system. PMID:26082892

Increased susceptibility to proactive interference in adults with dyslexia?

PubMed

Bogaerts, Louisa; Szmalec, Arnaud; Hachmann, Wibke M; Page, Mike P A; Woumans, Evy; Duyck, Wouter

2015-01-01

Recent findings show that people with dyslexia have an impairment in serial-order memory. Based on these findings, the present study aimed to test the hypothesis that people with dyslexia have difficulties dealing with proactive interference (PI) in recognition memory. A group of 25 adults with dyslexia and a group of matched controls were subjected to a 2-back recognition task, which required participants to indicate whether an item (mis)matched the item that had been presented 2 trials before. PI was elicited using lure trials in which the item matched the item in the 3-back position instead of the targeted 2-back position. Our results demonstrate that the introduction of lure trials affected 2-back recognition performance more severely in the dyslexic group than in the control group, suggesting greater difficulty in resisting PI in dyslexia.

Developmental dyslexia: predicting individual risk.

PubMed

Thompson, Paul A; Hulme, Charles; Nash, Hannah M; Gooch, Debbie; Hayiou-Thomas, Emma; Snowling, Margaret J

2015-09-01

Causal theories of dyslexia suggest that it is a heritable disorder, which is the outcome of multiple risk factors. However, whether early screening for dyslexia is viable is not yet known. The study followed children at high risk of dyslexia from preschool through the early primary years assessing them from age 3 years and 6 months (T1) at approximately annual intervals on tasks tapping cognitive, language, and executive-motor skills. The children were recruited to three groups: children at family risk of dyslexia, children with concerns regarding speech, and language development at 3;06 years and controls considered to be typically developing. At 8 years, children were classified as 'dyslexic' or not. Logistic regression models were used to predict the individual risk of dyslexia and to investigate how risk factors accumulate to predict poor literacy outcomes. Family-risk status was a stronger predictor of dyslexia at 8 years than low language in preschool. Additional predictors in the preschool years include letter knowledge, phonological awareness, rapid automatized naming, and executive skills. At the time of school entry, language skills become significant predictors, and motor skills add a small but significant increase to the prediction probability. We present classification accuracy using different probability cutoffs for logistic regression models and ROC curves to highlight the accumulation of risk factors at the individual level. Dyslexia is the outcome of multiple risk factors and children with language difficulties at school entry are at high risk. Family history of dyslexia is a predictor of literacy outcome from the preschool years. However, screening does not reach an acceptable clinical level until close to school entry when letter knowledge, phonological awareness, and RAN, rather than family risk, together provide good sensitivity and specificity as a screening battery. © 2015 The Authors. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health.

Paying attention to reading: the neurobiology of reading and dyslexia.

PubMed

Shaywitz, Sally E; Shaywitz, Bennett A

2008-01-01

Extraordinary progress in functional brain imaging, primarily advances in functional magnetic resonance imaging, now allows scientists to understand the neural systems serving reading and how these systems differ in dyslexic readers. Scientists now speak of the neural signature of dyslexia, a singular achievement that for the first time has made what was previously a hidden disability, now visible. Paralleling this achievement in understanding the neurobiology of dyslexia, progress in the identification and treatment of dyslexia now offers the hope of identifying children at risk for dyslexia at a very young age and providing evidence-based, effective interventions. Despite these advances, for many dyslexic readers, becoming a skilled, automatic reader remains elusive, in great part because though children with dyslexia can be taught to decode words, teaching children to read fluently and automatically represents the next frontier in research on dyslexia. We suggest that to break through this "fluency" barrier, investigators will need to reexamine the more than 20-year-old central dogma in reading research: the generation of the phonological code from print is modular, that is, automatic and not attention demanding, and not requiring any other cognitive process. Recent findings now present a competing view: other cognitive processes are involved in reading, particularly attentional mechanisms, and that disruption of these attentional mechanisms play a causal role in reading difficulties. Recognition of the role of attentional mechanisms in reading now offer potentially new strategies for interventions in dyslexia. In particular, the use of pharmacotherapeutic agents affecting attentional mechanisms not only may provide a window into the neurochemical mechanisms underlying dyslexia but also may offer a potential adjunct treatment for teaching dyslexic readers to read fluently and automatically. Preliminary studies suggest that agents traditionally used to treat disorders of attention, particularly attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, may prove to be an effective adjunct to improving reading in dyslexic students.

Dyslexia and early intervention: what did we learn from the Dutch Dyslexia Programme?

PubMed

van der Leij, Aryan

2013-11-01

Part of the Dutch Dyslexia Programme has been dedicated to early intervention. The question of whether the genetically affected learning mechanism of children who are at familial risk (FR) of developing dyslexia could be influenced by training phoneme awareness and letter-sound associations in the prereading phase was investigated. The rationale was that intervention studies reveal insights about the weaknesses of the learning mechanisms of FR children. In addition, the studies aimed to gather practical insights to be used in the development of a system of early diagnosis and prevention. Focused on the last period of kindergarten before formal reading instruction starts in Grade 1, intervention methods with comparable samples and designs but differences in delivery mode (use of computer or manual), tutor (semi-professional or parent), location (at school or at home), and additional practices (serial rapid naming or simple word reading) have been executed to test the hypothesis that the incidence and degree of dyslexia can be reduced. The present position paper summarizes the Dutch Dyslexia Programme findings and relates them to findings of other studies. It is discussed that the Dutch studies provide evidence on why prevention of dyslexia is hard to accomplish. It is argued that effective intervention should not only start early but also be adapted to the individual and often long-lasting educational needs of children at risk of reading failure. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Genetic analysis of dyslexia candidate genes in the European cross-linguistic NeuroDys cohort.

PubMed

Becker, Jessica; Czamara, Darina; Scerri, Tom S; Ramus, Franck; Csépe, Valéria; Talcott, Joel B; Stein, John; Morris, Andrew; Ludwig, Kerstin U; Hoffmann, Per; Honbolygó, Ferenc; Tóth, Dénes; Fauchereau, Fabien; Bogliotti, Caroline; Iannuzzi, Stéphanie; Chaix, Yves; Valdois, Sylviane; Billard, Catherine; George, Florence; Soares-Boucaud, Isabelle; Gérard, Christophe-Loïc; van der Mark, Sanne; Schulz, Enrico; Vaessen, Anniek; Maurer, Urs; Lohvansuu, Kaisa; Lyytinen, Heikki; Zucchelli, Marco; Brandeis, Daniel; Blomert, Leo; Leppänen, Paavo H T; Bruder, Jennifer; Monaco, Anthony P; Müller-Myhsok, Bertram; Kere, Juha; Landerl, Karin; Nöthen, Markus M; Schulte-Körne, Gerd; Paracchini, Silvia; Peyrard-Janvid, Myriam; Schumacher, Johannes

2014-05-01

Dyslexia is one of the most common childhood disorders with a prevalence of around 5-10% in school-age children. Although an important genetic component is known to have a role in the aetiology of dyslexia, we are far from understanding the molecular mechanisms leading to the disorder. Several candidate genes have been implicated in dyslexia, including DYX1C1, DCDC2, KIAA0319, and the MRPL19/C2ORF3 locus, each with reports of both positive and no replications. We generated a European cross-linguistic sample of school-age children - the NeuroDys cohort - that includes more than 900 individuals with dyslexia, sampled with homogenous inclusion criteria across eight European countries, and a comparable number of controls. Here, we describe association analysis of the dyslexia candidate genes/locus in the NeuroDys cohort. We performed both case-control and quantitative association analyses of single markers and haplotypes previously reported to be dyslexia-associated. Although we observed association signals in samples from single countries, we did not find any marker or haplotype that was significantly associated with either case-control status or quantitative measurements of word-reading or spelling in the meta-analysis of all eight countries combined. Like in other neurocognitive disorders, our findings underline the need for larger sample sizes to validate possibly weak genetic effects.

Academic Achievement of University Students with Dyslexia.

PubMed

Olofsson, Åke; Taube, Karin; Ahl, Astrid

2015-11-01

Broadened recruitment to higher education is on the agenda in many countries, and it is also widely recognized that the number of dyslexic students entering higher education is increasing. In Sweden, as in many other European countries, higher education institutions are required to accommodate students with dyslexia. The present study focuses on the study outcome for 50 students with diagnosed dyslexia, mainly in teacher education and nurses' training, at three universities in Northern Sweden. The students trusted their own ability to find information on the Internet but mistrusted their own abilities in reading course books and articles in English and in taking notes. The mean rate of study was 23.5 European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System credits per semester, which is slightly below the national baseline of 26.7. The results show that more than half of the students are examined at a normal rate of study but that about one fifth have a very low rate of study. Messages Most students with dyslexia can compensate for their reading problems. Taking notes during lessons and reading in foreign language may be especially difficult for students with dyslexia. Diagnoses should distinguish between reading comprehension and word decoding. More than half of the students with dyslexia can achieve at a normal rate of study. One-fifth of the students with dyslexia may need a longer period of study than other students. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Location negative priming effects in children with developmental dyslexia: An event-related potential study.

PubMed

Ma, Yujun; Wang, Enguo; Yuan, Tian; Zhao, Guo Xiang

2016-08-01

As the reading process is inseparable from working memory, inhibition, and other higher cognitive processes, the deep cognitive processing defects that are associated with dyslexia may be due to defective distraction inhibition systems. In this study, we used event-related potential technology to explore the source of negative priming effects in children with developmental dyslexia and in a group of healthy children for comparison. We found that the changes in the average response times in the negative priming and control conditions were consistent across the two groups, while the negative priming effects differed significantly between the groups. The magnitude of the negative priming effect was significantly different between the two groups, with the magnitude being significantly higher in the control group than it was in the developmental dyslexia group. These results indicate that there are deficits in distraction inhibition in children with developmental dyslexia. In terms of the time course of processing, inhibition deficits in the dyslexia group appeared during early-stage cognition selection and lasted through the response selection phase. Regarding the cerebral cortex locations, early-stage cognition selection was mainly located in the parietal region, while late-stage response selection was mainly located in the frontal and central regions. The results of our study may help further our understanding of the intrinsic causes of developmental dyslexia. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Self-Efficacy in Undergraduate Students with Dyslexia: A Mixed Methods Investigation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stagg, Steven D.; Eaton, Elizabeth; Sjoblom, Amanda M.

2018-01-01

It may be thought that gaining a place at university confers self-belief on students with dyslexia; after all, they have succeeded in their academic studies. Our research explored self-efficacy beliefs in university students with and without dyslexia. An Academic Self-Efficacy Scale and a Sources of Academic Self-Efficacy Scale were completed by…

Writing in Dyslexia: Product and Process

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morken, Froydis; Helland, Turid

2013-01-01

Research on dyslexia has largely centred on reading. The aim of this study was to assess the writing of 13 children with and 28 without dyslexia at age 11?years. A programme for keystroke logging was used to allow recording of typing activity as the children performed a sentence dictation task. Five sentences were read aloud twice each. The task…

Evaluation of Ocular Movements in Patients with Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vagge, Aldo; Cavanna, Margherita; Traverso, Carlo Enrico; Iester, Michele

2015-01-01

The aims of this study were to analyze the relationship between dyslexia and eye movements and to assess whether this method can be added to the workup of dyslexic patients. The sample was comprised of 11 children with a diagnosis of dyslexia and 11 normal between 8 and 13 years of age. All subjects underwent orthoptic evaluation, ophthalmological…

Rapid Processing of Letters, Digits and Symbols: What Purely Visual-Attentional Deficit in Developmental Dyslexia?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ziegler, Johannes C.; Pech-Georgel, Catherine; Dufau, Stephane; Grainger, Jonathan

2010-01-01

Visual-attentional theories of dyslexia predict deficits for dyslexic children not only for the perception of letter strings but also for non-alphanumeric symbol strings. This prediction was tested in a two-alternative forced-choice paradigm with letters, digits, and symbols. Children with dyslexia showed significant deficits for letter and digit…

Phonological and Sensory Short-Term Memory Are Correlates and Both Affected in Developmental Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Laasonen, Marja; Virsu, Veijo; Oinonen, Suvi; Sandbacka, Mirja; Salakari, Anita; Service, Elisabet

2012-01-01

We investigated whether poor short-term memory (STM) in developmental dyslexia affects the processing of sensory stimulus sequences in addition to phonological material. STM for brief binary non-verbal stimuli (light flashes, tone bursts, finger touches, and their crossmodal combinations) was studied in 20 Finnish adults with dyslexia and 24…

Dyslexia and Dyscalculia: Two Learning Disorders with Different Cognitive Profiles

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Landerl, Karin; Fussenegger, Barbara; Moll, Kristina; Willburger, Edith

2009-01-01

This study tests the hypothesis that dyslexia and dyscalculia are associated with two largely independent cognitive deficits, namely a phonological deficit in the case of dyslexia and a deficit in the number module in the case of dyscalculia. In four groups of 8- to 10-year-olds (42 control, 21 dyslexic, 20 dyscalculic, and 26…

Expanding Horizons for Students with Dyslexia in the 21st Century: Universal Design and Mobile Technology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reid, Gavin; Strnadova, Iva; Cumming, Therese

2013-01-01

This paper discusses the role of mobile technology in supporting people with dyslexia within the theoretical framework of Universal Design for Learning. The authors discuss how students with dyslexia can use mobile technology to address a diverse range of academic needs (such as reading, composing text, notetaking, metacognition and studying…

Dyslexia--A Molecular Disorder of Neuronal Migration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Galaburda, Albert M.

2005-01-01

For 25 years now, there has been a serious attempt to get at the fundamental cause(s) of dyslexia in our laboratory. A great deal of research has been carried out on the psychological and brain underpinnings of the linguistic dysfunctions seen in dyslexia, but attempts to get at its cause have been limited. Initially, observations were made on the…

Reading and Spelling Gains Following One Year of Orton-Gillingham Intervention in Singaporean Students with Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lim, Lois; Oei, Adam C.

2015-01-01

Despite the widespread use of Orton-Gillingham (OG) based approaches to dyslexia remediation, empirical support documenting its effectiveness is lacking. Recently, Chia and Houghton demonstrated the effectiveness of the OG approach for remediation of dyslexia in Singapore. As a conceptual replication and extension of that research, we report…

Delayed Early Vocabulary Development in Children at Family Risk of Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van Viersen, Sietske; de Bree, Elise H.; Verdam, Mathilde; Krikhaar, Evelien; Maassen, Ben; van der Leij, Aryan; de Jong, Peter F.

2017-01-01

Purpose: This study aimed to gain more insight into the relation between vocabulary and reading acquisition by examining early growth trajectories in the vocabulary of children at family risk (FR) of dyslexia longitudinally. Method: The sample included 212 children from the Dutch Dyslexia Program with and without an FR. Parents reported on their…

Neuropsychological Profile on the WISC-IV of French Children with Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

De Clercq-Quaegebeur, Maryse; Casalis, Severine; Lemaitre, Marie-Pierre; Bourgois, Beatrice; Getto, Marie; Vallee, Louis

2010-01-01

This study examined the pattern of results on the "Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children" (WISC-IV; French version) for 60 French children with dyslexia, from 8 to 16 years of age. Although use of WISC-III failed to clearly identify typical profiles and cognitive deficits in dyslexia, WISC-IV offers an opportunity to reach these…

Assessing Dyslexia in Higher Education: The "York Adult Assessment Battery-Revised"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Warmington, Meesha; Stothard, Susan E.; Snowling, Margaret J.

2013-01-01

Although there are a number of standardised measures to assess dyslexia in children, there are comparatively fewer instruments suitable for the assessment of dyslexia in adults. Given the growing number of students entering UK higher education institutions, there is a need to develop reliable tools for assessing the additional needs of those with…

Putative Risk Factors in Developmental Dyslexia: A Case-Control Study of Italian Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mascheretti, Sara; Marino, Cecilia; Simone, Daniela; Quadrelli, Ermanno; Riva, Valentina; Cellino, Maria Rosaria; Maziade, Michel; Brombin, Chiara; Battaglia, Marco

2015-01-01

Although dyslexia runs in families, several putative risk factors that cannot be immediately identified as genetic predict reading disability. Published studies analyzed one or a few risk factors at a time, with relatively inconsistent results. To assess the contribution of several putative risk factors to the development of dyslexia, we conducted…

Academic Interventions for Children with Dyslexia Who Have Phonological Core Deficits. ERIC Digest E539.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Frost, Julie A.; Emery, Michael J.

This digest presents basic information for those providing educational services to children with dyslexia who have phonological core deficits. First it provides a brief overview, noting the incidence of dyslexia and the large number of these children with phonological deficits which result in far less academic progress than experienced by other…

Tip-of-the-Tongue and Word Retrieval Deficits in Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hanly, Sarah; Vandenberg, Brian

2010-01-01

Tip-of-the-tongue (TOT) responses on a picture-naming task were used to test the hypothesis that dyslexia involves phonological, but not semantic, processing deficits. Participants included 16 children with dyslexia and 31 control children between 8 and 10 years of age who did not differ in receptive vocabulary. As hypothesized, children with…

Dorsal Stream Deficits Suggest Hidden Dyslexia among Deaf Poor Readers: Correlated Evidence from Reduced Perceptual Speed and Elevated Coherent Motion Detection Thresholds

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Samar, V.J.; Parasnis, I.

2005-01-01

Prelingual deafness and developmental dyslexia have confounding developmental effects on reading acquisition. Therefore, standard reading assessment methods for diagnosing dyslexia in hearing people are ineffective for use with deaf people. Recently, Samar, Parasnis, and Berent (2002) reported visual evoked potential evidence that deaf poor…

Auditory Processing Interventions and Developmental Dyslexia: A Comparison of Phonemic and Rhythmic Approaches

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomson, Jennifer M.; Leong, Victoria; Goswami, Usha

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of two auditory processing interventions for developmental dyslexia, one based on rhythm and one based on phonetic training. Thirty-three children with dyslexia participated and were assigned to one of three groups (a) a novel rhythmic processing intervention designed to highlight auditory…

The Development of Reading Accuracy and Reading Rate during Treatment of Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tijms, Jurgen

2007-01-01

Two experiments were conducted to provide a window on the processes by which the accuracy and rate of reading develop during psycholinguistic treatment for dyslexia. In experiment 1,140 children with dyslexia followed a treatment method that presented them with a learning system that clarifies the basic elements and operations by which one's…

Visual Search Deficits Are Independent of Magnocellular Deficits in Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wright, Craig M.; Conlon, Elizabeth G.; Dyck, Murray

2012-01-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the theory that visual magnocellular deficits seen in groups with dyslexia are linked to reading via the mechanisms of visual attention. Visual attention was measured with a serial search task and magnocellular function with a coherent motion task. A large group of children with dyslexia (n = 70) had slower…

Dyslexie Font Does Not Benefit Reading in Children with or without Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kuster, Sanne M.; van Weerdenburg, Marjolijn; Gompel, Marjolein; Bosman, Anna M. T.

2018-01-01

In two experiments, the claim was tested that the font "Dyslexie", specifically designed for people with dyslexia, eases reading performance of children with (and without) dyslexia. Three questions were investigated. (1) Does the Dyslexie font lead to faster and/or more accurate reading? (2) Do children have a preference for the Dyslexie…

A Facilitation of Dyslexia through a Remediation of Shakespeare's Text

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whitfield, Petronilla

2016-01-01

This article shares the author's research focusing on the facilitation of acting students with dyslexia in actor-training. For some individuals with dyslexia the translation of the written text into image-based symbols using technological modalities can play a crucial role to access and make concrete the meaning of the words; in this case…

Sight Word and Phonics Training in Children with Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McArthur, Genevieve; Castles, Anne; Kohnen, Saskia; Larsen, Linda; Jones, Kristy; Anandakumar, Thushara; Banales, Erin

2015-01-01

The aims of this study were to (a) compare sight word training and phonics training in children with dyslexia, and (b) determine if different orders of sight word and phonics training have different effects on the reading skills of children with dyslexia. One group of children (n = 36) did 8 weeks of phonics training (reading via grapheme-phoneme…

Knowledge and Beliefs about Developmental Dyslexia in Pre-Service and In-Service Spanish-Speaking Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Soriano-Ferrer, Manuel; Echegaray-Bengoa, Joyce; Joshi, R. Malathesa

2016-01-01

The present study investigated knowledge, misconceptions, and lack of information about dyslexia among pre-service (PST) and in-service (IST) Spanish-speaking teachers in Spain and Peru. Two hundred and forty-six pre-service teachers and 267 in-service teachers completed the Knowledge and Beliefs about Developmental Dyslexia Scale (KBDDS).…

What's in a Name? Students with Dyslexia: Their Use of Metaphor in Making Sense of Their Disability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burden, Robert; Burdett, Julia

2007-01-01

Research and practice involving children and adults with dyslexia has tended to focus on identifying difficulties in developing literacy skills and associated cognitive variables. Comparatively few investigations have focused on affective factors or on finding ways of enabling those with dyslexia to express their own attitudes, thoughts and…

Dyslexia in Chinese Language: An Overview of Research and Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chung, Kevin K. H.; Ho, Connie S. H.

2010-01-01

Dyslexia appears to be the most prevalent disability of students with special educational needs in many mainstream classes, affecting around 9.7% of the school population in Hong Kong. The education of these students is therefore of great concern to the community. In the present paper research into dyslexia in the Chinese language is briefly…

Exploring Teacher Knowledge about Dyslexia and Teacher Efficacy in the Inclusive Classroom: A Multiple Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sicherer, Mati

2014-01-01

Researchers have found that teachers seem to lack information about dyslexia which can influence teaching efficacy and behavior. Because inclusion has caused children with dyslexia to spend the majority of their day in general education classrooms, general education teachers are mainly responsible for educating these students. These teachers must…

Understanding Dyslexia and Its Instructional Implications: A Case to Support Intense Intervention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gray, Erika S.

2008-01-01

Dyslexia is a congenital disorder characterized by unexpected difficulties in learning to read and spell in relation to one's verbal intelligence, motivation, and educational opportunities (Aylward et al., 2003; Morgan, 1896). Because dyslexia can affect 1.5-5% of the population (Aylward et al., 2003; Vellutino et al., 1996), understanding how to…

Implicit Learning of Non-Linguistic and Linguistic Regularities in Children with Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nigro, Luciana; Jiménez-Fernández, Gracia; Simpson, Ian C.; Defior, Sylvia

2016-01-01

One of the hallmarks of dyslexia is the failure to automatise written patterns despite repeated exposure to print. Although many explanations have been proposed to explain this problem, researchers have recently begun to explore the possibility that an underlying implicit learning deficit may play a role in dyslexia. This hypothesis has been…

The Nature of Developmental Dyslexia in a Transparent Orthography

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Verhoeven, Ludo; Keuning, Jos

2018-01-01

The present study aimed to explore the nature of developmental dyslexia in a language considered to have a transparent orthography, namely, Dutch. We assessed the accuracy and efficiency of decoding words and pseudowords with four lengths as well as three types of phonological ability in 2,760 typical children and 397 peers with dyslexia across…

English Word Reading Difficulties and Orthographic Processing Weaknesses in Chinese English Bilingual Adolescents with Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tong, Xiuhong; McBride, Catherine

2017-01-01

Is dyslexia in Chinese for Chinese-English bilinguals associated with difficulties in reading English, given differences in L1 and L2 orthographies? Among 11 Hong Kong Chinese adolescents with dyslexia, who were diagnosed by professional psychologists using the diagnostic criteria set out in a standardized test, and 14 adolescents without…

Temporal Order Judgment in Dyslexia--Task Difficulty or Temporal Processing Deficiency?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Skottun, Bernt C.; Skoyles, John R.

2010-01-01

Dyslexia has been widely held to be associated with deficient temporal processing. It is, however, not established that the slower visual processing of dyslexic readers is not a secondary effect of task difficulty. To illustrate this we re-analyze data from Liddle et al. (2009) who studied temporal order judgment in dyslexia and plotted the…

Effects of Dyslexia on Postural Control in Adults

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Patel, M.; Magnusson, M.; Lush, D.; Gomez, S.; Fransson, P. A.

2010-01-01

Dyslexia has been shown to affect postural control. The aim of the present study was to investigate the difference in postural stability measured as torque variance in an adult dyslexic group (n=14, determined using the Adult Dyslexia Checklist (ADCL) and nonsense word repetition test) and an adult non-dyslexic group (n=39) on a firm surface and…

A General Audiovisual Temporal Processing Deficit in Adult Readers with Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Francisco, Ana A.; Jesse, Alexandra; Groen, Margriet A.; McQueen, James M.

2017-01-01

Purpose: Because reading is an audiovisual process, reading impairment may reflect an audiovisual processing deficit. The aim of the present study was to test the existence and scope of such a deficit in adult readers with dyslexia. Method: We tested 39 typical readers and 51 adult readers with dyslexia on their sensitivity to the simultaneity of…

Neglect Dyslexia: Frequency, Association with Other Hemispatial Neglects, and Lesion Localization

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Byung Hwa; Suh, Mee Kyung; Kim, Eun-Joo; Seo, Sang Won; Choi, Kyung Mook; Kim, Gyeong-Moon; Chung, Chin-Sang; Heilman, Kenneth M.; Na, Duk L.

2009-01-01

Patients with right hemisphere injury often omit or misread words on the left side of a page or the beginning letters of single words (neglect dyslexia). Our study involving a large sample of acute right hemisphere stroke investigated (1) the frequency of neglect dyslexia (ND), (2) the association between ND and other types of contralesional…

The Role of Sensorimotor Impairments in Dyslexia: A Multiple Case Study of Dyslexic Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

White, Sarah; Milne, Elizabeth; Rosen, Stuart; Hansen, Peter; Swettenham, John; Frith, Uta; Ramus, Franck

2006-01-01

This study attempts to investigate the role of sensorimotor impairments in the reading disability that characterizes dyslexia. Twenty-three children with dyslexia were compared to 22 control children, matched for age and non-verbal intelligence, on tasks assessing literacy as well as phonological, visual, auditory and motor abilities. The dyslexic…

Dyslexia: A Wider View. The Contribution of an Ecological Paradigm to Current Issues.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Poole, Jennifer

2003-01-01

Dyslexia issues such as its existence, definition, and medical versus educational construction have been framed by the scientific paradigm. Reframing using an ecological perspective allows assessment focused on whole-school approaches and sociocultural factors. It also enables the use of predictive research and a view of dyslexia as more than a…

Evidence-Based Reading and Writing Assessment for Dyslexia in Adolescents and Young Adults

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nielsen, Kathleen; Abbott, Robert; Griffin, Whitney; Lott, Joe; Raskind, Wendy; Berninger, Virginia W.

2016-01-01

The same working memory and reading and writing achievement phenotypes (behavioral markers of genetic variants) validated in prior research with younger children and older adults in a multi-generational family genetics study of dyslexia were used to study 81 adolescent and young adults (ages 16 to 25) from that study. Dyslexia is impaired word…

Reading under the Skin: Physiological Activation during Reading in Children with Dyslexia and Typical Readers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tobia, Valentina; Bonifacci, Paola; Ottaviani, Cristina; Borsato, Thomas; Marzocchi, Gian Marco

2016-01-01

The aim of this study was to investigate physiological activation during reading and control tasks in children with dyslexia and typical readers. Skin conductance response (SCR) recorded during four tasks involving reading aloud, reading silently, and describing illustrated stories aloud and silently was compared for children with dyslexia (n =…

Students' Experiences of Academic Success with Dyslexia: A Call for Alternative Intervention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Soni, Anita

2017-01-01

This article describes a small-scale study exploring the perspectives of five undergraduate students with dyslexia. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in two universities in the UK. The interviews explored participants' perceptions of their dyslexia label and how it had affected their academic success. The aim of the research was to…

The Educational, Social and Emotional Experiences of Students with Dyslexia: The Perspective of Postsecondary Education Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Doikou-Avlidou, Maro

2015-01-01

The present study aimed at exploring the educational, social and emotional experiences of individuals with dyslexia both during school and tertiary education. For this purpose, semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten Greek students with dyslexia who were enrolled in higher education institutions. The data analysis was carried out with…

Examination of the Double-Deficit Hypothesis with Adolescents and Young Adults with Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nelson, Jason M.

2015-01-01

The double-deficit hypothesis (DDH) of the developmental dyslexias (Wolf and Bowers, "Journal of Educational Psychology", 91, 415-438, 1999) was investigated with 149 adolescents and young adults (age range?=?16 to 24 years) with dyslexia. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that a two-factor model with separate naming speed (NS) and…

Hemispheric, Attentional, and Processing Speed Factors in the Treatment of Developmental Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lorusso, Maria Luisa; Facoetti, Andrea; Molteni, Massimo

2004-01-01

Aim of the study is to analyze the contributions of hemispheric, attentional, and processing speed factors to the effects of neuropsychological treatment of developmental dyslexia. Four groups of dyslexic children (M-type dyslexia) were treated over a period of four months. A first group (n=9) underwent Bakker's Hemisphere-Specific Stimulation,…

Developmental dyslexia in Chinese and English populations: dissociating the effect of dyslexia from language differences

PubMed Central

Hu, Wei; Lee, Hwee Ling; Zhang, Qiang; Liu, Tao; Geng, Li Bo; Seghier, Mohamed L.; Shakeshaft, Clare; Twomey, Tae; Green, David W.; Yang, Yi Ming

2010-01-01

Previous neuroimaging studies have suggested that developmental dyslexia has a different neural basis in Chinese and English populations because of known differences in the processing demands of the Chinese and English writing systems. Here, using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we provide the first direct statistically based investigation into how the effect of dyslexia on brain activation is influenced by the Chinese and English writing systems. Brain activation for semantic decisions on written words was compared in English dyslexics, Chinese dyslexics, English normal readers and Chinese normal readers, while controlling for all other experimental parameters. By investigating the effects of dyslexia and language in one study, we show common activation in Chinese and English dyslexics despite different activation in Chinese versus English normal readers. The effect of dyslexia in both languages was observed as less than normal activation in the left angular gyrus and in left middle frontal, posterior temporal and occipitotemporal regions. Differences in Chinese and English normal reading were observed as increased activation for Chinese relative to English in the left inferior frontal sulcus; and increased activation for English relative to Chinese in the left posterior superior temporal sulcus. These cultural differences were not observed in dyslexics who activated both left inferior frontal sulcus and left posterior superior temporal sulcus, consistent with the use of culturally independent strategies when reading is less efficient. By dissociating the effect of dyslexia from differences in Chinese and English normal reading, our results reconcile brain activation results with a substantial body of behavioural studies showing commonalities in the cognitive manifestation of dyslexia in Chinese and English populations. They also demonstrate the influence of cognitive ability and learning environment on a common neural system for reading. PMID:20488886

Developmental dyslexia in Chinese and English populations: dissociating the effect of dyslexia from language differences.

PubMed

Hu, Wei; Lee, Hwee Ling; Zhang, Qiang; Liu, Tao; Geng, Li Bo; Seghier, Mohamed L; Shakeshaft, Clare; Twomey, Tae; Green, David W; Yang, Yi Ming; Price, Cathy J

2010-06-01

Previous neuroimaging studies have suggested that developmental dyslexia has a different neural basis in Chinese and English populations because of known differences in the processing demands of the Chinese and English writing systems. Here, using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we provide the first direct statistically based investigation into how the effect of dyslexia on brain activation is influenced by the Chinese and English writing systems. Brain activation for semantic decisions on written words was compared in English dyslexics, Chinese dyslexics, English normal readers and Chinese normal readers, while controlling for all other experimental parameters. By investigating the effects of dyslexia and language in one study, we show common activation in Chinese and English dyslexics despite different activation in Chinese versus English normal readers. The effect of dyslexia in both languages was observed as less than normal activation in the left angular gyrus and in left middle frontal, posterior temporal and occipitotemporal regions. Differences in Chinese and English normal reading were observed as increased activation for Chinese relative to English in the left inferior frontal sulcus; and increased activation for English relative to Chinese in the left posterior superior temporal sulcus. These cultural differences were not observed in dyslexics who activated both left inferior frontal sulcus and left posterior superior temporal sulcus, consistent with the use of culturally independent strategies when reading is less efficient. By dissociating the effect of dyslexia from differences in Chinese and English normal reading, our results reconcile brain activation results with a substantial body of behavioural studies showing commonalities in the cognitive manifestation of dyslexia in Chinese and English populations. They also demonstrate the influence of cognitive ability and learning environment on a common neural system for reading.

Rapid Naming in Brazilian Students with Dyslexia and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

PubMed Central

Alves, Luciana Mendonça; Siqueira, Cláudia M.; Ferreira, Maria do Carmo Mangelli; Alves, Juliana Flores Mendonça; Lodi, Débora F.; Bicalho, Lorena; Celeste, Letícia C.

2016-01-01

Introduction: The effective development of reading and writing skills requires the concerted action of several abilities, one of which is phonological processing. One of the main components of phonological processing is rapid automatized naming (RAN)—the ability to identify and recognize a given item by the activation and concomitant articulation of its name. Objective: To assess the RAN performance of schoolchildren with dyslexia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) compared with their peers. Methods: In total, 70 schoolchildren aged between 8 and 11 years participated in the study. Of these, 16 children had a multiprofessional diagnosis of ADHD while 14 were diagnosed with dyslexia. Matched with these groups, 40 schoolchildren with no history of developmental impairments were also evaluated. The RAN test was administered to assess the length of time required to name a series of familiar visual stimuli. The statistical analysis was conducted using measures of descriptive statistics and the 2-sample t-test at the 5% significance level. Results: The performance of the group with dyslexia was inferior to that of the control group in all tasks and the ADHD group had inferior performance for color and letters-naming tasks. The schoolchildren with dyslexia and those with ADHD showed very similar response times. Age was an important variable to be analyzed separately. As they aged, children with typical language development had fast answers on colors and digits tasks while children with dyslexia or ADHD did not show improvement with age. Conclusions: The schoolchildren with dyslexia took longer to complete all tasks and ADHD took longer to complete digits and objects tasks in comparison to their peers with typical development. This ability tended to improve with age, which was not the case, however, with schoolchildren who had ADHD or dyslexia. PMID:26858672

Machine learning and dyslexia: Classification of individual structural neuro-imaging scans of students with and without dyslexia.

PubMed

Tamboer, P; Vorst, H C M; Ghebreab, S; Scholte, H S

2016-01-01

Meta-analytic studies suggest that dyslexia is characterized by subtle and spatially distributed variations in brain anatomy, although many variations failed to be significant after corrections of multiple comparisons. To circumvent issues of significance which are characteristic for conventional analysis techniques, and to provide predictive value, we applied a machine learning technique--support vector machine--to differentiate between subjects with and without dyslexia. In a sample of 22 students with dyslexia (20 women) and 27 students without dyslexia (25 women) (18-21 years), a classification performance of 80% (p < 0.001; d-prime = 1.67) was achieved on the basis of differences in gray matter (sensitivity 82%, specificity 78%). The voxels that were most reliable for classification were found in the left occipital fusiform gyrus (LOFG), in the right occipital fusiform gyrus (ROFG), and in the left inferior parietal lobule (LIPL). Additionally, we found that classification certainty (e.g. the percentage of times a subject was correctly classified) correlated with severity of dyslexia (r = 0.47). Furthermore, various significant correlations were found between the three anatomical regions and behavioural measures of spelling, phonology and whole-word-reading. No correlations were found with behavioural measures of short-term memory and visual/attentional confusion. These data indicate that the LOFG, ROFG and the LIPL are neuro-endophenotype and potentially biomarkers for types of dyslexia related to reading, spelling and phonology. In a second and independent sample of 876 young adults of a general population, the trained classifier of the first sample was tested, resulting in a classification performance of 59% (p = 0.07; d-prime = 0.65). This decline in classification performance resulted from a large percentage of false alarms. This study provided support for the use of machine learning in anatomical brain imaging.

Visual and auditory perception in preschool children at risk for dyslexia.

PubMed

Ortiz, Rosario; Estévez, Adelina; Muñetón, Mercedes; Domínguez, Carolina

2014-11-01

Recently, there has been renewed interest in perceptive problems of dyslexics. A polemic research issue in this area has been the nature of the perception deficit. Another issue is the causal role of this deficit in dyslexia. Most studies have been carried out in adult and child literates; consequently, the observed deficits may be the result rather than the cause of dyslexia. This study addresses these issues by examining visual and auditory perception in children at risk for dyslexia. We compared children from preschool with and without risk for dyslexia in auditory and visual temporal order judgment tasks and same-different discrimination tasks. Identical visual and auditory, linguistic and nonlinguistic stimuli were presented in both tasks. The results revealed that the visual as well as the auditory perception of children at risk for dyslexia is impaired. The comparison between groups in auditory and visual perception shows that the achievement of children at risk was lower than children without risk for dyslexia in the temporal tasks. There were no differences between groups in auditory discrimination tasks. The difficulties of children at risk in visual and auditory perceptive processing affected both linguistic and nonlinguistic stimuli. Our conclusions are that children at risk for dyslexia show auditory and visual perceptive deficits for linguistic and nonlinguistic stimuli. The auditory impairment may be explained by temporal processing problems and these problems are more serious for processing language than for processing other auditory stimuli. These visual and auditory perceptive deficits are not the consequence of failing to learn to read, thus, these findings support the theory of temporal processing deficit. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Reading Performance Is Enhanced by Visual Texture Discrimination Training in Chinese-Speaking Children with Developmental Dyslexia

PubMed Central

Meng, Xiangzhi; Lin, Ou; Wang, Fang; Jiang, Yuzheng; Song, Yan

2014-01-01

Background High order cognitive processing and learning, such as reading, interact with lower-level sensory processing and learning. Previous studies have reported that visual perceptual training enlarges visual span and, consequently, improves reading speed in young and old people with amblyopia. Recently, a visual perceptual training study in Chinese-speaking children with dyslexia found that the visual texture discrimination thresholds of these children in visual perceptual training significantly correlated with their performance in Chinese character recognition, suggesting that deficits in visual perceptual processing/learning might partly underpin the difficulty in reading Chinese. Methodology/Principal Findings To further clarify whether visual perceptual training improves the measures of reading performance, eighteen children with dyslexia and eighteen typically developed readers that were age- and IQ-matched completed a series of reading measures before and after visual texture discrimination task (TDT) training. Prior to the TDT training, each group of children was split into two equivalent training and non-training groups in terms of all reading measures, IQ, and TDT. The results revealed that the discrimination threshold SOAs of TDT were significantly higher for the children with dyslexia than for the control children before training. Interestingly, training significantly decreased the discrimination threshold SOAs of TDT for both the typically developed readers and the children with dyslexia. More importantly, the training group with dyslexia exhibited significant enhancement in reading fluency, while the non-training group with dyslexia did not show this improvement. Additional follow-up tests showed that the improvement in reading fluency is a long-lasting effect and could be maintained for up to two months in the training group with dyslexia. Conclusion/Significance These results suggest that basic visual perceptual processing/learning and reading ability in Chinese might at least partially rely on overlapping mechanisms. PMID:25247602

Early communicative gestures and play as predictors of language development in children born with and without family risk for dyslexia.

PubMed

Unhjem, Astrid; Eklund, Kenneth; Nergård-Nilssen, Trude

2014-08-01

The present study investigated early communicative gestures, play, and language skills in children born with family risk for dyslexia (FR) and a control group of children without this inheritable risk at ages 12, 15, 18, and 24 months. Participants were drawn from the Tromsø Longitudinal study of Dyslexia (TLD) which follows children's cognitive and language development from age 12 months through Grade 2 in order to identify early markers of developmental dyslexia. Results showed that symbolic play and parent reported play at age 12 months and communicative gestures at age 15 months explained 61% of the variance in productive language at 24 months in the FR group. These early nonlinguistic measures seem to be potentially interesting markers of later language development in children born at risk for dyslexia. © 2014 Scandinavian Psychological Associations and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Quantitative assessment of drawing tests in children with dyslexia and dysgraphia.

PubMed

Galli, Manuela; Cimolin, Veronica; Stella, Giacomo; De Pandis, Maria Francesca; Ancillao, Andrea; Condoluci, Claudia

2018-05-07

Drawing tests in children diagnosed with dyslexia and dysgraphia were quantitatively compared. Fourteen children with dysgraphia, 19 with dyslexia and 13 normally developing were asked to copy 3 figures: a circle, a square and a cross. An optoelectronic system allowed the acquisition of the drawing track in three-dimensions. The participants' head position and upper limb movements were measured as well. A set of parameters including movement duration, velocity, length of the trace, Range of Motion of the upper limb, was computed and compared among the 3 groups. Children with dyslexia traced the circle faster than the other groups. In the cross test, dyslexic participants showed a reduced execution time and increased velocity while drawing the horizontal line. Children with dyslexia were also faster in drawing certain sides of square with respect to the other groups. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Seminar: Developmental Dyslexia

PubMed Central

Peterson, Robin L.; Pennington, Bruce F.

2012-01-01

Summary Dyslexia is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is characterized by slow and inaccurate word recognition. Dyslexia has been found in every culture studied, and mounting evidence underscores cross-linguistic similarity in its neurobiological and neurocognitive bases. There has been considerable progress across levels of analysis in the last five years. At a neuropsychological level, the phonological theory remains the most compelling, though it is increasingly clear that phonological problems interact with other cognitive risk factors. At a neurobiological level, recent research confirms that dyslexia is characterized by dysfunction of the normal left hemisphere language network and also implicates abnormal white matter development. Studies accounting for reading experience demonstrate that many observed neural differences reflect causes rather than effects of dyslexia. At an etiologic risk level, six candidate genes have been identified, and there is evidence for gene by environment interaction. This review includes a focus on these and other recent developments. PMID:22513218

Legal, ethical and practical considerations in research involving nurses with dyslexia.

PubMed

Gillin, Nicola

2015-09-01

To discuss the legal, ethical and practical considerations in UK studies involving nurses with dyslexia and medication administration errors (MAEs). Nurses with dyslexia are a vulnerable population as they are susceptible to misrepresentation in research, especially that which involves a sensitive topic such as MAEs. Nurses with dyslexia may be particularly vulnerable to research that could exploit, implicate or attribute unsafe practice to them and their disability. Special consideration should be exercised when researching this population. Despite the potential for legal, ethical and practical issues, MAEs and nurses with dyslexia are under-researched areas and warrant further research. Benefits can be gained, not only by participants but also those with a vested interest in how best to support dyslexic nurses in clinical practice. Through effective design, risks can be identified and minimised, and the research made viable, ethically sound and ultimately beneficial to all those involved.

Visual memory transformations in dyslexia.

PubMed

Barnes, James; Hinkley, Lisa; Masters, Stuart; Boubert, Laura

2007-06-01

Representational Momentum refers to observers' distortion of recognition memory for pictures that imply motion because of an automatic mental process which extrapolates along the implied trajectory of the picture. Neuroimaging evidence suggests that activity in the magnocellular visual pathway is necessary for representational momentum to occur. It has been proposed that individuals with dyslexia have a magnocellular deficit, so it was hypothesised that these individuals would show reduced or absent representational momentum. In this study, 30 adults with dyslexia and 30 age-matched controls were compared on two tasks, one linear and one rotation, which had previously elicited the representational momentum effect. Analysis indicated significant differences in the performance of the two groups, with the dyslexia group having a reduced susceptibility to representational momentum in both linear and rotational directions. The findings highlight that deficits in temporal spatial processing may contribute to the perceptual profile of dyslexia.

False Memory for Orthographically versus Semantically Similar Words in Adolescents with Dyslexia: A Fuzzy-Trace Theory Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Obidzinski, Michal; Nieznanski, Marek

2017-01-01

The presented research was conducted in order to investigate the connections between developmental dyslexia and the functioning of verbatim and gist memory traces--assumed in the fuzzy-trace theory. The participants were 71 high school students (33 with dyslexia and 38 without learning difficulties). The modified procedure and multinomial model of…

Coherent Motion Sensitivity and Reading Development in the Transition from Prereading to Reading Stage

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boets, Bart; Vandermosten, Maaike; Cornelissen, Piers; Wouters, Jan; Ghesquiere, Pol

2011-01-01

Evidence suggests that sensitivity to coherent motion (CM) is related to reading, but its role in the etiology of developmental dyslexia remains unclear. In this longitudinal study, CM sensitivity was measured in 31 children at family risk for dyslexia and 31 low-risk controls. Children, diagnosed with dyslexia in third grade (mean age = 8 years 3…

Influence of Verbal Working Memory Depends on Vocabulary: Oral Reading Fluency in Adolescents with Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rose, L. Todd; Rouhani, Parisa

2012-01-01

Most research on dyslexia to date has focused on early childhood, while comparatively little is known about the nature of dyslexia in adolescence. The current study had two objectives. The first was to investigate the relative contributions of several cognitive and linguistic factors to connected-text oral reading fluency in a sample of…

Parental Literacy Predicts Children's Literacy: A Longitudinal Family-Risk Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Torppa, Minna; Eklund, Kenneth; van Bergen, Elsje; Lyytinen, Heikki

2011-01-01

This family-risk (FR) study examined whether the literacy skills of parents with dyslexia are predictive of the literacy skills of their offspring. We report data from 31 child-parent dyads where both had dyslexia (FR-D) and 68 dyads where the child did not have dyslexia (FR-ND). Findings supported the differences in liability of FR children with…

Impaired Visual Expertise for Print in French Adults with Dyslexia as Shown by N170 Tuning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mahe, Gwendoline; Bonnefond, Anne; Gavens, Nathalie; Dufour, Andre; Doignon-Camus, Nadege

2012-01-01

Efficient reading relies on expertise in the visual word form area, with abnormalities in the functional specialization of this area observed in individuals with developmental dyslexia. We have investigated event related potentials in print tuning in adults with dyslexia, based on their N170 response at 135-255 ms. Control and dyslexic adults…

Spelling in Adolescents with Dyslexia: Errors and Modes of Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tops, Wim; Callens, Maaike; Bijn, Evi; Brysbaert, Marc

2014-01-01

In this study we focused on the spelling of high-functioning students with dyslexia. We made a detailed classification of the errors in a word and sentence dictation task made by 100 students with dyslexia and 100 matched control students. All participants were in the first year of their bachelor's studies and had Dutch as mother tongue. Three…

Follow-up of an Exercise-Based Treatment for Children with Reading Difficulties

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reynolds, David; Nicolson, Roderick I.

2007-01-01

This study reports the results of a long-term follow-up of an exercise-based approach to dyslexia-related disorders (Reynolds, Nicolson, & Hambly, "Dyslexia," 2003; 9(1): 48-71). In the initial study, children at risk of dyslexia were identified in 3 years of a junior school. One half then undertook a 6 month, home-based exercise…

The Role of Orthographic Analogies in Reading for Meaning: Evidence from Readers with Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Humphrey, Neil; Richard Hanley, J.

2004-01-01

The aim of this experiment was to investigate the use of orthographic analogies in conditions that involved making sense of print (picture-word matching) and pronouncing print (reading aloud) for readers with dyslexia. An adapted version of the classic clue-word paradigm developed by Goswami was used. Participants were 40 readers with dyslexia and…

Dyslexia and the Need for Teacher Training: A Collaborative Three-Pronged Approach between a University and a Community Partner

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mills, Jeremy R.; Clarke, Monica

2017-01-01

An absent element in many education preparation programs is sufficient training on dyslexia and how to effectively remediate the disorder. Defining characteristics and remedial strategies for dyslexia have been established for decades but have not sufficiently become a part of teacher preparation programs, thus creating a gap in professional…

The Contribution of White and Gray Matter Differences to Developmental Dyslexia: Insights from DTI and VBM at 3.0 T

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Steinbrink, C.; Vogt, K.; Kastrup, A.; Muller, H. P.; Juengling, F. D.; Kassubek, J.; Riecker, A.

2008-01-01

Developmental dyslexia is one of the most common neuropsychological disorders in children and adults. Only few data are available on the pathomechanisms of this specific dysfunction, assuming--among others--that dyslexia might be a disconnection syndrome of anterior and posterior brain regions involved in phonological and orthographic aspects of…

Speech-in-Noise Perception Deficit in Adults with Dyslexia: Effects of Background Type and Listening Configuration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dole, Marjorie; Hoen, Michel; Meunier, Fanny

2012-01-01

Developmental dyslexia is associated with impaired speech-in-noise perception. The goal of the present research was to further characterize this deficit in dyslexic adults. In order to specify the mechanisms and processing strategies used by adults with dyslexia during speech-in-noise perception, we explored the influence of background type,…

An Investigation of the Guidance Counselling Needs of Adults with Dyslexia in the Adult Educational Guidance Initiative (AEGI)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Elftorp, Petra; Hearne, Lucy

2014-01-01

The experiences of adult learners with dyslexia is an under-researched area in Ireland at present. This article will discuss the findings from phase one of a mixed methods research study, which is investigating the guidance counselling needs of clients with dyslexia within the Adult Education Guidance Initiative (AEGI). The research is underpinned…

I-N-D-E-P-E-N-D-E-N-T: Increasing Reading Independence for Students with Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Milner, Diane Hansen

2017-01-01

Due to their unique brain profile, children with dyslexia struggle with acquiring basic literacy skills. Even after basic reading skills have been learned students with dyslexia may still struggle greatly with generalizing their skills to new contexts. Researchers have found that 75 percent of children identified with reading problems in third…

The Socio-Emotional Needs of Children with Dyslexia in Different Educational Settings in Ireland

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Casserly, Ann Marie

2013-01-01

This paper reports on a four-year research project examining the experiences of children with dyslexia in mainstream schools and reading schools/classes. The focus of this paper is on the socio-emotional effects of dyslexia on a group of children attending a reading school/class for a specific duration before returning to mainstream. The findings…

Language Development, Literacy Skills, and Predictive Connections to Reading in Finnish Children with and without Familial Risk for Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Torppa, Minna; Lyytinen, Paula; Erskine, Jane; Eklund, Kenneth; Lyytinen, Heikki

2010-01-01

Discriminative language markers and predictive links between early language and literacy skills were investigated retrospectively in the Jyvaskyla Longitudinal Study of Dyslexia in which children at familial risk for dyslexia have been followed from birth. Three groups were formed on the basis of 198 children's reading and spelling status. One…

The Strategies Adopted by Dutch Children with Dyslexia to Maintain Their Self-Esteem When Teased at School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Singer, Elly

2005-01-01

This article reports on a study of children's narratives about the relationships between dyslexia and being teased at school and explores the dynamics between dyslexia, being bullied, self-esteem, and psychosocial problems. We reconstructed four profiles of inner logic in the children's reactions to being teased or humiliated as a consequence of…

The Effect of a Specialized Dyslexia Font, Opendyslexic, on Reading Rate and Accuracy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wery, Jessica J.; Diliberto, Jennifer A.

2017-01-01

A single-subject alternating treatment design was used to investigate the extent to which a specialized dyslexia font, OpenDyslexic, impacted reading rate or accuracy compared to two commonly used fonts when used with elementary students identified as having dyslexia. OpenDyslexic was compared to Arial and Times New Roman in three reading tasks:…

Investigating Self-Regulated Study Strategies among Postsecondary Students with and without Dyslexia: A Diary Method Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Andreassen, Rune; Jensen, Magne S.; Bråten, Ivar

2017-01-01

We investigated the use of self-regulated study strategies among undergraduates with dyslexia by means of extensive web-based diary data, comparing their strategy use to that of matched students without dyslexia who completed the diary in the same period. Additionally, we examined the perceived benefits of using the recorded strategies in both…

RESEARCH CONFERENCE ON THE PROBLEM OF DYSLEXIA AND RELATED DISORDERS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF THE UNITED STATES. FINAL REPORT.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

ZEDLER, EMPRESS Y.

A CLOSED CONFERENCE ON DYSLEXIA AND RELATED LEARNING DISORDERS WAS HELD AT SOUTHWEST TEXAS STATE COLLEGE ON MAY 15 AND 16, 1967. TWENTY-FIVE PARTICIPANTS REPRESENTED KEY PROFESSIONS AND RELEVANT INTEREST GROUPS, AND 10 OBSERVERS REPRESENTED FEDERAL AGENCIES. WITH RESPECT TO DYSLEXIA AND RELATED LEARNING DISABILITIES, THE CONFEREES ADDRESSED THEIR…

Temporal Processing Development in Chinese Primary School-Aged Children with Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Li-Chih; Yang, Hsien-Ming

2018-01-01

This study aimed to investigate the development of visual and auditory temporal processing among children with and without dyslexia and to examine the roles of temporal processing in reading and reading-related abilities. A total of 362 Chinese children in Grades 1-6 were recruited from Taiwan. Half of the children had dyslexia, and the other half…

Test-Retest Effects in Treatment Studies of Reading Disability: The Devil Is in the Detail

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McArthur, Genevieve

2007-01-01

Reynolds and Nicolson ("Dyslexia," 2007; 13: 78-96) claim to show that the "dyslexia dyspraxia attention-deficit treatment" (DDAT) benefits children with reading difficulties. However, Rack, Snowling, Hulme, and Gibbs ("Dyslexia," 2007; 13: 97-104) argue that because this study did not include an untrained control group then "all that needs to be…

The Use of Animation in Higher Education Teaching to Support Students with Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taylor, M.; Duffy, S.; Hughes, G.

2007-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of the research reported in this paper was to examine the potential usefulness of animated learning materials for supporting students with dyslexia in a UK higher education setting. Design/methodology/approach: An experiment was conducted with a set of 13 undergraduate computing students with dyslexia and a control group of 13…

How Do Students with Dyslexia Perform in Extended Matching Questions, Short Answer Questions and Observed Structured Clinical Examinations?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gibson, Sandra; Leinster, Samuel

2011-01-01

There are an increasing number of students with learning difficulties attending university, and currently much debate about the suitability and ability of students with dyslexia at both medical school and once they graduate into clinical practice. In this study we describe the performance of students with dyslexia compared to fellow students in…

Dyslexie font does not benefit reading in children with or without dyslexia.

PubMed

Kuster, Sanne M; van Weerdenburg, Marjolijn; Gompel, Marjolein; Bosman, Anna M T

2018-04-01

In two experiments, the claim was tested that the font "Dyslexie", specifically designed for people with dyslexia, eases reading performance of children with (and without) dyslexia. Three questions were investigated. (1) Does the Dyslexie font lead to faster and/or more accurate reading? (2) Do children have a preference for the Dyslexie font? And, (3) is font preference related to reading performance? In Experiment 1, children with dyslexia (n = 170) did not read text written in Dyslexie font faster or more accurately than in Arial font. The majority preferred reading in Arial and preference was not related to reading performance. In Experiment 2, children with (n = 102) and without dyslexia (n = 45) read word lists in three different font types (Dyslexie, Arial, Times New Roman). Words written in Dyslexie font were not read faster or more accurately. Moreover, participants showed a preference for the fonts Arial and Times New Roman rather than Dyslexie, and again, preference was not related to reading performance. These experiments clearly justify the conclusion that the Dyslexie font neither benefits nor impedes the reading process of children with and without dyslexia.

A Randomized Controlled Trial on The Beneficial Effects of Training Letter-Speech Sound Integration on Reading Fluency in Children with Dyslexia

PubMed Central

Fraga González, Gorka; Žarić, Gojko; Tijms, Jurgen; Bonte, Milene; van der Molen, Maurits W.

2015-01-01

A recent account of dyslexia assumes that a failure to develop automated letter-speech sound integration might be responsible for the observed lack of reading fluency. This study uses a pre-test-training-post-test design to evaluate the effects of a training program based on letter-speech sound associations with a special focus on gains in reading fluency. A sample of 44 children with dyslexia and 23 typical readers, aged 8 to 9, was recruited. Children with dyslexia were randomly allocated to either the training program group (n = 23) or a waiting-list control group (n = 21). The training intensively focused on letter-speech sound mapping and consisted of 34 individual sessions of 45 minutes over a five month period. The children with dyslexia showed substantial reading gains for the main word reading and spelling measures after training, improving at a faster rate than typical readers and waiting-list controls. The results are interpreted within the conceptual framework assuming a multisensory integration deficit as the most proximal cause of dysfluent reading in dyslexia. Trial Registration: ISRCTN register ISRCTN12783279 PMID:26629707

Spelling performance of students with developmental dyslexia and with developmental dyslexia associated to attention deficit disorder and hyperactivity.

PubMed

Alves, Débora Cristina; Casella, Erasmo Barbante; Ferraro, Alexandre Arcanjo

2016-04-01

Purpose to analyze and classify the spelling performance according to the semiology of spelling error of children with developmental dyslexia (DD) and with developmental dyslexia associated to attention deficit disorder and hyperactivity(DD and ADHD) comparing them to a group of children without learning process complaints. Methods Seventy students, from the third to fifth grade, participated in this study divided as follows: 32 children without complaints of learning difficulties (GI), mean age 9.5 years; 22 students with developmental dyslexia (GII), mean age 10 years; 16 scholars with developmental dyslexia associated to attention deficit disorders and hyperactivity (GIII), mean age 9.9. Spelling skills were assessed through a standardized word dictation task. Results Data indicated that GII and GIII children presented lower performance when compared with typically developed children. There was no statistical difference between the performance of GII and GIII children regarding the score reached in spelling, although GIII children presented the lowest performance. We observed differences between GII and GIII only in the type of misspelling. Conclusion Data from this research contribute to develop better programs for intervention in the studied population.

Dissociation between exact and approximate addition in developmental dyslexia.

PubMed

Yang, Xiujie; Meng, Xiangzhi

2016-09-01

Previous research has suggested that number sense and language are involved in number representation and calculation, in which number sense supports approximate arithmetic, and language permits exact enumeration and calculation. Meanwhile, individuals with dyslexia have a core deficit in phonological processing. Based on these findings, we thus hypothesized that children with dyslexia may exhibit exact calculation impairment while doing mental arithmetic. The reaction time and accuracy while doing exact and approximate addition with symbolic Arabic digits and non-symbolic visual arrays of dots were compared between typically developing children and children with dyslexia. Reaction time analyses did not reveal any differences across two groups of children, the accuracies, interestingly, revealed a distinction of approximation and exact addition across two groups of children. Specifically, two groups of children had no differences in approximation. Children with dyslexia, however, had significantly lower accuracy in exact addition in both symbolic and non-symbolic tasks than that of typically developing children. Moreover, linguistic performances were selectively associated with exact calculation across individuals. These results suggested that children with dyslexia have a mental arithmetic deficit specifically in the realm of exact calculation, while their approximation ability is relatively intact. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Child and environmental risk factors predicting readiness for learning in children at high risk of dyslexia.

PubMed

Dilnot, Julia; Hamilton, Lorna; Maughan, Barbara; Snowling, Margaret J

2017-02-01

We investigate the role of distal, proximal, and child risk factors as predictors of reading readiness and attention and behavior in children at risk of dyslexia. The parents of a longitudinal sample of 251 preschool children, including children at family risk of dyslexia and children with preschool language difficulties, provided measures of socioeconomic status, home literacy environment, family stresses, and child health via interviews and questionnaires. Assessments of children's reading-related skills, behavior, and attention were used to define their readiness for learning at school entry. Children at family risk of dyslexia and children with preschool language difficulties experienced more environmental adversities and health risks than controls. The risks associated with family risk of dyslexia and with language status were additive. Both home literacy environment and child health predicted reading readiness while home literacy environment and family stresses predicted attention and behavior. Family risk of dyslexia did not predict readiness to learn once other risks were controlled and so seems likely to be best conceptualized as representing gene-environment correlations. Pooling across risks defined a cumulative risk index, which was a significant predictor of reading readiness and, together with nonverbal ability, accounted for 31% of the variance between children.

Physics, Dyslexia and Learning: A Collaboration for Disabled Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moskal, Barbara M.; Wright, Lyndsey; Taylor, P. C.

2014-03-01

Researchers have found that children with dyslexia reason differently with respect to language from those who do not have dyslexia. Dyslexic students' brains work differently than do students without dyslexia. Some researchers speculate that these differences provide dyslexic students with an advantage in science. The presentation will describe an outreach activity which developed and delivered instructional modules in physics to students in grades kindergarten through sixth. These modules were tested on thirty students who attended a summer camp designed for students who have been diagnosed with dyslexia. Eighty percent of students who have learning disabilities have dyslexia. Many of the students who attended this camp have experienced repeated failure in the traditional school system, which emphasizes literacy with little attention to science. A number of science and engineering professors collaborated with this camp to build instructional modules that were delivered one hour per day, during two weeks of this five week summer camp (ten hours of hands-on physics instruction). Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected with respect to the impact that this camp had on students' understanding and interests in science. The results of these efforts will be presented.

Can you spell dyslexia without SLI? Comparing the cognitive profiles of dyslexia and specific language impairment and their roles in learning.

PubMed

Alloway, Tracy Packiam; Tewolde, Furtuna; Skipper, Dakota; Hijar, David

2017-06-01

The aim of the present study is to explore whether those with Specific Language Impairment (SLI) and dyslexia display distinct or overlapping cognitive profiles with respect to learning outcomes. In particular, we were interested in two key cognitive skills associated with academic performance - working memory and IQ. We recruited three groups of children - those with SLI, those with dyslexia, and a control group. All children were given standardized tests of working memory, IQ (vocabulary and matrix), spelling, and math. The pattern of results suggests that both children with dyslexia and SLI are characterized with poorer verbal working memory and IQ compared to controls, but preserved nonverbal cognitive skills. It appears that that these two disorder groups cannot be distinguished by the severity of their cognitive deficits. However, there was a differential pattern with respect to learning outcomes, where the children with dyslexia rely more on visual skills in spelling, while those with SLI use their relative strengths in vocabulary. These findings can have important implications for how intervention is tailored in the classroom, as disorder-specific support could yield important gains in learning. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Computer-based multisensory learning in children with developmental dyslexia.

PubMed

Kast, Monika; Meyer, Martin; Vögeli, Christian; Gross, Markus; Jäncke, Lutz

2007-01-01

Several attempts have been made to remediate developmental dyslexia using various training environments. Based on the well-known retrieval structure model, the memory strength of phonemes and graphemes should be strengthened by visual and auditory associations between graphemes and phonemes. Using specifically designed training software, we examined whether establishing a multitude of visuo-auditory associations might help to mitigate writing errors in children with developmental dyslexia. Forty-three children with developmental dyslexia and 37 carefully matched normal reading children performed a computer-based writing training (15-20 minutes 4 days a week) for three months with the aim to recode a sequential textual input string into a multi-sensory representation comprising visual and auditory codes (including musical tones). The study included four matched groups: a group of children with developmental dyslexia (n=20) and a control group (n=18) practiced with the training software in the first period (3 months, 15-20 minutes 4 days a week), while a second group of children with developmental dyslexia (n=23) (waiting group) and a second control group (n=19) received no training during the first period. In the second period the children with developmental dyslexia and controls who did not receive training during the first period now took part in the training. Children with developmental dyslexia who did not perform computer-based training during the first period hardly improved their writing skills (post-pre improvement of 0-9%), the dyslexic children receiving training strongly improved their writing skills (post-pre improvement of 19-35%). The group who did the training during the second period also revealed improvement of writing skills (post-pre improvement of 27-35%). Interestingly, we noticed a strong transfer from trained to non-trained words in that the children who underwent the training were also better able to write words correctly that were not part of the training software. In addition, even non-impaired readers and writers (controls) benefited from this training. Three-month of visual-auditory multimedia training strongly improved writing skills in children with developmental dyslexia and non-dyslexic children. Thus, according to the retrieval structure model, multi-sensory training using visual and auditory cues enhances writing performance in children with developmental dyslexia and non-dyslexic children.

The Submerged Dyslexia Iceberg: How Many School Children Are Not Diagnosed? Results from an Italian Study

PubMed Central

Barbiero, Chiara; Lonciari, Isabella; Montico, Marcella; Monasta, Lorenzo; Penge, Roberta; Vio, Claudio; Tressoldi, Patrizio Emanuele; Ferluga, Valentina; Bigoni, Anna; Tullio, Alessia; Carrozzi, Marco; Ronfani, Luca

2012-01-01

Background Although dyslexia is one of the most common neurobehavioral disorders affecting children, prevalence is uncertain and available data are scanty and dated. The objective of this study is to evaluate the prevalence of dyslexia in an unselected school population using clearly defined and rigorous diagnostic criteria and methods. Methods Cross sectional study. We selected a random cluster sample of 94 fourth grade elementary school classes of Friuli Venezia Giulia, a Region of North Eastern Italy. We carried out three consecutive levels of screening: the first two at school and the last at the Neuropsychiatry Unit of a third level Mother and Child Hospital. The main outcome measure was the prevalence of dyslexia, defined as the number of children positive to the third level of screening divided by the total number of children enrolled. Results We recruited 1774 children aged 8–10 years, of which 1528 received parents’ consent to participate. After applying exclusion criteria, 1357 pupils constituted the final working sample. The prevalence of dyslexia in the enrolled population ranged from 3.1% (95% CI 2.2–4.1%) to 3.2% (95% CI 2.4–4.3%) depending on different criteria adopted. In two out of three children with dyslexia the disorder had not been previously diagnosed. Conclusions This study shows that dyslexia is largely underestimated in Italy and underlines the need for reliable information on prevalence, in order to better allocate resources both to Health Services and Schools. PMID:23118930

Inter-relationships among behavioral markers, genes, brain and treatment in dyslexia and dysgraphia

PubMed Central

Berninger, Virginia; Richards, Todd

2010-01-01

Cross-country, longitudinal twin studies provide strong evidence for both the biological and environmental basis of dyslexia, and the stability of genetic influences on reading and spelling, even when skills improve in response to instruction. Although DNA studies aimed at identifying gene candidates in dyslexia and related phenotypes (behavioral expression of underlying genotypes); and imaging studies of brain differences between individuals with and without dyslexia and the brain’s response to instructional treatment are increasing, this review illustrates, with the findings of one multidisciplinary research center, an emerging trend to investigate the inter-relationships among genetic, brain and instructional treatment findings in the same sample, which are interpreted in reference to a working-memory architecture, for dyslexia (impaired decoding and spelling) and/or dysgraphia (impaired handwriting). General principles for diagnosis and treatment, based on research with children who failed to respond to the regular instructional program, are summarized for children meeting research criteria for having or being at risk for dyslexia or dysgraphia. Research documenting earlier emerging specific oral language impairment during preschool years associated with reading and writing disabilities during school years is also reviewed. Recent seminal advances and projected future trends are discussed for linking brain endophenotypes and gene candidates, identifying transchromosomal interactions, and exploring epigenetics (chemic al modifications of gene expression in response to developmental or environmental changes). Rather than providing final answers, this review highlights past, current and emerging issues in dyslexia research and practice. PMID:20953351

Dyslexia: A solution through Ayurveda evidences from Ayurveda for the management of dyslexia in children: A review.

PubMed

Sharma, Anita; Gothecha, Vinod K; Ojha, Nisha K

2012-10-01

Dyslexia is one of the commonest learning disability. It is defined as a disorder where a child, in spite of all the classroom teaching, is not able to attain the language skills of reading, writing and spelling according to their level of intelligence. Dyslexia individuals often have difficulty in relating to the association between sound and their respective letters. Reversing or transposing the letters while writing is characteristic with letters such as b and d, P and q, etc., The prevalence among school children is reported as 9.87% and in the selected families, it is 28.32%. Dyslexia significantly interferes with academic achievement or activities of daily life and are not primarily due to sensory, motor or mentally handicaps. About 40% of dyslexic children and adolescents dropout of schools. According to Ayurveda, learning is a result of successive and complex interaction of Indriyas (cognitive and motor organs), Indriyartha (sense organs), Mana (psyche), Atma and Buddhi (intellect). Above all, the functioning of these factors is governed by Tridosha (vata, pitta and kapha) and Triguna (Sattva, Raja and Tama) in a specific coordination and balance Any disturbance in these Tridosha and Triguna will cause disordered functioning of Indriya, Mana and Buddhi leading to impaired learning or Dyslexia Ayurvedic drugs can help in the management of dyslexia by making these Tridosha and Triguna in well-balanced state and also by providing Medhya (intellect promoting) drugs to improve the learning ability in these children.

Cognitive diversity in undergraduate engineering: Dyslexia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fitzpatrick, Velvet R.

In the United States, institutions have established multiple programs and initiatives aimed at increasing the diversity of both faculty and students in engineering as means to produce a workforce that will better serve society. However, there are two major problems in addressing engineering student diversity. First, the engineering education research community has paid little attention to date as to how engineering education research characterizes diversity in its broadest sense. Second, research on persons with disabilities in undergraduates engineering, a population of interests within diversity, is minimal. Available disability studies tend to be skewed toward physical disabilities, leading to a neglect of cognitive differences such as learning disabilities (LD). In addition, disability research questions and study designs are inherently steeped in ability bias. The purpose of this dissertation is to explore the meaning of ability for students with dyslexia while in undergraduate engineering and establish the significance of cognitive diversity, focusing on LD and more specifically dyslexia, in undergraduate engineering education and answer the following research question: How do undergraduate engineering students with dyslexia experience ability while pursuing and persisting in engineering? The motivation was to lay the groundwork for future engineering education studies on undergraduate students with LD in general but dyslexia in specific. The first goal was to conduct a critical literature review pertaining to the academic strengths of undergraduate students with LD, specifically, dyslexia and the second goal was to describe how undergraduate engineering students with dyslexia experience ability. The intent was not to redefine dyslexia or disability. The intent is to provide an inclusive account of dyslexia, weakness and strengths, within the field of engineering education. This study was conducted from a qualitative inquiry approach, within the social constructivism paradigm, and utilized purposive sampling to identify appropriate participants. The thematic analysis methodological framework was used to portray a rich, complex description of experiences in which undergraduate engineering students with dyslexia constructed meaning around ability while pursuing and persisting in engineering. Eight students participated and semi-structured interviews were the data source. The findings are presented in three parts. First, significant findings that were also salient amongst the general undergraduate engineering student populations are presented. This is done to make a clear demarcation from those significant findings found to be unique to undergraduate engineering students with dyslexia presented in the themes: relationships, early exposure to engineering, and securing an internship or co-op position. Second, the four themes that developed from the analysis will were discussed: alignment, dissociation, ideal education environments, and time. Third, additional findings for further investigation were proposed: the role of remediation practices, the representation of dyslexia in media, gender differences in extracurricular activities that constructed different meanings of ability, the prevalence of co-occurring LD amongst the participants, and the visualization of science, engineering, mathematics concepts. The study is closed with a discussion; findings are discussed with respect to relevant research in the conclusion.

Minor Neurological Dysfunction in Children with Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Punt, Marja; de Jong, Marianne; de Groot, Erik; Hadders-Algra, Mijna

2010-01-01

Aim: To improve understanding of brain function in children with severe dyslexia in terms of minor neurological dysfunctions (MNDs). Method: One hundred and four children (81 males, 23 females; age range 7-12y; mean age 9y 7mo, SD 1y 2mo;) with severe dyslexia (the presence of a Full-scale IQ score of greater than or equal to 85, retardation in…

The Effect of Self-Monitoring Training on the Achievement Motivation of Students with Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kanani, Zahed; Adibsereshki, Narges; Haghgoo, Hojjat Allah

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of self-monitoring training on the motivation of elementary school students with dyslexia. This quasi-experimental study was conducted along with a pre-test, post-test, with a control group and a follow-up test. 32 students with dyslexia (2nd to 5th grades) were chosen and divided into two…

Trajectories of Reading Development: A Follow-up from Birth to School Age of Children with and without Risk for Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lyytinen, Heikki; Erskine, Jane; Tolvanen, Asko; Torppa, Minna; Poikkeus, Anna-Maija; Lyytinen, Paula

2006-01-01

In order to understand why some children are vulnerable to difficulties in their language development and their acquisition of reading skill, the Jyvaskyla Longitudinal Study of Dyslexia followed 200 Finnish children from birth to school age. Half of these children had a family history of reading problems and were considered at risk for dyslexia;…

Teaching Children with Dyslexia to Spell in a Reading-Writers' Workshop

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berninger, Virginia W.; Lee, Yen-Ling; Abbott, Robert D.; Breznitz, Zvia

2013-01-01

To identify effective treatment for both the spelling and word decoding problems in dyslexia, 24 students with dyslexia in grades 4 to 9 were randomly assigned to treatments A (n = 12) or B (n = 12) in an after-school reading-writers' workshop at the university (thirty 1-h sessions twice a week over 5 months). First, both groups received step 1…

An Interpretative Model of Early Indicators of Specific Developmental Dyslexia in Preschool Age: A Comparative Presentation of Three Studies in Greece

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zakopoulou, Victoria; Anagnostopoulou, Areti; Christodoulides, Pavlos; Stavrou, Lambros; Sarri, Ioanna; Mavreas, Venetsanos; Tzoufi, Meropi

2011-01-01

The detection of specific factors of the developmental dyslexia at an early stage, and the identification of the role of those factors responsible for its manifestation, is a fundamental area of study on dyslexia in the recent literature. The objective of the present study is to clarify that dysfunctions in the following specific domains…

Predicting Dyslexia in a Transparent Orthography from Grade 1 Literacy Skills: A Prospective Cohort Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bigozzi, Lucia; Tarchi, Christian; Pinto, Giuliana; Accorti Gamannossi, Beatrice

2016-01-01

We conducted this prospective cohort study to explore the predictability of dyslexia from 1st-grade literacy skills in Italian students. We followed 407 Italian students in primary school from the 1st through the 3rd grades. Students were diagnosed with dyslexia in the 3rd grade. We retrospectively tested participants' 1st-grade performance in…

Secondary Symptoms of Dyslexia: A Comparison of Self-Esteem and Anxiety Profiles of Children with and without Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Novita, Shally

2016-01-01

The secondary symptoms of individuals with dyslexia, such as high anxiety and low self-esteem, have aroused various debates not only in the educational, but also in the clinical context. Since pro and contra arguments are supported by a more or less equal number of empirical findings, no final conclusion could be drawn for this specific…

Identifying Dyslexia in Adults: An Iterative Method Using the Predictive Value of Item Scores and Self-Report Questions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tamboer, Peter; Vorst, Harrie C. M.; Oort, Frans J.

2014-01-01

Methods for identifying dyslexia in adults vary widely between studies. Researchers have to decide how many tests to use, which tests are considered to be the most reliable, and how to determine cut-off scores. The aim of this study was to develop an objective and powerful method for diagnosing dyslexia. We took various methodological measures,…

What Do Spelling Errors Tell Us? Classification and Analysis of Errors Made by Greek Schoolchildren with and without Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Protopapas, Athanassios; Fakou, Aikaterini; Drakopoulou, Styliani; Skaloumbakas, Christos; Mouzaki, Angeliki

2013-01-01

In this study we propose a classification system for spelling errors and determine the most common spelling difficulties of Greek children with and without dyslexia. Spelling skills of 542 children from the general population and 44 children with dyslexia, Grades 3-4 and 7, were assessed with a dictated common word list and age-appropriate…

The Impact and the Implications of Policy Regarding the Organisation of Support for Pupils with Dyslexia in Irish Primary Mainstream Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tiernan, Bairbre; Casserly, Ann Marie

2018-01-01

There have been vast changes in relation to the way educational teaching support provision is organised for pupils with dyslexia in Ireland. A qualitative research approach was utilised to examine the impact and implications of the General Allocation Model (GAM) regarding the organisation of support for pupils with dyslexia in Irish Primary…

The Influence of Visual Word Form in Reading: Single Case Study of an Arabic Patient with Deep Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boumaraf, Assia; Macoir, Joël

2016-01-01

Deep dyslexia is a written language disorder characterized by poor reading of non-words, and advantage for concrete over abstract words with production of semantic, visual and morphological errors. In this single case study of an Arabic patient with input deep dyslexia, we investigated the impact of graphic features of Arabic on manifestations of…

Infant ERPs Separate Children at Risk of Dyslexia Who Become Good Readers from Those Who Become Poor Readers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zuijen, Titia L.; Plakas, Anna; Maassen, Ben A. M.; Maurits, Natasha M.; van der Leij, Aryan

2013-01-01

Dyslexia is heritable and associated with phonological processing deficits that can be reflected in the event-related potentials (ERPs). Here, we recorded ERPs from 2-month-old infants at risk of dyslexia and from a control group to investigate whether their auditory system processes /bAk/ and /dAk/ changes differently. The speech sounds were…

Examining the Relationship between Home Literacy Environment and Neural Correlates of Phonological Processing in Beginning Readers with and without a Familial Risk for Dyslexia: An fMRI Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Powers, Sara J.; Wang, Yingying; Beach, Sara D.; Sideridis, Georgios D.; Gaab, Nadine

2016-01-01

Developmental dyslexia is a language-based learning disability characterized by persistent difficulty in learning to read. While an understanding of genetic contributions is emerging, the ways the environment affects brain functioning in children with developmental dyslexia are poorly understood. A relationship between the home literacy…

Speed of Processing and Reading Disability: A Cross-Linguistic Investigation of Dyslexia and Borderline Intellectual Functioning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bonifacci, Paola; Snowling, Margaret J.

2008-01-01

English and Italian children with dyslexia were compared with children with reading difficulties associated with low-IQ on tests of simple and choice RT, and in number and symbol scanning tasks. On all four speed-of-processing tasks, children with low-IQ responded more slowly than children with dyslexia and age-controls. In the choice RT task, the…

Cognitive predictors of sequential motor impairments in children with dyslexia and/or attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

PubMed

Marchand-Krynski, Marie-Ève; Bélanger, Anne-Marie; Morin-Moncet, Olivier; Beauchamp, Miriam H; Leonard, Gabriel

2018-01-01

This study examined cognitive predictors of sequential motor skills in 215 children with dyslexia and/or attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Visual working memory and math fluency abilities contributed significantly to performance of sequential motor abilities in children with dyslexia (N = 67), ADHD (N = 66) and those with a comorbid diagnosis (N = 82), generally without differentiation between groups. In addition, primary diagnostic features of each disorder, such as reading and inattention, did not contribute to the variance in motor skill performance of these children. The results support a unifying framework of motor impairment in children with neurodevelopmental disorders such as dyslexia and ADHD.

The Use of ICT to Support Students with Dyslexia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Diraä, Nadia; Engelen, Jan; Ghesquière, Pol; Neyens, Koen

The Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (K.U.Leuven) has a tradition of supporting students with a disability in order to guarantee equal opportunities to achieve their educational, personal and vocational goals. The K.U.Leuven policy is working towards inclusive education in the long term, by improving facilities and accommodation for certain target groups in the short term. Efforts have also been directed to make the learning environment more accessible for all kind of students, especially over the last few years. One of the target groups that has increasing numbers are students with learning disabilities (including dyslexia, dyscalculia, ...). To accommodate these students, the K.U.Leuven set off a project to evaluate the use of assistive technology (AT) for dyslexia. This small-scale study examined the experiences of two groups of students with dyslexia using 2 different software programs specifically developed to support this group of students. It was apparent that for students with dyslexia, reading and studying presents additional limitations which AT could facilitate to some extent.

Devil in the details? Developmental dyslexia and visual long-term memory for details.

PubMed

Huestegge, Lynn; Rohrßen, Julia; van Ermingen-Marbach, Muna; Pape-Neumann, Julia; Heim, Stefan

2014-01-01

Cognitive theories on causes of developmental dyslexia can be divided into language-specific and general accounts. While the former assume that words are special in that associated processing problems are rooted in language-related cognition (e.g., phonology) deficits, the latter propose that dyslexia is rather rooted in a general impairment of cognitive (e.g., visual and/or auditory) processing streams. In the present study, we examined to what extent dyslexia (typically characterized by poor orthographic representations) may be associated with a general deficit in visual long-term memory (LTM) for details. We compared object- and detail-related visual LTM performance (and phonological skills) between dyslexic primary school children and IQ-, age-, and gender-matched controls. The results revealed that while the overall amount of LTM errors was comparable between groups, dyslexic children exhibited a greater portion of detail-related errors. The results suggest that not only phonological, but also general visual resolution deficits in LTM may play an important role in developmental dyslexia.

Global and local pitch perception in children with developmental dyslexia.

PubMed

Ziegler, Johannes C; Pech-Georgel, Catherine; George, Florence; Foxton, Jessica M

2012-03-01

This study investigated global versus local pitch pattern perception in children with dyslexia aged between 8 and 11 years. Children listened to two consecutive 4-tone pitch sequences while performing a same/different task. On the different trials, sequences either preserved the contour (local condition) or they violated the contour (global condition). Compared to normally developing children, dyslexics showed robust pitch perception deficits in the local but not the global condition. This finding was replicated in a simple pitch direction task, which minimizes sequencing and short term memory. Results are consistent with a left-hemisphere deficit in dyslexia because local pitch changes are supposedly processed by the left hemisphere, whereas global pitch changes are processed by the right hemisphere. The present data suggest a link between impaired pitch processing and abnormal phonological development in children with dyslexia, which makes pitch pattern processing a potent tool for early diagnosis and remediation of dyslexia. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

An oscillopathic approach to developmental dyslexia: From genes to speech processing.

PubMed

Jiménez-Bravo, Miguel; Marrero, Victoria; Benítez-Burraco, Antonio

2017-06-30

Developmental dyslexia is a heterogeneous condition entailing problems with reading and spelling. Several genes have been linked or associated to the disease, many of which contribute to the development and function of brain areas important for auditory and phonological processing. Nonetheless, a clear link between genes, the brain, and the symptoms of dyslexia is still pending. The goal of this paper is contributing to bridge this gap. With this aim, we have focused on how the dyslexic brain fails to process speech sounds and reading cues. We have adopted an oscillatory perspective, according to which dyslexia may result from a deficient integration of different brain rhythms during reading/spellings tasks. Moreover, we show that some candidate genes for this condition are related to brain rhythms. This fresh approach is expected to provide a better understanding of the aetiology and the clinical presentation of developmental dyslexia, but also to achieve an earlier and more accurate diagnosis of the disease. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Academic Attainment in Students with Dyslexia in Distance Education.

PubMed

Richardson, John T E

2015-11-01

This investigation studied attainment in students with dyslexia or other specific learning difficulties who were taking modules by distance learning with the Open University in 2012. Students with dyslexia or other specific learning difficulties who had no additional disabilities were just as likely as nondisabled students to complete their modules, but they were less likely to pass the modules that they had completed and less likely to obtain good grades on the modules that they had passed. Students with dyslexia or other specific learning difficulties who had additional disabilities were less likely to complete their modules, less likely to pass the modules that they had completed and less likely to obtain good grades on the modules that they had passed than were nondisabled students. Nevertheless, around 40% of students with dyslexia or other specific learning difficulties obtained good grades (i.e. those that would lead to a bachelor's degree with first-class or upper second-class honours). Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The inclusion of students with dyslexia in higher education: a systematic review using narrative synthesis.

PubMed

Pino, Marco; Mortari, Luigina

2014-11-01

This article reports on a study focusing on the inclusion of students with dyslexia in higher education (HE). A systematic review was carried out to retrieve, critically appraise and synthesize the available evidence on how the inclusion of students with dyslexia can be fostered in HE. The 15 studies included in the final synthesis employed descriptive designs and overwhelmingly used qualitative methods to explore dyslexic students' perceptions on the impact of teaching, support and accommodation in their own learning experience. A critical appraisal of these studies revealed a landscape of significant gaps in the available stock of evidence on the inclusion of students with dyslexia in HE. The synthesis of the available evidence is presented in a narrative of five cross-study thematic areas: student coping strategies, being identified as dyslexic, interaction with academic staff, accessibility and accommodations, and using assistive technologies and information and communication technologies. Implications for practice and future research are discussed. © 2014 The Authors. Dyslexia published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Atypical Balance between Occipital and Fronto-Parietal Activation for Visual Shape Extraction in Dyslexia

PubMed Central

Zhang, Ying; Whitfield-Gabrieli, Susan; Christodoulou, Joanna A.; Gabrieli, John D. E.

2013-01-01

Reading requires the extraction of letter shapes from a complex background of text, and an impairment in visual shape extraction would cause difficulty in reading. To investigate the neural mechanisms of visual shape extraction in dyslexia, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine brain activation while adults with or without dyslexia responded to the change of an arrow’s direction in a complex, relative to a simple, visual background. In comparison to adults with typical reading ability, adults with dyslexia exhibited opposite patterns of atypical activation: decreased activation in occipital visual areas associated with visual perception, and increased activation in frontal and parietal regions associated with visual attention. These findings indicate that dyslexia involves atypical brain organization for fundamental processes of visual shape extraction even when reading is not involved. Overengagement in higher-order association cortices, required to compensate for underengagment in lower-order visual cortices, may result in competition for top-down attentional resources helpful for fluent reading. PMID:23825653

Syntactic comprehension in reading and listening: a study with French children with dyslexia.

PubMed

Casalis, Séverine; Leuwers, Christel; Hilton, Heather

2013-01-01

This study examined syntactic comprehension in French children with dyslexia in both listening and reading. In the first syntactic comprehension task, a partial version of the Epreuve de Compréhension syntaxico-sémantique (ECOSSE test; French adaptation of Bishop's test for receptive grammar test) children with dyslexia performed at a lower level in the written but not in the spoken modality, compared to reading age-matched children, suggesting a difficulty in handling syntax while reading. In the second task, syntactic processing was further explored through a test of relative clause processing, in which inflectional markers could aid in attributing roles to the elements in a complex syntactic structure. Children with dyslexia were insensitive to inflectional markers in both reading and listening, as was the reading age control group, while only the older normal reader group appeared to make use of the inflectional markers. Overall, the results support the hypothesis that difficulties in comprehension in dyslexia are strongly related to poor reading skills.

Adults with Dyslexia Demonstrate Space-Based and Object-Based Covert Attention Deficits: Shifting Attention to the Periphery and Shifting Attention between Objects in the Left Visual Field

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buchholz, J.; Davies, A.A.

2005-01-01

Performance on a covert visual attention task is compared between a group of adults with developmental dyslexia (specifically phonological difficulties) and a group of age and IQ matched controls. The group with dyslexia were generally slower to detect validly-cued targets. Costs of shifting attention toward the periphery when the target was…

Literacy Skill Development of Children with Familial Risk for Dyslexia through Grades 2, 3, and 8

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eklund, Kenneth; Torppa, Minna; Aro, Mikko; Leppänen, Paavo H. T.; Lyytinen, Heikki

2015-01-01

This study followed the development of reading speed, reading accuracy, and spelling in transparent Finnish orthography in children through Grades 2, 3, and 8. We compared 2 groups of children with familial risk for dyslexia--1 group with dyslexia (Dys _FR, n = 35) and 1 group without (NoDys_FR, n = 66) in Grade 2--with a group of children without…

The effects of automatic spelling correction software on understanding and comprehension in compensated dyslexia: improved recall following dictation.

PubMed

Hiscox, Lucy; Leonavičiūtė, Erika; Humby, Trevor

2014-08-01

Dyslexia is associated with difficulties in language-specific skills such as spelling, writing and reading; the difficulty in acquiring literacy skills is not a result of low intelligence or the absence of learning opportunity, but these issues will persist throughout life and could affect long-term education. Writing is a complex process involving many different functions, integrated by the working memory system; people with dyslexia have a working memory deficit, which means that concentration on writing quality may be detrimental to understanding. We confirm impaired working memory in a sample of university students with (compensated) dyslexia, and using a within-subject design with three test conditions, we show that these participants demonstrated better understanding of a piece of text if they had used automatic spelling correction software during a dictation/transcription task. We hypothesize that the use of the autocorrecting software reduced demand on working memory, by allowing word writing to be more automatic, thus enabling better processing and understanding of the content of the transcriptions and improved recall. Long-term and regular use of autocorrecting assistive software should be beneficial for people with and without dyslexia and may improve confidence, written work, academic achievement and self-esteem, which are all affected in dyslexia. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Word Learning Deficits in Children With Dyslexia

PubMed Central

Hogan, Tiffany; Green, Samuel; Gray, Shelley; Cabbage, Kathryn; Cowan, Nelson

2017-01-01

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate word learning in children with dyslexia to ascertain their strengths and weaknesses during the configuration stage of word learning. Method Children with typical development (N = 116) and dyslexia (N = 68) participated in computer-based word learning games that assessed word learning in 4 sets of games that manipulated phonological or visuospatial demands. All children were monolingual English-speaking 2nd graders without oral language impairment. The word learning games measured children's ability to link novel names with novel objects, to make decisions about the accuracy of those names and objects, to recognize the semantic features of the objects, and to produce the names of the novel words. Accuracy data were analyzed using analyses of covariance with nonverbal intelligence scores as a covariate. Results Word learning deficits were evident for children with dyslexia across every type of manipulation and on 3 of 5 tasks, but not for every combination of task/manipulation. Deficits were more common when task demands taxed phonology. Visuospatial manipulations led to both disadvantages and advantages for children with dyslexia. Conclusion Children with dyslexia evidence spoken word learning deficits, but their performance is highly dependent on manipulations and task demand, suggesting a processing trade-off between visuospatial and phonological demands. PMID:28388708

Action video games make dyslexic children read better.

PubMed

Franceschini, Sandro; Gori, Simone; Ruffino, Milena; Viola, Simona; Molteni, Massimo; Facoetti, Andrea

2013-03-18

Learning to read is extremely difficult for about 10% of children; they are affected by a neurodevelopmental disorder called dyslexia [1, 2]. The neurocognitive causes of dyslexia are still hotly debated [3-12]. Dyslexia remediation is far from being fully achieved [13], and the current treatments demand high levels of resources [1]. Here, we demonstrate that only 12 hr of playing action video games-not involving any direct phonological or orthographic training-drastically improve the reading abilities of children with dyslexia. We tested reading, phonological, and attentional skills in two matched groups of children with dyslexia before and after they played action or nonaction video games for nine sessions of 80 min per day. We found that only playing action video games improved children's reading speed, without any cost in accuracy, more so than 1 year of spontaneous reading development and more than or equal to highly demanding traditional reading treatments. Attentional skills also improved during action video game training. It has been demonstrated that action video games efficiently improve attention abilities [14, 15]; our results showed that this attention improvement can directly translate into better reading abilities, providing a new, fast, fun remediation of dyslexia that has theoretical relevance in unveiling the causal role of attention in reading acquisition. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Influence of Spelling Ability on Vocabulary Choices When Writing for Children With Dyslexia.

PubMed

Sumner, Emma; Connelly, Vincent; Barnett, Anna L

2016-01-01

Spelling is a prerequisite to expressing vocabulary in writing. Research has shown that children with dyslexia are hesitant spellers when composing. This study aimed to determine whether the hesitant spelling of children with dyslexia, evidenced by frequent pausing, affects vocabulary choices when writing. A total of 31 children with dyslexia, mean age 9 years, were compared to typically developing groups of children: the first matched by age, the second by spelling ability. Oral vocabulary was measured and children completed a written and verbal compositional task. Lexical diversity comparisons were made across written and verbal compositions to highlight the constraint of having to select and spell words. A digital writing tablet recorded the writing. Children with dyslexia and the spelling-ability group made a high proportion of spelling errors and within-word pauses, and had a lower lexical diversity within their written compositions compared to their verbal compositions. The age-matched peers demonstrated the opposite pattern. Spelling ability and pausing predicted 53% of the variance in written lexical diversity of children with dyslexia, demonstrating the link between spelling and vocabulary when writing. Oral language skills had no effect. Lexical diversity correlated with written and verbal text quality for all groups. Practical implications are discussed and related to writing models. © Hammill Institute on Disabilities 2014.

Holistic word processing in dyslexia

PubMed Central

Conway, Aisling; Misra, Karuna

2017-01-01

People with dyslexia have difficulty learning to read and many lack fluent word recognition as adults. In a novel task that borrows elements of the ‘word superiority’ and ‘word inversion’ paradigms, we investigate whether holistic word recognition is impaired in dyslexia. In Experiment 1 students with dyslexia and controls judged the similarity of pairs of 6- and 7-letter words or pairs of words whose letters had been partially jumbled. The stimuli were presented in both upright and inverted form with orthographic regularity and orientation randomized from trial to trial. While both groups showed sensitivity to orthographic regularity, both word inversion and letter jumbling were more detrimental to skilled than dyslexic readers supporting the idea that the latter may read in a more analytic fashion. Experiment 2 employed the same task but using shorter, 4- and 5-letter words and a design where orthographic regularity and stimuli orientation was held constant within experimental blocks to encourage the use of either holistic or analytic processing. While there was no difference in reaction time between the dyslexic and control groups for inverted stimuli, the students with dyslexia were significantly slower than controls for upright stimuli. These findings suggest that holistic word recognition, which is largely based on the detection of orthographic regularity, is impaired in dyslexia. PMID:29121046

Prevalence of Dyslexia among Male Students in Primary Schools and Its Relationship with Obesity and Being Overweight in Ahvaz, Iran

PubMed Central

Hakim, Ashrafalsadat; Ghorbanibirgani, Alireza

2015-01-01

Background The most important process in childhood and adolescence is learning. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of dyslexia among primary male school students and the relationship between dyslexia, obesity and overweight. Methods This is a cross-sectional study conducted on 1000 male students (first to fifth grade) in primary schools (20 schools) by using the multi-stage random sampling (50 students were selected randomly from each school). Data collection instruments were a weighting scale, a meter for evaluation of obesity and overweight and a reading inventory test for dyslexia. The height and weight were measured based on body mass index (BMI). Data were analyzed using SPSS17 by χ² test. Results 17 and 28 percent of the students were obese and overweight in the first to fifth grades, respectively. On average, the percentage of dyslexia among the unhealthy students was 21 per cent; this rate was 3.5 per cent among the healthy students. In addition, χ² test showed that there was a significant difference between dyslexic and healthy students (P=0.001). Conclusion The prevalence of dyslexia among students with overweight and obesity in comparison to healthy students is high; then close monitoring will ensure that these problems are minimized. PMID:26005691

Evidence for reading improvement following tDCS treatment in children and adolescents with Dyslexia.

PubMed

Costanzo, Floriana; Varuzza, Cristiana; Rossi, Serena; Sdoia, Stefano; Varvara, Pamela; Oliveri, Massimiliano; Giacomo, Koch; Vicari, Stefano; Menghini, Deny

2016-01-01

There is evidence that non-invasive brain stimulation transitorily modulates reading by facilitating the neural pathways underactive in individuals with dyslexia. The study aimed at investigating whether multiple sessions of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) would enhance reading abilities of children and adolescents with dyslexia and whether the effect is long-lasting. Eighteen children and adolescents with dyslexia received three 20-minute sessions a week for 6 weeks (18 sessions) of left anodal/right cathodal tDCS set at 1 mA over parieto-temporal regions combined with a cognitive training. The participants were randomly assigned to the active or the sham treatment; reading tasks (text, high and low frequency words, non-words) were used as outcome measures and collected before treatment, after treatment and one month after the end of treatment. The tolerability of tDCS was evaluated. The active group showed reduced low frequency word reading errors and non-word reading times. These positive effects were stable even one month after the end of treatment. None reported adverse effects. The study shows preliminary evidence of tDCS feasibility and efficacy in improving non-words and low frequency words reading of children and adolescents with dyslexia and it opens new rehabilitative perspectives for the remediation of dyslexia.

Response to Intervention as a Predictor of Long-Term Reading Outcomes in Children with Dyslexia.

PubMed

van der Kleij, Sanne W; Segers, Eliane; Groen, Margriet A; Verhoeven, Ludo

2017-08-01

The goal of this study was to investigate how growth during a phonics-based intervention, as well as reading levels at baseline testing, predicted long-term reading outcomes of children with dyslexia. Eighty Dutch children with dyslexia who had completed a 50-week phonics-based intervention in grade 4 were tested in grade 5 on both word and pseudoword (following regular Dutch orthographic patterns) reading efficiency and compared to 93 typical readers. In grade 5 the children with dyslexia were still significantly slower in word and pseudoword reading than their typically developing peers. Results showed that long-term pseudoword reading in the group with dyslexia was predicted by pseudoword reading at pretest and growth in pseudoword reading during the intervention, which was itself predicted by pseudoword reading at pretest. This was not the case for word reading. We found that long-term word reading was directly predicted from pretest word reading, and indirectly via pretest pseudoword reading, via growth in pseudoword and word reading. It can be concluded that pseudoword reading is not only a good indicator of severity of reading difficulties in children with dyslexia, it is also an indicator of who will profit from intervention in the long-term. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Search, Read and Write: An Inquiry into Web Accessibility for People with Dyslexia.

PubMed

Berget, Gerd; Herstad, Jo; Sandnes, Frode Eika

2016-01-01

Universal design in context of digitalisation has become an integrated part of international conventions and national legislations. A goal is to make the Web accessible for people of different genders, ages, backgrounds, cultures and physical, sensory and cognitive abilities. Political demands for universally designed solutions have raised questions about how it is achieved in practice. Developers, designers and legislators have looked towards the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) for answers. WCAG 2.0 has become the de facto standard for universal design on the Web. Some of the guidelines are directed at the general population, while others are targeted at more specific user groups, such as the visually impaired or hearing impaired. Issues related to cognitive impairments such as dyslexia receive less attention, although dyslexia is prevalent in at least 5-10% of the population. Navigation and search are two common ways of using the Web. However, while navigation has received a fair amount of attention, search systems are not explicitly included, although search has become an important part of people's daily routines. This paper discusses WCAG in the context of dyslexia for the Web in general and search user interfaces specifically. Although certain guidelines address topics that affect dyslexia, WCAG does not seem to fully accommodate users with dyslexia.

The cost-effectiveness of an intensive treatment protocol for severe dyslexia in children.

PubMed

Hakkaart-van Roijen, Leona; Goettsch, Wim G; Ekkebus, Michel; Gerretsen, Patty; Stolk, Elly A

2011-08-01

Studies of interventions for dyslexia have focused entirely on outcomes related to literacy. In this study, we considered a broader picture assessing improved quality of life compared with costs. A model served as a tool to compare costs and effects of treatment according to a new protocol and care as usual. Quality of life was measured and valued by proxies using a general quality-of-life instrument (EQ-5D). We considered medical cost and non-medical cost (e.g. remedial teaching). The model computed cost per successful treatment and cost per quality adjusted life year (QALY) in time. About 75% of the total costs was related to diagnostic tests to distinguish between children with severe dyslexia and children who have reading difficulties for other reasons. The costs per successful treatment of severe dyslexia were €36 366. Successful treatment showed a quality-of-life gain of about 11%. At primary school, the average cost per QALY for severe dyslexia amounted to €58 647. In the long term, the cost per QALY decreased to €26 386 at secondary school and €17 663 thereafter. The results of this study provide evidence that treatment of severe dyslexia is cost-effective when the investigated protocol is followed. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Dyslexia risk gene relates to representation of sound in the auditory brainstem.

PubMed

Neef, Nicole E; Müller, Bent; Liebig, Johanna; Schaadt, Gesa; Grigutsch, Maren; Gunter, Thomas C; Wilcke, Arndt; Kirsten, Holger; Skeide, Michael A; Kraft, Indra; Kraus, Nina; Emmrich, Frank; Brauer, Jens; Boltze, Johannes; Friederici, Angela D

2017-04-01

Dyslexia is a reading disorder with strong associations with KIAA0319 and DCDC2. Both genes play a functional role in spike time precision of neurons. Strikingly, poor readers show an imprecise encoding of fast transients of speech in the auditory brainstem. Whether dyslexia risk genes are related to the quality of sound encoding in the auditory brainstem remains to be investigated. Here, we quantified the response consistency of speech-evoked brainstem responses to the acoustically presented syllable [da] in 159 genotyped, literate and preliterate children. When controlling for age, sex, familial risk and intelligence, partial correlation analyses associated a higher dyslexia risk loading with KIAA0319 with noisier responses. In contrast, a higher risk loading with DCDC2 was associated with a trend towards more stable responses. These results suggest that unstable representation of sound, and thus, reduced neural discrimination ability of stop consonants, occurred in genotypes carrying a higher amount of KIAA0319 risk alleles. Current data provide the first evidence that the dyslexia-associated gene KIAA0319 can alter brainstem responses and impair phoneme processing in the auditory brainstem. This brain-gene relationship provides insight into the complex relationships between phenotype and genotype thereby improving the understanding of the dyslexia-inherent complex multifactorial condition. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Implicit learning of non-linguistic and linguistic regularities in children with dyslexia.

PubMed

Nigro, Luciana; Jiménez-Fernández, Gracia; Simpson, Ian C; Defior, Sylvia

2016-07-01

One of the hallmarks of dyslexia is the failure to automatise written patterns despite repeated exposure to print. Although many explanations have been proposed to explain this problem, researchers have recently begun to explore the possibility that an underlying implicit learning deficit may play a role in dyslexia. This hypothesis has been investigated through non-linguistic tasks exploring implicit learning in a general domain. In this study, we examined the abilities of children with dyslexia to implicitly acquire positional regularities embedded in both non-linguistic and linguistic stimuli. In experiment 1, 42 children (21 with dyslexia and 21 typically developing) were exposed to rule-governed shape sequences; whereas in experiment 2, a new group of 42 children were exposed to rule-governed letter strings. Implicit learning was assessed in both experiments via a forced-choice task. Experiments 1 and 2 showed a similar pattern of results. ANOVA analyses revealed no significant differences between the dyslexic and the typically developing group, indicating that children with dyslexia are not impaired in the acquisition of simple positional regularities, regardless of the nature of the stimuli. However, within group t-tests suggested that children from the dyslexic group could not transfer the underlying positional rules to novel instances as efficiently as typically developing children.

Visual artificial grammar learning in dyslexia: A meta-analysis.

PubMed

van Witteloostuijn, Merel; Boersma, Paul; Wijnen, Frank; Rispens, Judith

2017-11-01

Literacy impairments in dyslexia have been hypothesized to be (partly) due to an implicit learning deficit. However, studies of implicit visual artificial grammar learning (AGL) have often yielded null results. The aim of this study is to weigh the evidence collected thus far by performing a meta-analysis of studies on implicit visual AGL in dyslexia. Thirteen studies were selected through a systematic literature search, representing data from 255 participants with dyslexia and 292 control participants (mean age range: 8.5-36.8 years old). If the 13 selected studies constitute a random sample, individuals with dyslexia perform worse on average than non-dyslexic individuals (average weighted effect size=0.46, 95% CI [0.14 … 0.77], p=0.008), with a larger effect in children than in adults (p=0.041; average weighted effect sizes 0.71 [sig.] versus 0.16 [non-sig.]). However, the presence of a publication bias indicates the existence of missing studies that may well null the effect. While the studies under investigation demonstrate that implicit visual AGL is impaired in dyslexia (more so in children than in adults, if in adults at all), the detected publication bias suggests that the effect might in fact be zero. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Family patterns of development dyslexia, Part II: Behavioral phenotypes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wolff, P.H.; Melngailis, I.; Bedrosian, M.

1995-12-18

The motor control of bimanual coordination and motor speech was compared between first degree relatives from families with at least 2 dyslexic family members, and families where probands were the only affected family members. Half of affected relatives had motor coordination deficits; and they came from families in which probands also showed impaired motor coordination. By contrast, affected relatives without motor deficits came from dyslexia families where probands did not have motor deficits. Motor coordination deficits were more common and more severe among affected offspring in families where both parents were affected than among affected offspring in families where onlymore » one parent was affected. However, motor coordination deficits were also more common and more severe in affected parents when both parents were affected than among affected parents in families where only one parent was affected. We conclude that impaired temporal resolution in motor action identifies a behavioral phenotype in some subtypes of developmental dyslexia. The observed pattern of transmission for motor deficits and reading impairment in about half of dyslexia families was most congruent with a genetic model of dyslexia in which 2 codominant major genes cosegregate in dyslexia pedigrees where the proband is also motorically impaired. 54 refs., 5 figs., 5 tabs.« less

Do children with dyslexia and/or specific language impairment compensate for place assimilation? Insight into phonological grammar and representations.

PubMed

Marshall, Chloe R; Ramus, Franck; van der Lely, Heather

2011-10-01

English speakers have to recognize, for example, that te[m] in te[m] pens is a form of ten, despite place assimilation of the nasal consonant. Children with dyslexia and specific language impairment (SLI) are commonly proposed to have a phonological deficit, and we investigate whether that deficit extends to place assimilation, as a way of probing phonological representations and phonological grammar. Children with SLI plus dyslexia, SLI only, and dyslexia only listened to sentences containing a target word in different assimilatory contexts-viable, unviable, and no change-and pressed a button to report hearing the target. The dyslexia-only group did not differ from age-matched controls, but the SLI groups showed more limited ability to accurately identify words within sentences. Once this factor was taken into account, the groups did not differ in their ability to compensate for assimilation. The results add to a growing body of evidence that phonological representations are not necessarily impaired in dyslexia. SLI children's results suggest that they too are sensitive to this aspect of phonological grammar, but are more liberal in their acceptance of alternative phonological forms of words. Furthermore, these children's ability to reject alternative phonological forms seems to be primarily limited by their vocabulary size and phonological awareness abilities.

Rise time and formant transition duration in the discrimination of speech sounds: the Ba-Wa distinction in developmental dyslexia.

PubMed

Goswami, Usha; Fosker, Tim; Huss, Martina; Mead, Natasha; Szucs, Dénes

2011-01-01

Across languages, children with developmental dyslexia have a specific difficulty with the neural representation of the sound structure (phonological structure) of speech. One likely cause of their difficulties with phonology is a perceptual difficulty in auditory temporal processing (Tallal, 1980). Tallal (1980) proposed that basic auditory processing of brief, rapidly successive acoustic changes is compromised in dyslexia, thereby affecting phonetic discrimination (e.g. discriminating /b/ from /d/) via impaired discrimination of formant transitions (rapid acoustic changes in frequency and intensity). However, an alternative auditory temporal hypothesis is that the basic auditory processing of the slower amplitude modulation cues in speech is compromised (Goswami et al., 2002). Here, we contrast children's perception of a synthetic speech contrast (ba/wa) when it is based on the speed of the rate of change of frequency information (formant transition duration) versus the speed of the rate of change of amplitude modulation (rise time). We show that children with dyslexia have excellent phonetic discrimination based on formant transition duration, but poor phonetic discrimination based on envelope cues. The results explain why phonetic discrimination may be allophonic in developmental dyslexia (Serniclaes et al., 2004), and suggest new avenues for the remediation of developmental dyslexia. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Using a Process Dissociation Approach to Assess Verbal Short-Term Memory for Item and Order Information in a Sample of Individuals with a Self-Reported Diagnosis of Dyslexia

PubMed Central

Wang, Xiaoli; Xuan, Yifu; Jarrold, Christopher

2016-01-01

Previous studies have examined whether difficulties in short-term memory for verbal information, that might be associated with dyslexia, are driven by problems in retaining either information about to-be-remembered items or the order in which these items were presented. However, such studies have not used process-pure measures of short-term memory for item or order information. In this work we adapt a process dissociation procedure to properly distinguish the contributions of item and order processes to verbal short-term memory in a group of 28 adults with a self-reported diagnosis of dyslexia and a comparison sample of 29 adults without a dyslexia diagnosis. In contrast to previous work that has suggested that individuals with dyslexia experience item deficits resulting from inefficient phonological representation and language-independent order memory deficits, the results showed no evidence of specific problems in short-term retention of either item or order information among the individuals with a self-reported diagnosis of dyslexia, despite this group showing expected difficulties on separate measures of word and non-word reading. However, there was some suggestive evidence of a link between order memory for verbal material and individual differences in non-word reading, consistent with other claims for a role of order memory in phonologically mediated reading. The data from the current study therefore provide empirical evidence to question the extent to which item and order short-term memory are necessarily impaired in dyslexia. PMID:26941679

Using a Process Dissociation Approach to Assess Verbal Short-Term Memory for Item and Order Information in a Sample of Individuals with a Self-Reported Diagnosis of Dyslexia.

PubMed

Wang, Xiaoli; Xuan, Yifu; Jarrold, Christopher

2016-01-01

Previous studies have examined whether difficulties in short-term memory for verbal information, that might be associated with dyslexia, are driven by problems in retaining either information about to-be-remembered items or the order in which these items were presented. However, such studies have not used process-pure measures of short-term memory for item or order information. In this work we adapt a process dissociation procedure to properly distinguish the contributions of item and order processes to verbal short-term memory in a group of 28 adults with a self-reported diagnosis of dyslexia and a comparison sample of 29 adults without a dyslexia diagnosis. In contrast to previous work that has suggested that individuals with dyslexia experience item deficits resulting from inefficient phonological representation and language-independent order memory deficits, the results showed no evidence of specific problems in short-term retention of either item or order information among the individuals with a self-reported diagnosis of dyslexia, despite this group showing expected difficulties on separate measures of word and non-word reading. However, there was some suggestive evidence of a link between order memory for verbal material and individual differences in non-word reading, consistent with other claims for a role of order memory in phonologically mediated reading. The data from the current study therefore provide empirical evidence to question the extent to which item and order short-term memory are necessarily impaired in dyslexia.

Relationships between Eye Movements during Sentence Reading Comprehension, Word Spelling and Reading, and DTI and fmri Connectivity In Students with and without Dysgraphia or Dyslexia

PubMed Central

Yagle, Kevin; Richards, Todd; Askren, Katie; Mestre, Zoe; Beers, Scott; Abbott, Robert; Nagy, William; Boord, Peter; Berninger, Virginia

2017-01-01

While eye movements were recorded and brains scanned, 29 children with and without specific learning disabilities (SLDs) decided if sentences they read (half with only correctly spelled words and half with homonym foils) were meaningful. Significant main effects were found for diagnostic groups (non-SLD control, dysgraphia control, and dyslexia) in total fixation (dwell) time, total number of fixations, and total regressions in during saccades; the dyslexia group had longer and more fixations and made more regressions in during saccades than either control group. The dyslexia group also differed from both control groups in (a) fractional anisotropy in left optic radiation and (b) silent word reading fluency on a task in which surrounding letters can be distracting, consistent with Rayner's selective attention dyslexia model. Different profiles for non-SLD control, dysgraphia, and dyslexia groups were identified in correlations between total fixation time, total number of fixations, regressions in during saccades, magnitude of gray matter connectivity during the fMRI sentence reading comprehension from left occipital temporal cortex seed with right BA44 and from left inferior frontal gyrus with right inferior frontoccipital fasciculus, and normed word-specific spelling and silent word reading fluency measures. The dysgraphia group was more likely than the non-SLD control or dyslexia groups to show negative correlations between eye movement outcomes and sentences containing incorrect homonym foils. Findings are discussed in reference to a systems approach in future sentence reading comprehension research that integrates eye movement, brain, and literacy measures. PMID:28936361

Identifying dyslexia in adults: an iterative method using the predictive value of item scores and self-report questions.

PubMed

Tamboer, Peter; Vorst, Harrie C M; Oort, Frans J

2014-04-01

Methods for identifying dyslexia in adults vary widely between studies. Researchers have to decide how many tests to use, which tests are considered to be the most reliable, and how to determine cut-off scores. The aim of this study was to develop an objective and powerful method for diagnosing dyslexia. We took various methodological measures, most of which are new compared to previous methods. We used a large sample of Dutch first-year psychology students, we considered several options for exclusion and inclusion criteria, we collected as many cognitive tests as possible, we used six independent sources of biographical information for a criterion of dyslexia, we compared the predictive power of discriminant analyses and logistic regression analyses, we used both sum scores and item scores as predictor variables, we used self-report questions as predictor variables, and we retested the reliability of predictions with repeated prediction analyses using an adjusted criterion. We were able to identify 74 dyslexic and 369 non-dyslexic students. For 37 students, various predictions were too inconsistent for a final classification. The most reliable predictions were acquired with item scores and self-report questions. The main conclusion is that it is possible to identify dyslexia with a high reliability, although the exact nature of dyslexia is still unknown. We therefore believe that this study yielded valuable information for future methods of identifying dyslexia in Dutch as well as in other languages, and that this would be beneficial for comparing studies across countries.

Dyslexia and voxel-based morphometry: correlations between five behavioural measures of dyslexia and gray and white matter volumes.

PubMed

Tamboer, Peter; Scholte, H Steven; Vorst, Harrie C M

2015-10-01

In voxel-based morphometry studies of dyslexia, the relation between causal theories of dyslexia and gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM) volume alterations is still under debate. Some alterations are consistently reported, but others failed to reach significance. We investigated GM alterations in a large sample of Dutch students (37 dyslexics and 57 non-dyslexics) with two analyses: group differences in local GM and total GM and WM volume and correlations between GM and WM volumes and five behavioural measures. We found no significant group differences after corrections for multiple comparisons although total WM volume was lower in the group of dyslexics when age was partialled out. We presented an overview of uncorrected clusters of voxels (p < 0.05, cluster size k > 200) with reduced or increased GM volume. We found four significant correlations between factors of dyslexia representing various behavioural measures and the clusters found in the first analysis. In the whole sample, a factor related to performances in spelling correlated negatively with GM volume in the left posterior cerebellum. Within the group of dyslexics, a factor related to performances in Dutch-English rhyme words correlated positively with GM volume in the left and right caudate nucleus and negatively with increased total WM volume. Most of our findings were in accordance with previous reports. A relatively new finding was the involvement of the caudate nucleus. We confirmed the multiple cognitive nature of dyslexia and suggested that experience greatly influences anatomical alterations depending on various subtypes of dyslexia, especially in a student sample.

Left neglect dyslexia: Perseveration and reading error types.

PubMed

Ronchi, Roberta; Algeri, Lorella; Chiapella, Laura; Gallucci, Marcello; Spada, Maria Simonetta; Vallar, Giuseppe

2016-08-01

Right-brain-damaged patients may show a reading disorder termed neglect dyslexia. Patients with left neglect dyslexia omit letters on the left-hand-side (the beginning, when reading left-to-right) part of the letter string, substitute them with other letters, and add letters to the left of the string. The aim of this study was to investigate the pattern of association, if any, between error types in patients with left neglect dyslexia and recurrent perseveration (a productive visuo-motor deficit characterized by addition of marks) in target cancellation. Specifically, we aimed at assessing whether different productive symptoms (relative to the reading and the visuo-motor domains) could be associated in patients with left spatial neglect. Fifty-four right-brain-damaged patients took part in the study: 50 out of the 54 patients showed left spatial neglect, with 27 of them also exhibiting left neglect dyslexia. Neglect dyslexic patients who showed perseveration produced mainly substitution neglect errors in reading. Conversely, omissions were the prevailing reading error pattern in neglect dyslexic patients without perseveration. Addition reading errors were much infrequent. Different functional pathological mechanisms may underlie omission and substitution reading errors committed by right-brain-damaged patients with left neglect dyslexia. One such mechanism, involving the defective stopping of inappropriate responses, may contribute to both recurrent perseveration in target cancellation, and substitution errors in reading. Productive pathological phenomena, together with deficits of spatial attention to events taking place on the left-hand-side of space, shape the manifestations of neglect dyslexia, and, more generally, of spatial neglect. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Semantic Typicality Effects in Acquired Dyslexia: Evidence for Semantic Impairment in Deep Dyslexia.

PubMed

Riley, Ellyn A; Thompson, Cynthia K

2010-06-01

BACKGROUND: Acquired deep dyslexia is characterized by impairment in grapheme-phoneme conversion and production of semantic errors in oral reading. Several theories have attempted to explain the production of semantic errors in deep dyslexia, some proposing that they arise from impairments in both grapheme-phoneme and lexical-semantic processing, and others proposing that such errors stem from a deficit in phonological production. Whereas both views have gained some acceptance, the limited evidence available does not clearly eliminate the possibility that semantic errors arise from a lexical-semantic input processing deficit. AIMS: To investigate semantic processing in deep dyslexia, this study examined the typicality effect in deep dyslexic individuals, phonological dyslexic individuals, and controls using an online category verification paradigm. This task requires explicit semantic access without speech production, focusing observation on semantic processing from written or spoken input. METHODS #ENTITYSTARTX00026; PROCEDURES: To examine the locus of semantic impairment, the task was administered in visual and auditory modalities with reaction time as the primary dependent measure. Nine controls, six phonological dyslexic participants, and five deep dyslexic participants completed the study. OUTCOMES #ENTITYSTARTX00026; RESULTS: Controls and phonological dyslexic participants demonstrated a typicality effect in both modalities, while deep dyslexic participants did not demonstrate a typicality effect in either modality. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that deep dyslexia is associated with a semantic processing deficit. Although this does not rule out the possibility of concomitant deficits in other modules of lexical-semantic processing, this finding suggests a direction for treatment of deep dyslexia focused on semantic processing.

Relationships between Eye Movements during Sentence Reading Comprehension, Word Spelling and Reading, and DTI and fmri Connectivity In Students with and without Dysgraphia or Dyslexia.

PubMed

Yagle, Kevin; Richards, Todd; Askren, Katie; Mestre, Zoe; Beers, Scott; Abbott, Robert; Nagy, William; Boord, Peter; Berninger, Virginia

2017-01-01

While eye movements were recorded and brains scanned, 29 children with and without specific learning disabilities (SLDs) decided if sentences they read (half with only correctly spelled words and half with homonym foils) were meaningful. Significant main effects were found for diagnostic groups (non-SLD control, dysgraphia control, and dyslexia) in total fixation (dwell) time, total number of fixations, and total regressions in during saccades; the dyslexia group had longer and more fixations and made more regressions in during saccades than either control group. The dyslexia group also differed from both control groups in (a) fractional anisotropy in left optic radiation and (b) silent word reading fluency on a task in which surrounding letters can be distracting, consistent with Rayner's selective attention dyslexia model. Different profiles for non-SLD control, dysgraphia, and dyslexia groups were identified in correlations between total fixation time, total number of fixations, regressions in during saccades, magnitude of gray matter connectivity during the fMRI sentence reading comprehension from left occipital temporal cortex seed with right BA44 and from left inferior frontal gyrus with right inferior frontoccipital fasciculus, and normed word-specific spelling and silent word reading fluency measures. The dysgraphia group was more likely than the non-SLD control or dyslexia groups to show negative correlations between eye movement outcomes and sentences containing incorrect homonym foils. Findings are discussed in reference to a systems approach in future sentence reading comprehension research that integrates eye movement, brain, and literacy measures.

Computer-based learning of spelling skills in children with and without dyslexia.

PubMed

Kast, Monika; Baschera, Gian-Marco; Gross, Markus; Jäncke, Lutz; Meyer, Martin

2011-12-01

Our spelling training software recodes words into multisensory representations comprising visual and auditory codes. These codes represent information about letters and syllables of a word. An enhanced version, developed for this study, contains an additional phonological code and an improved word selection controller relying on a phoneme-based student model. We investigated the spelling behavior of children by means of learning curves based on log-file data of the previous and the enhanced software version. First, we compared the learning progress of children with dyslexia working either with the previous software (n = 28) or the adapted version (n = 37). Second, we investigated the spelling behavior of children with dyslexia (n = 37) and matched children without dyslexia (n = 25). To gain deeper insight into which factors are relevant for acquiring spelling skills, we analyzed the influence of cognitive abilities, such as attention functions and verbal memory skills, on the learning behavior. All investigations of the learning process are based on learning curve analyses of the collected log-file data. The results evidenced that those children with dyslexia benefit significantly from the additional phonological cue and the corresponding phoneme-based student model. Actually, children with dyslexia improve their spelling skills to the same extent as children without dyslexia and were able to memorize phoneme to grapheme correspondence when given the correct support and adequate training. In addition, children with low attention functions benefit from the structured learning environment. Generally, our data showed that memory sources are supportive cognitive functions for acquiring spelling skills and for using the information cues of a multi-modal learning environment.

Prevalence and Associated Risk Factors of Dyslexic Children in a Middle-Sized City of China: A Cross-Sectional Study

PubMed Central

Zhang, Jiajia; Mo, Shengnan; Shao, Shanshan; Zhong, Rong; Ke, Juntao; Lu, Xuzai; Miao, Xiaoping; Song, Ranran

2013-01-01

Background There are many discussions about dyslexia based on studies conducted in western countries, and some risk factors to dyslexia, such as gender and home literacy environment, have been widely accepted based on these studies. However, to our knowledge, there are few studies focusing on the risk factors of dyslexia in China. Therefore, the aim of our study was to investigate the prevalence of dyslexia and its potential risk factors. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in Qianjiang, a city in Hubei province, China. Two stages sampling strategy was applied to randomly selected 5 districts and 9 primary schools in Qianjiang. In total, 6,350 students participated in this study and there were 5,063 valid student questionnaires obtained for the final analyses. Additional questionnaires (such as Dyslexia Checklist for Chinese Children and Pupil Rating Scale) were used to identify dyslexic children. The chi-square test and multivariate logistic regression were employed to reveal the potential risk factors to dyslexia. Results Our study revealed that the prevalence of dyslexia was 3.9% in Qianjiang city, which is a middle-sized city in China. Among dyslexic children, the gender ratio (boys to girls) was nearly 3∶1. According to the P-value in the multivariate logistic regression, the gender (P<0.01), mother's education level (P<0.01), and learning habits (P<0.01) (active learning, scheduled reading time) were associated with dyslexia. Conclusion The prevalence rate of dyslexic children in middle-sized cities is 3.9%. The potential risk factors of dyslexic children revealed in this study will have a great impact on detecting and treating dyslexic children in China as early as possible, although more studies are still needed to further investigate the risk factors of dyslexic children in China. PMID:23457604

Why do adults with dyslexia have poor global motion sensitivity?

PubMed

Conlon, Elizabeth G; Lilleskaret, Gry; Wright, Craig M; Stuksrud, Anne

2013-01-01

Two experiments aimed to determine why adults with dyslexia have higher global motion thresholds than typically reading controls. In Experiment 1, the dot density and number of animation frames presented in the dot stimulus were manipulated because of findings that use of a high dot density can normalize coherence thresholds in individuals with dyslexia. Dot densities were 14.15 and 3.54 dots/deg(2). These were presented for five (84 ms) or eight (134 ms) frames. The dyslexia group had higher coherence thresholds in all conditions than controls. However, in the high dot density, long duration condition, both reader groups had the lowest thresholds indicating normal temporal recruitment. These results indicated that the dyslexia group could sample the additional signals dots over space and then integrate these with the same efficiency as controls. In Experiment 2, we determined whether briefly presenting a fully coherent prime moving in either the same or opposite direction of motion to a partially coherent test stimulus would systematically increase and decrease global motion thresholds in the reader groups. When the direction of motion in the prime and test was the same, global motion thresholds increased for both reader groups. The increase in coherence thresholds was significantly greater for the dyslexia group. When the motion of the prime and test were presented in opposite directions, coherence thresholds were reduced in both groups. No group threshold differences were found. We concluded that the global motion processing deficit found in adults with dyslexia can be explained by undersampling of the target motion signals. This might occur because of difficulties directing attention to the relevant motion signals in the random dot pattern, and not a specific difficulty integrating global motion signals. These effects are most likely to occur in the group with dyslexia when more complex computational processes are required to process global motion.

Why do adults with dyslexia have poor global motion sensitivity?

PubMed Central

Conlon, Elizabeth G.; Lilleskaret, Gry; Wright, Craig M.; Stuksrud, Anne

2013-01-01

Two experiments aimed to determine why adults with dyslexia have higher global motion thresholds than typically reading controls. In Experiment 1, the dot density and number of animation frames presented in the dot stimulus were manipulated because of findings that use of a high dot density can normalize coherence thresholds in individuals with dyslexia. Dot densities were 14.15 and 3.54 dots/deg2. These were presented for five (84 ms) or eight (134 ms) frames. The dyslexia group had higher coherence thresholds in all conditions than controls. However, in the high dot density, long duration condition, both reader groups had the lowest thresholds indicating normal temporal recruitment. These results indicated that the dyslexia group could sample the additional signals dots over space and then integrate these with the same efficiency as controls. In Experiment 2, we determined whether briefly presenting a fully coherent prime moving in either the same or opposite direction of motion to a partially coherent test stimulus would systematically increase and decrease global motion thresholds in the reader groups. When the direction of motion in the prime and test was the same, global motion thresholds increased for both reader groups. The increase in coherence thresholds was significantly greater for the dyslexia group. When the motion of the prime and test were presented in opposite directions, coherence thresholds were reduced in both groups. No group threshold differences were found. We concluded that the global motion processing deficit found in adults with dyslexia can be explained by undersampling of the target motion signals. This might occur because of difficulties directing attention to the relevant motion signals in the random dot pattern, and not a specific difficulty integrating global motion signals. These effects are most likely to occur in the group with dyslexia when more complex computational processes are required to process global motion. PMID:24376414

Machine learning and dyslexia: Classification of individual structural neuro-imaging scans of students with and without dyslexia

PubMed Central

Tamboer, P.; Vorst, H.C.M.; Ghebreab, S.; Scholte, H.S.

2016-01-01

Meta-analytic studies suggest that dyslexia is characterized by subtle and spatially distributed variations in brain anatomy, although many variations failed to be significant after corrections of multiple comparisons. To circumvent issues of significance which are characteristic for conventional analysis techniques, and to provide predictive value, we applied a machine learning technique – support vector machine – to differentiate between subjects with and without dyslexia. In a sample of 22 students with dyslexia (20 women) and 27 students without dyslexia (25 women) (18–21 years), a classification performance of 80% (p < 0.001; d-prime = 1.67) was achieved on the basis of differences in gray matter (sensitivity 82%, specificity 78%). The voxels that were most reliable for classification were found in the left occipital fusiform gyrus (LOFG), in the right occipital fusiform gyrus (ROFG), and in the left inferior parietal lobule (LIPL). Additionally, we found that classification certainty (e.g. the percentage of times a subject was correctly classified) correlated with severity of dyslexia (r = 0.47). Furthermore, various significant correlations were found between the three anatomical regions and behavioural measures of spelling, phonology and whole-word-reading. No correlations were found with behavioural measures of short-term memory and visual/attentional confusion. These data indicate that the LOFG, ROFG and the LIPL are neuro-endophenotype and potentially biomarkers for types of dyslexia related to reading, spelling and phonology. In a second and independent sample of 876 young adults of a general population, the trained classifier of the first sample was tested, resulting in a classification performance of 59% (p = 0.07; d-prime = 0.65). This decline in classification performance resulted from a large percentage of false alarms. This study provided support for the use of machine learning in anatomical brain imaging. PMID:27114899

Dyslexia

MedlinePlus

... techniques to diagnose and treat dyslexia and other learning disabilities, increasing the understanding of the biological and possible genetic bases of learning disabilities, and exploring the relationship between neurophysiological processes and ...

Structuring as an Aid to Performance in Base-Rate Problems.

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-06-01

Design. All subjects were given two base-rate problems, here called the Lightbulb problem (adapted from Lyon & Slovic, 1976) and the Dyslexia problem; both...are shown in Table 1. Approximately half the subjects received the Lightbulb problem first; the others received the Dyslexia problem first. The two...probability that this bulb is really defective? [the child really has dyslexia ]? You can probably give a good estimate if you think hard and carefully

Understanding Dyslexia in Children through Human Development Theories

PubMed Central

Al-Shidhani, Thuraya Ahmed; Arora, Vinita

2012-01-01

Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurological in origin, with an estimated overall worldwide prevalence of 5–10% of the population. It is characterised by difficulties in reading, accuracy, fluency, spelling and decoding abilities. The majority of publications reviewed indicated that screening is performed at the preschool level. Screening can also be conducted at birth or the first year of life. Understanding human development theory, for example, Piaget’s human development theory, may help determine at which stage of childhood development dyslexia is more detectable, and therefore guide the management of this disability. The objective of this review is to provide a brief and updated overview of dyslexia and its management in children through human development issues. PMID:23269949

Impaired recognition of traffic signs in adults with dyslexia.

PubMed

Brachacki, G W; Nicolson, R I; Fawcett, A J

1995-05-01

Ten adults with dyslexia (4 women and 6 men, mean age: 26.8 years, range: 19-43 years) and 11 controls (5 women and 6 men, mean age: 20.5 years, range: 18-29 years) were tested on their ability to differentiate between real and false traffic signs. The stimuli, computer-presented color pictures, were chosen to minimize the applicability of verbal or written linguistic skills to the task. The adults with dyslexia recognized the traffic signs significantly less well than did the controls. Furthermore, whereas for the controls there was a significant correlation between traffic sign recognition and driving experience, no such correlation was found for the adults with dyslexia. The results are interpreted in terms of a deficit in implicit learning.

L1 and L2 reading skills in Dutch adolescents with a familial risk of dyslexia.

PubMed

van Setten, Ellie R H; Tops, Wim; Hakvoort, Britt E; van der Leij, Aryan; Maurits, Natasha M; Maassen, Ben A M

2017-01-01

The present study investigated differences in reading and spelling outcomes in Dutch and English as a second language (ESL) in adolescents with a high familial risk of dyslexia, of whom some have developed dyslexia (HRDys) while others have not (HRnonDys), in comparison to a low familial risk control group without dyslexia (LRnonDys). This allowed us to investigate the persistence of dyslexia in the first language (L1) and the effect of dyslexia on the second language (L2), which has, in this case, a lower orthographic transparency. Furthermore, the inclusion of the HRnonDys group allowed us to investigate the continuity of the familial risk of dyslexia, as previous studies observed that the HRnonDys group often scores in between the HRDys and LRnonDys group, and whether these readers without reading deficits in Dutch, have more reading difficulties in ESL. The data of three groups of adolescents were analyzed; 27 LRnonDys, 25 HRdys 25 HRnonDys. The mean age was 14;1 years; months, and 37 were male. All were native speakers of Dutch, attended regular secondary education (grade 7-10), and were non-native speakers of English. Using MANOVA the groups were compared on Dutch and English word reading fluency (WRF), spelling and vocabulary, Dutch pseudoword and loanword reading fluency, phonological awareness (PA), rapid automatized naming (RAN), and verbal short term and working memory. A repeated measures ANOVA was used to compare English and Dutch WRF, spelling and vocabulary directly within the three groups. The analyses revealed that the HRDys group had a deficit in both reading and spelling in Dutch and ESL. They also performed poorer than the LRnonDys group on all other measures. Effect sizes were especially large for pseudoword reading and the reaction times during the PA task. The HRnonDys group scored generally poorer than the LRnonDys group but this difference was only significant for Dutch pseudoword reading, PA reaction times and verbal short term memory. In general the HRDys and HRnonDys group scored similar in Dutch and English, except for English WRF where the HRDys group scored slightly better than expected based on their Dutch WRF. There was a high persistence of dyslexia. Adolescents with dyslexia had large impairments in reading and spelling, and reading related measures, both in Dutch and ESL. Despite high inter-individual differences, an overall three-step pattern was observed. Adolescents in the HRnonDys group scored in between the HRDys and LRnonDys group, supporting the polygenetic origin of dyslexia and the continuity of the familial risk of dyslexia. The lower orthographic transparency did not have a negative effect on L2 reading, spelling and vocabulary, both in the HRnonDys and HRDys group. The latter group performed slightly better than expected in L2, which may be a result of the massive exposure to English and high motivation to use English by adolescents.

Impaired extraction of speech rhythm from temporal modulation patterns in speech in developmental dyslexia

PubMed Central

Leong, Victoria; Goswami, Usha

2014-01-01

Dyslexia is associated with impaired neural representation of the sound structure of words (phonology). The “phonological deficit” in dyslexia may arise in part from impaired speech rhythm perception, thought to depend on neural oscillatory phase-locking to slow amplitude modulation (AM) patterns in the speech envelope. Speech contains AM patterns at multiple temporal rates, and these different AM rates are associated with phonological units of different grain sizes, e.g., related to stress, syllables or phonemes. Here, we assess the ability of adults with dyslexia to use speech AMs to identify rhythm patterns (RPs). We study 3 important temporal rates: “Stress” (~2 Hz), “Syllable” (~4 Hz) and “Sub-beat” (reduced syllables, ~14 Hz). 21 dyslexics and 21 controls listened to nursery rhyme sentences that had been tone-vocoded using either single AM rates from the speech envelope (Stress only, Syllable only, Sub-beat only) or pairs of AM rates (Stress + Syllable, Syllable + Sub-beat). They were asked to use the acoustic rhythm of the stimulus to identity the original nursery rhyme sentence. The data showed that dyslexics were significantly poorer at detecting rhythm compared to controls when they had to utilize multi-rate temporal information from pairs of AMs (Stress + Syllable or Syllable + Sub-beat). These data suggest that dyslexia is associated with a reduced ability to utilize AMs <20 Hz for rhythm recognition. This perceptual deficit in utilizing AM patterns in speech could be underpinned by less efficient neuronal phase alignment and cross-frequency neuronal oscillatory synchronization in dyslexia. Dyslexics' perceptual difficulties in capturing the full spectro-temporal complexity of speech over multiple timescales could contribute to the development of impaired phonological representations for words, the cognitive hallmark of dyslexia across languages. PMID:24605099

Examining the relationship between home literacy environment and neural correlates of phonological processing in beginning readers with and without a familial risk for dyslexia: an fMRI study

PubMed Central

Powers, Sara J.; Wang, Yingying; Beach, Sara D.; Sideridis, Georgios D.; Gaab, Nadine

2016-01-01

Developmental dyslexia is a language-based learning disability characterized by persistent difficulty in learning to read. While an understanding of genetic contributions is emerging, the ways the environment affects brain functioning in children with developmental dyslexia are poorly understood. A relationship between the home literacy environment (HLE) and neural correlates of reading has been identified in typically developing children, yet it remains unclear whether similar effects are observable in children with a genetic predisposition for dyslexia. Understanding environmental contributions is important given that we do not understand why some genetically at-risk children do not develop dyslexia. Here we investigate for the first time the relationship between HLE and the neural correlates of phonological processing in beginning readers with (FHD+, n=29) and without (FHD−, n=21) a family history of developmental dyslexia. We controlled for socio-economic status to isolate the neurobiological mechanism by which HLE affects reading development. Group differences revealed stronger correlation of HLE with brain activation in the left inferior/middle frontal and right fusiform gyri in FHD− compared to FHD+ children, suggesting greater impact of HLE on manipulation of phonological codes and recruitment of orthographic representations in typically developing children. In contrast, activation in the right precentral gyrus showed a significantly stronger correlation with HLE in FHD+ compared to FHD− children, suggesting emerging compensatory networks in genetically at-risk children. Overall, our results suggest that genetic predisposition for dyslexia alters contributions of HLE to early reading skills before formal reading instruction, which has important implications for educational practice and intervention models. PMID:27550556

Examining the relationship between home literacy environment and neural correlates of phonological processing in beginning readers with and without a familial risk for dyslexia: an fMRI study.

PubMed

Powers, Sara J; Wang, Yingying; Beach, Sara D; Sideridis, Georgios D; Gaab, Nadine

2016-10-01

Developmental dyslexia is a language-based learning disability characterized by persistent difficulty in learning to read. While an understanding of genetic contributions is emerging, the ways the environment affects brain functioning in children with developmental dyslexia are poorly understood. A relationship between the home literacy environment (HLE) and neural correlates of reading has been identified in typically developing children, yet it remains unclear whether similar effects are observable in children with a genetic predisposition for dyslexia. Understanding environmental contributions is important given that we do not understand why some genetically at-risk children do not develop dyslexia. Here, we investigate for the first time the relationship between HLE and the neural correlates of phonological processing in beginning readers with (FHD+, n = 29) and without (FHD-, n = 21) a family history of developmental dyslexia. We further controlled for socioeconomic status to isolate the neurobiological mechanism by which HLE affects reading development. Group differences revealed stronger correlation of HLE with brain activation in the left inferior/middle frontal and right fusiform gyri in FHD- compared to FHD+ children, suggesting greater impact of HLE on manipulation of phonological codes and recruitment of orthographic representations in typically developing children. In contrast, activation in the right precentral gyrus showed a significantly stronger correlation with HLE in FHD+ compared to FHD- children, suggesting emerging compensatory networks in genetically at-risk children. Overall, our results suggest that genetic predisposition for dyslexia alters contributions of HLE to early reading skills before formal reading instruction, which has important implications for educational practice and intervention models.

Visual Perception and Reading: New Clues to Patterns of Dysfunction Across Multiple Visual Channels in Developmental Dyslexia.

PubMed

Pina Rodrigues, Ana; Rebola, José; Jorge, Helena; Ribeiro, Maria José; Pereira, Marcelino; van Asselen, Marieke; Castelo-Branco, Miguel

2017-01-01

The specificity of visual channel impairment in dyslexia has been the subject of much controversy. The purpose of this study was to determine if a differential pattern of impairment can be verified between visual channels in children with developmental dyslexia, and in particular, if the pattern of deficits is more conspicuous in tasks where the magnocellular-dorsal system recruitment prevails. Additionally, we also aimed at investigating the association between visual perception thresholds and reading. In the present case-control study, we compared perception thresholds of 33 children diagnosed with developmental dyslexia and 34 controls in a speed discrimination task, an achromatic contrast sensitivity task, and a chromatic contrast sensitivity task. Moreover, we addressed the correlation between the different perception thresholds and reading performance, as assessed by means of a standardized reading test (accuracy and fluency). Group comparisons were performed by the Mann-Whitney U test, and Spearman's rho was used as a measure of correlation. Results showed that, when compared to controls, children with dyslexia were more impaired in the speed discrimination task, followed by the achromatic contrast sensitivity task, with no impairment in the chromatic contrast sensitivity task. These results are also consistent with the magnocellular theory since the impairment profile of children with dyslexia in the visual threshold tasks reflected the amount of magnocellular-dorsal stream involvement. Moreover, both speed and achromatic thresholds were significantly correlated with reading performance, in terms of accuracy and fluency. Notably, chromatic contrast sensitivity thresholds did not correlate with any of the reading measures. Our evidence stands in favor of a differential visual channel deficit in children with developmental dyslexia and contributes to the debate on the pathophysiology of reading impairments.

A longitudinal study investigating neural processing of speech envelope modulation rates in children with (a family risk for) dyslexia.

PubMed

De Vos, Astrid; Vanvooren, Sophie; Vanderauwera, Jolijn; Ghesquière, Pol; Wouters, Jan

2017-08-01

Recent evidence suggests that a fundamental deficit in the synchronization of neural oscillations to temporal information in speech may underlie phonological processing problems in dyslexia. Since previous studies were performed cross-sectionally in school-aged children or adults, developmental aspects of neural auditory processing in relation to reading acquisition and dyslexia remain to be investigated. The present longitudinal study followed 68 children during development from pre-reader (5 years old) to beginning reader (7 years old) and more advanced reader (9 years old). Thirty-six children had a family risk for dyslexia and 14 children eventually developed dyslexia. EEG recordings of auditory steady-state responses to 4 and 20 Hz modulations, corresponding to syllable and phoneme rates, were collected at each point in time. Our results demonstrate an increase in neural synchronization to phoneme-rate modulations around the onset of reading acquisition. This effect was negatively correlated with later reading and phonological skills, indicating that children who exhibit the largest increase in neural synchronization to phoneme rates, develop the poorest reading and phonological skills. Accordingly, neural synchronization to phoneme-rate modulations was found to be significantly higher in beginning and more advanced readers with dyslexia. We found no developmental effects regarding neural synchronization to syllable rates, nor any effects of a family risk for dyslexia. Altogether, our findings suggest that the onset of reading instruction coincides with an increase in neural responsiveness to phoneme-rate modulations, and that the extent of this increase is related to (the outcome of) reading development. Hereby, dyslexic children persistently demonstrate atypically high neural synchronization to phoneme rates from the beginning of reading acquisition onwards. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Neurobiology and neurogenetics of dyslexia].

PubMed

Benítez-Burraco, A

2010-01-01

Dyslexia is a learning disability in which reading (but not any other) impairment is the most prominent symptom. There seems to be a high comorbidity among dyslexia and other learning disabilities, such as SLI, SSD or ADHD. The nulear deficit in dyslexia appears to correspond to an impairment in phonological processing. Structural and functional studies in dyslexic readers converge to indicate the presence of malformations in the brain areas corresponding to the reading systems, but also a failure of these systems to function properly during reading. Genes linked (or associated) to dyslexia have been shown to be involved in neuronal migration and axon guidance during the formation of the cortex. In the developing cerebral neocortex of rats, local loss of function of most of these genes not only results in abnormal neuronal migration and neocortical and hippocampal malformations, but also in deficits related to auditory processing and learning. While the structural malformations resemble neuronal migration abnormalities observed in the brains of individuals with developmental dyslexia, processing/learning deficits also resemble deficits described in individuals affected by the disease. On the whole, dyslexia seems to be on a continuum with typical reading at different biological levels (genetic, biochemical, physiological, cognitive). Furthermore, certain elements belonging to some of these levels (mainly -some of the- genes linked or associated to the disease, but also -some of the- neuronal structures whose development is regulated by these genes) would simultaneously belong to those of other cognitive abilities, which give rise to diseases of a different nature (i.e. non- dyslexic impairments) when they are impaired. Copyright © 2009 Sociedad Española de Neurología. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

The Impact of Morphological Awareness on Word Reading and Dictation in Chinese Early Adolescent Readers With and Without Dyslexia.

PubMed

Kalindi, Sylvia Chanda; Chung, Kevin Kien Hoa

2018-01-01

This study investigated the role of morphological awareness in understanding Chinese word reading and dictation among Chinese-speaking adolescent readers in Hong Kong as well as the cognitive-linguistic profile of early adolescent readers with dyslexia. Fifty-four readers with dyslexia in Grades 5 and 6 were compared with 54 chronological age-matched (CA) typical readers on the following measures of cognitive-linguistic and literacy skills: morphological awareness, phonological awareness, visual-orthographic knowledge, rapid naming, vocabulary knowledge, verbal short-term memory (STM), Chinese word reading, and dictation (or spelling). The results indicated that early adolescent readers with dyslexia performed less well than the typical readers on all cognitive-linguistic and literacy measures except the phonological measures. Both groups' scores showed substantial correlations between morphological awareness and Chinese word reading and dictation. Visual-orthographic knowledge and rapid naming were also associated with dictation in early adolescent readers with and without dyslexia, respectively. Moderated multiple regression analyses further revealed that morphological awareness and rapid naming explained unique variance in word reading and dictation for the readers with dyslexia and typical readers separately after controlling readers' age and group effect. These results highlight the potential importance of morphological awareness and rapid naming in Chinese word reading and writing in Chinese early adolescents' literacy development and impairment.

Genetic dyslexia risk variant is related to neural connectivity patterns underlying phonological awareness in children.

PubMed

Skeide, Michael A; Kirsten, Holger; Kraft, Indra; Schaadt, Gesa; Müller, Bent; Neef, Nicole; Brauer, Jens; Wilcke, Arndt; Emmrich, Frank; Boltze, Johannes; Friederici, Angela D

2015-09-01

Phonological awareness is the best-validated predictor of reading and spelling skill and therefore highly relevant for developmental dyslexia. Prior imaging genetics studies link several dyslexia risk genes to either brain-functional or brain-structural factors of phonological deficits. However, coherent evidence for genetic associations with both functional and structural neural phenotypes underlying variation in phonological awareness has not yet been provided. Here we demonstrate that rs11100040, a reported modifier of SLC2A3, is related to the functional connectivity of left fronto-temporal phonological processing areas at resting state in a sample of 9- to 12-year-old children. Furthermore, we provide evidence that rs11100040 is related to the fractional anisotropy of the arcuate fasciculus, which forms the structural connection between these areas. This structural connectivity phenotype is associated with phonological awareness, which is in turn associated with the individual retrospective risk scores in an early dyslexia screening as well as to spelling. These results suggest a link between a dyslexia risk genotype and a functional as well as a structural neural phenotype, which is associated with a phonological awareness phenotype. The present study goes beyond previous work by integrating genetic, brain-functional and brain-structural aspects of phonological awareness within a single approach. These combined findings might be another step towards a multimodal biomarker for developmental dyslexia. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Short-term Memory in Childhood Dyslexia: Deficient Serial Order in Multiple Modalities.

PubMed

Cowan, Nelson; Hogan, Tiffany P; Alt, Mary; Green, Samuel; Cabbage, Kathryn L; Brinkley, Shara; Gray, Shelley

2017-08-01

In children with dyslexia, deficits in working memory have not been well-specified. We assessed second-grade children with dyslexia, with and without concomitant specific language impairment, and children with typical development. Immediate serial recall of lists of phonological (non-word), lexical (digit), spatial (location) and visual (shape) items were included. For the latter three modalities, we used not only standard span but also running span tasks, in which the list length was unpredictable to limit mnemonic strategies. Non-word repetition tests indicated a phonological memory deficit in children with dyslexia alone compared with those with typical development, but this difference vanished when these groups were matched for non-verbal intelligence and language. Theoretically important deficits in serial order memory in dyslexic children, however, persisted relative to matched typically developing children. The deficits were in recall of (1) spoken digits in both standard and running span tasks and (2) spatial locations, in running span only. Children with dyslexia with versus without language impairment, when matched on non-verbal intelligence, had comparable serial order memory, but differed in phonology. Because serial orderings of verbal and spatial elements occur in reading, the careful examination of order memory may allow a deeper understanding of dyslexia and its relation to language impairment. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Implicit and explicit processing in deep dyslexia: Semantic blocking as a test for failure of inhibition in the phonological output lexicon.

PubMed

Colangelo, Annette; Buchanan, Lori

2006-12-01

The failure of inhibition hypothesis posits a theoretical distinction between implicit and explicit access in deep dyslexia. Specifically, the effects of failure of inhibition are assumed only in conditions that have an explicit selection requirement in the context of production (i.e., aloud reading). In contrast, the failure of inhibition hypothesis proposes that implicit processing and explicit access to semantic information without production demands are intact in deep dyslexia. Evidence for intact implicit and explicit access requires that performance in deep dyslexia parallels that observed in neurologically intact participants on tasks based on implicit and explicit processes. In other words, deep dyslexics should produce normal effects in conditions with implicit task demands (i.e., lexical decision) and on tasks based on explicit access without production (i.e., forced choice semantic decisions) because failure of inhibition does not impact the availability of lexical information, only explicit retrieval in the context of production. This research examined the distinction between implicit and explicit processes in deep dyslexia using semantic blocking in lexical decision and forced choice semantic decisions as a test for the failure of inhibition hypothesis. The results of the semantic blocking paradigm support the distinction between implicit and explicit processing and provide evidence for failure of inhibition as an explanation for semantic errors in deep dyslexia.

Performance of children with developmental dyslexia on high and low topological entropy artificial grammar learning task.

PubMed

Katan, Pesia; Kahta, Shani; Sasson, Ayelet; Schiff, Rachel

2017-07-01

Graph complexity as measured by topological entropy has been previously shown to affect performance on artificial grammar learning tasks among typically developing children. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of graph complexity on implicit sequential learning among children with developmental dyslexia. Our goal was to determine whether children's performance depends on the complexity level of the grammar system learned. We conducted two artificial grammar learning experiments that compared performance of children with developmental dyslexia with that of age- and reading level-matched controls. Experiment 1 was a high topological entropy artificial grammar learning task that aimed to establish implicit learning phenomena in children with developmental dyslexia using previously published experimental conditions. Experiment 2 is a lower topological entropy variant of that task. Results indicated that given a high topological entropy grammar system, children with developmental dyslexia who were similar to the reading age-matched control group had substantial difficulty in performing the task as compared to typically developing children, who exhibited intact implicit learning of the grammar. On the other hand, when tested on a lower topological entropy grammar system, all groups performed above chance level, indicating that children with developmental dyslexia were able to identify rules from a given grammar system. The results reinforced the significance of graph complexity when experimenting with artificial grammar learning tasks, particularly with dyslexic participants.

Similar alterations in brain function for phonological and semantic processing to visual characters in Chinese dyslexia.

PubMed

Liu, Li; Wang, Wenjing; You, Wenping; Li, Yi; Awati, Neha; Zhao, Xu; Booth, James R; Peng, Danling

2012-07-01

Dyslexia in alphabetic languages has been extensively investigated and suggests a central deficit in orthography to phonology mapping in the left hemisphere. Compared to dyslexia in alphabetic languages, the central deficit for Chinese dyslexia is still unclear. Because of the logographic nature of Chinese characters, some have suggested that Chinese dyslexia should have larger deficits in the semantic system. To investigate this, Chinese children with reading disability (RD) were compared to typically developing (TD) children using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) on a rhyming judgment task and on a semantic association judgment task. RD children showed less activation for both tasks in right visual (BA18, 19) and left occipito-temporal cortex (BA 37), suggesting a deficit in visuo-orthographic processing. RD children also showed less activation for both tasks in left inferior frontal gyrus (BA44), which additionally showed significant correlations with activation of bilateral visuo-orthographic regions in the RD group, suggesting that the abnormalities in frontal cortex and in posterior visuo-orthographic regions may reflect a deficit in the connection between brain regions. Analyses failed to reveal larger differences between groups for the semantic compared to the rhyming task, suggesting that Chinese dyslexia is similarly impaired in the access to phonology and to semantics from the visual orthography. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Legacy of Jan Kappers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bakker, Dirk J.

1997-01-01

This brief introduction to E. Jan Kappers' article "Outpatient Treatment of Dyslexia through Stimulation of the Cerebral Hemispheres" reviews the lifetime work of Kappers in the field of dyslexia. (CR)

Identifying students with dyslexia in higher education.

PubMed

Tops, Wim; Callens, Maaike; Lammertyn, Jan; Van Hees, Valérie; Brysbaert, Marc

2012-10-01

An increasing number of students with dyslexia enter higher education. As a result, there is a growing need for standardized diagnosis. Previous research has suggested that a small number of tests may suffice to reliably assess students with dyslexia, but these studies were based on post hoc discriminant analysis, which tends to overestimate the percentage of systematic variance, and were limited to the English language (and the Anglo-Saxon education system). Therefore, we repeated the research in a non-English language (Dutch) and we selected variables on the basis of a prediction analysis. The results of our study confirm that it is not necessary to administer a wide range of tests to diagnose dyslexia in (young) adults. Three tests sufficed: word reading, word spelling and phonological awareness, in line with the proposal that higher education students with dyslexia continue to have specific problems with reading and writing. We also show that a traditional postdiction analysis selects more variables of importance than the prediction analysis. However, these extra variables explain study-specific variance and do not result in more predictive power of the model.

Implicit learning and reading: insights from typical children and children with developmental dyslexia using the artificial grammar learning (AGL) paradigm.

PubMed

Pavlidou, Elpis V; Williams, Joanne M

2014-07-01

We examined implicit learning in school-aged children with and without developmental dyslexia based on the proposal that implicit learning plays a significant role in mastering fluent reading. We ran two experiments with 16 typically developing children (9 to 11-years-old) and 16 age-matched children with developmental dyslexia using the artificial grammar learning (AGL) paradigm. In Experiment 1 (non-transfer task), children were trained on stimuli that followed patterns (rules) unknown to them. Subsequently, they were asked to decide from a novel set which stimuli follow the same rules (grammaticality judgments). In Experiment 2 (transfer task), training and testing stimuli differed in their superficial characteristics but followed the same rules. Again, children were asked to make grammaticality judgments. Our findings expand upon previous research by showing that children with developmental dyslexia show difficulties in implicit learning that are most likely specific to higher-order rule-like learning. These findings are discussed in relation to current theories of developmental dyslexia and of implicit learning. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Precursors of Reading Difficulties in Czech and Slovak Children At-Risk of Dyslexia.

PubMed

Moll, Kristina; Thompson, Paul A; Mikulajova, Marina; Jagercikova, Zuzana; Kucharska, Anna; Franke, Helena; Hulme, Charles; Snowling, Margaret J

2016-05-01

Children with preschool language difficulties are at high risk of literacy problems; however, the nature of the relationship between delayed language development and dyslexia is not understood. Three hundred eight Slovak and Czech children were recruited into three groups: family risk of dyslexia, speech/language difficulties and controls, and were assessed three times from kindergarten until Grade 1. There was a twofold increase in probability of reading problems in each risk group. Precursors of 'dyslexia' included difficulties in oral language and code-related skills (phoneme awareness, letter-knowledge and rapid automatized naming); poor performance in phonological memory and vocabulary was observed in both affected and unaffected high-risk peers. A two-group latent variable path model shows that early language skills predict code-related skills, which in turn predict literacy skills. Findings suggest that dyslexia in Slavic languages has its origins in early language deficits, and children who succumb to reading problems show impaired code-related skills before the onset of formal reading instruction. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Cognitive Profile of Students Who Enter Higher Education with an Indication of Dyslexia

PubMed Central

Brysbaert, Marc

2012-01-01

For languages other than English there is a lack of empirical evidence about the cognitive profile of students entering higher education with a diagnosis of dyslexia. To obtain such evidence, we compared a group of 100 Dutch-speaking students diagnosed with dyslexia with a control group of 100 students without learning disabilities. Our study showed selective deficits in reading and writing (effect sizes for accuracy between d = 1 and d = 2), arithmetic (d≈1), and phonological processing (d>0.7). Except for spelling, these deficits were larger for speed related measures than for accuracy related measures. Students with dyslexia also performed slightly inferior on the KAIT tests of crystallized intelligence, due to the retrieval of verbal information from long-term memory. No significant differences were observed in the KAIT tests of fluid intelligence. The profile we obtained agrees with a recent meta-analysis of English findings suggesting that it generalizes to all alphabetic languages. Implications for special arrangements for students with dyslexia in higher education are outlined. PMID:22719864

Shared and differentiated motor skill impairments in children with dyslexia and/or attention deficit disorder: From simple to complex sequential coordination

PubMed Central

Morin-Moncet, Olivier; Bélanger, Anne-Marie; Beauchamp, Miriam H.; Leonard, Gabriel

2017-01-01

Dyslexia and Attention deficit disorder (AD) are prevalent neurodevelopmental conditions in children and adolescents. They have high comorbidity rates and have both been associated with motor difficulties. Little is known, however, about what is shared or differentiated in dyslexia and AD in terms of motor abilities. Even when motor skill problems are identified, few studies have used the same measurement tools, resulting in inconstant findings. The present study assessed increasingly complex gross motor skills in children and adolescents with dyslexia, AD, and with both Dyslexia and AD. Our results suggest normal performance on simple motor-speed tests, whereas all three groups share a common impairment on unimanual and bimanual sequential motor tasks. Children in these groups generally improve with practice to the same level as normal subjects, though they make more errors. In addition, children with AD are the most impaired on complex bimanual out-of-phase movements and with manual dexterity. These latter findings are examined in light of the Multiple Deficit Model. PMID:28542319

[Prevention of dyslexia – short-term and intermediate effects of promoting phonological awareness and letter-sound correspondence with at-risk preschool children].

PubMed

Höse, Anna; Wyschkon, Anne; Moraske, Svenja; Eggeling, Marie; Quandte, Sabine; Kohn, Juliane; Poltz, Nadine; von Aster, Michael; Esser, Günter

2016-09-01

This study assesses the short-term and intermediate effects of preschool training stimulating phonological awareness and letter-sound correspondence for children at risk of developing dyslexia. Moreover, we examined whether training reduced the frequency of subsequent dyslexic problems. 25 children at risk of developing dyslexia were trained with Hören, Lauschen, Lernen 1 und 2 (Küspert & Schneider, 2008; Plume & Schneider, 2004) by their kindergarten teachers and were compared with 60 untrained at-risk children. The training revealed a significant short-term effect: The phonological awareness of trained at-risk children increased significantly over that of untrained at-risk children. However, there were no differences in phonological awareness, spelling, and reading ability between the first-graders in the training and control group. Furthermore, reading problems were reduced in the training group. In the future, phonological awareness as well as additional predictors should be included when identifying children vulnerable to developing dyslexia. Moreover, in order to prevent dyslexia, additional prerequisite deficits need to be identified, alleviated, and their effects evaluated.

Rapid Automatized Naming in Children with Dyslexia: Is Inhibitory Control Involved?

PubMed

Bexkens, Anika; van den Wildenberg, Wery P M; Tijms, Jurgen

2015-08-01

Rapid automatized naming (RAN) is widely seen as an important indicator of dyslexia. The nature of the cognitive processes involved in rapid naming is however still a topic of controversy. We hypothesized that in addition to the involvement of phonological processes and processing speed, RAN is a function of inhibition processes, in particular of interference control. A total 86 children with dyslexia and 31 normal readers were recruited. Our results revealed that in addition to phonological processing and processing speed, interference control predicts rapid naming in dyslexia, but in contrast to these other two cognitive processes, inhibition is not significantly associated with their reading and spelling skills. After variance in reading and spelling associated with processing speed, interference control and phonological processing was partialled out, naming speed was no longer consistently associated with the reading and spelling skills of children with dyslexia. Finally, dyslexic children differed from normal readers on naming speed, literacy skills, phonological processing and processing speed, but not on inhibition processes. Both theoretical and clinical interpretations of these results are discussed. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Linking memory and language: Evidence for a serial-order learning impairment in dyslexia.

PubMed

Bogaerts, Louisa; Szmalec, Arnaud; Hachmann, Wibke M; Page, Mike P A; Duyck, Wouter

2015-01-01

The present study investigated long-term serial-order learning impairments, operationalized as reduced Hebb repetition learning (HRL), in people with dyslexia. In a first multi-session experiment, we investigated both the persistence of a serial-order learning impairment as well as the long-term retention of serial-order representations, both in a group of Dutch-speaking adults with developmental dyslexia and in a matched control group. In a second experiment, we relied on the assumption that HRL mimics naturalistic word-form acquisition and we investigated the lexicalization of novel word-forms acquired through HRL. First, our results demonstrate that adults with dyslexia are fundamentally impaired in the long-term acquisition of serial-order information. Second, dyslexic and control participants show comparable retention of the long-term serial-order representations in memory over a period of 1 month. Third, the data suggest weaker lexicalization of newly acquired word-forms in the dyslexic group. We discuss the integration of these findings into current theoretical views of dyslexia. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Dyslexic entrepreneurs: the incidence; their coping strategies and their business skills.

PubMed

Logan, Julie

2009-11-01

This comparative study explores the incidence of dyslexia in entrepreneurs, corporate managers and the general population. It examines the suggestion that dyslexic entrepreneurs develop coping strategies to manage their weaknesses, which are subsequently of benefit in the new venture creation process. Results of this study suggest that there is a significantly higher incidence of dyslexia in entrepreneurs than in the corporate management and general US and UK populations and some of the strategies they adopt to overcome dyslexia (such as delegation of tasks) may be useful in business. The study was undertaken in two parts. First, entrepreneurs and corporate managers completed an online questionnaire, which combined questions about their company, their management or leadership role and their business skills together with questions that were designed to explore the likely incidence of dyslexia. A follow-up study that made use of a semi-structured questionnaire explored business issues and educational experience in more depth with those who had been diagnosed as dyslexic and those who did not have any history of dyslexia or any other learning difficulty.

Pragmatics of language and theory of mind in children with dyslexia with associated language difficulties or nonverbal learning disabilities.

PubMed

Cardillo, Ramona; Garcia, Ricardo Basso; Mammarella, Irene C; Cornoldi, Cesare

2017-03-15

The present study aims to find empirical evidence of deficits in linguistic pragmatic skills and theory of mind (ToM) in children with dyslexia with associated language difficulties or nonverbal learning disabilities (NLD), when compared with a group of typically developing (TD) children matched for age and gender. Our results indicate that children with dyslexia perform less well than TD children in most of the tasks measuring pragmatics of language, and in one of the tasks measuring ToM. In contrast, children with NLD generally performed better than the dyslexia group, and performed significantly worse than the TD children only in a metaphors task based on visual stimuli. A discriminant function analysis confirmed the crucial role of the metaphors subtest and the verbal ToM task in distinguishing between the groups. We concluded that, contrary to a generally-held assumption, children with dyslexia and associated language difficulties may be weaker than children with NLD in linguistic pragmatics and ToM, especially when language is crucially involved. The educational and clinical implications of these findings are discussed.

Volumetric Analysis of Regional Variability in the Cerebellum of Children with Dyslexia

PubMed Central

Stuebing, Karla; Juranek, Jenifer; Fletcher, Jack M.

2013-01-01

Cerebellar deficits and subsequent impairment in procedural learning may contribute to both motor difficulties and reading impairment in dyslexia. We used quantitative magnetic resonance imaging to investigate the role of regional variation in cerebellar anatomy in children with single-word decoding impairments (N=23), children with impairment in fluency alone (N=8), and typically developing children (N=16). Children with decoding impairments (dyslexia) demonstrated no statistically significant differences in overall grey and white matter volumes or cerebellar asymmetry; however, reduced volume in the anterior lobe of the cerebellum relative to typically developing children was observed. These results implicate cerebellar involvement in dyslexia and establish an important foundation for future research on the connectivity of the cerebellum and cortical regions typically associated with reading impairment. PMID:23828023

Volumetric analysis of regional variability in the cerebellum of children with dyslexia.

PubMed

Fernandez, Vindia G; Stuebing, Karla; Juranek, Jenifer; Fletcher, Jack M

2013-12-01

Cerebellar deficits and subsequent impairment in procedural learning may contribute to both motor difficulties and reading impairment in dyslexia. We used quantitative magnetic resonance imaging to investigate the role of regional variation in cerebellar anatomy in children with single-word decoding impairments (N = 23), children with impairment in fluency alone (N = 8), and typically developing children (N = 16). Children with decoding impairments (dyslexia) demonstrated no statistically significant differences in overall grey and white matter volumes or cerebellar asymmetry; however, reduced volume in the anterior lobe of the cerebellum relative to typically developing children was observed. These results implicate cerebellar involvement in dyslexia and establish an important foundation for future research on the connectivity of the cerebellum and cortical regions typically associated with reading impairment.

Do students with dyslexia have a different personality profile as measured with the big five?

PubMed

Tops, Wim; Verguts, Ellen; Callens, Maaike; Brysbaert, Marc

2013-01-01

Few studies are available about the personality profile of higher education students with dyslexia and to which extent this could be any different from their non-dyslexic peers. AIMS AND SAMPLES: To obtain empirical evidence, we compared the personality profile of a group of 100 Dutch-speaking students with dyslexia with that of a control group of 100 students without learning disabilities. The NEO-PI-R based on the Big Five in personality research was used. Our study showed no differences in the personality between both groups. This agrees with a recent meta-analysis of English findings (Swanson & Hsieh, 2009), suggesting that students with dyslexia do not perceive themselves differently than their non-dyslexic peers. Practical implications and directions for future research are considered.

Deterioration of dyslexia after non-dominant temporal lobectomy for drug-resistant epilepsy.

PubMed

Haeren, Roel H L; Hendriks, Marc P H; Vlooswijk, Marielle; Verdyck, Lex; van Kranen-Mastenbroek, Vivianne H J M; Wagner, Louis; van Benthum, Sophie; Schijns, Olaf E M G

2016-03-01

We present a patient with drug-resistant right-sided temporal lobe epilepsy, caused by a ganglioglioma of the parahippocampal gyrus. Preoperatively, the patient was also known to have dyslexia. A right-sided anterior temporal lobectomy, including complete lesionectomy, was performed. Several months after the otherwise uncomplicated procedure, the patient complained about visual memory disturbances, accompanied by increased reading and spelling problems. Postoperative neuropsychological examination revealed deterioration of the visual memory functions, compared to the preoperative assessment, and consequently provided a possible explanation for worsening of the pre-existing dyslexia. In this case report, we hypothesize on the cause of this unusual deterioration and present recommendations to be included in the preoperative epilepsy surgery evaluation for patients with verbal or reading disorders such as dyslexia.

Electrophysiological Measures of Regional Neural Interactive Coupling (Linear and Nonlinear Dependence Relationships Among Multiple Channel Electroencephalographic (EEG) Recordings),

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-01-01

clinical intervention . SG1CUDING CCMENL’ In evaluating the EEGs of subjects it is important to not that . ~major differences in EEG waveshape across...studies in dyslexia . In A.L. Benton and D. Pearl (Fs.), Dyslexia : An Appraisal of Current Knowledge. New York: Oxford University Press, 1978. 4...Electroencephalo- graphy and Clinical Neurophysio !. Oct., 67, 23(4):306-19. 6) Duffy, F.H., Denckla, M.B., Bartels, P.H., and Sandini, G. Dyslexia

The DCDC2/intron 2 deletion and white matter disorganization: focus on developmental dyslexia.

PubMed

Marino, Cecilia; Scifo, Paola; Della Rosa, Pasquale A; Mascheretti, Sara; Facoetti, Andrea; Lorusso, Maria L; Giorda, Roberto; Consonni, Monica; Falini, Andrea; Molteni, Massimo; Gruen, Jeffrey R; Perani, Daniela

2014-08-01

The DCDC2 gene is involved in neuronal migration. Heterotopias have been found within the white matter of DCDC2-knockdown rats. A deletion in DCDC2/intron 2 (DCDC2d), which encompasses a regulatory region named 'regulatory element associated with dyslexia 1' (READ1), increases the risk for dyslexia. We hypothesized that DCDC2d can be associated to alterations of the white matter structure in general and in dyslexic brains. Based on a full-factorial analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) model, we investigated voxel-based diffusion tensor imaging (VB-DTI) data of four groups of subjects: dyslexia with/without DCDC2d, and normal readers with/without DCDC2d. We also tested DCDC2d effects upon correlation patterns between fractional anisotropy (FA) and reading scores. We found that FA was reduced in the left arcuate fasciculus and splenium of the corpus callosum in subjects with versus without DCDC2d, irrespective of dyslexia. Subjects with dyslexia and DCDC2d showed reduced FA, mainly in the left hemisphere and in the corpus callosum; their counterpart without DCDC2d showed similar FA alterations. Noteworthy, a conjunction analysis in impaired readers revealed common regions with lower FA mainly in the left hemisphere. When we compared subjects with dyslexia with versus without DCDC2d, we found lower FA in the inferior longitudinal fasciculus and genu of the corpus callosum, bilaterally. Normal readers with versus without DCDC2d had FA increases and decreases in both the right and left hemisphere. The major contribution of our study was to provide evidence relating genes, brain and behaviour. Overall, our findings support the hypothesis that DCDC2d is associated with altered FA. In normal readers, DCDC2-related anatomical patterns may mark some developmental cognitive vulnerability to learning disabilities. In subjects with dyslexia, DCDC2d accounted for both common - mainly located in the left hemisphere - and unique - a more severe and extended pattern - alterations of white matter fibre tracts. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Digital App to Aid Detection, Monitoring, and Management of Dyslexia in Young Children (DIMMAND): Protocol for a Digital Health and Education Solution.

PubMed

Sood, Mariam R; Toornstra, Annet; Sereno, Martin I; Boland, Mark; Filaretti, Daniele; Sood, Anuj

2018-05-17

Dyslexia, a specific learning difficulty and a disability as defined in the Equality Act 2010, is a lifelong condition that affects a child from the start of education. Dyslexia is characterized by difficulties in language processing (reading, spelling, and writing) which do not correspond with the child's general intellectual abilities. Although dyslexia cannot be cured, there is a consensus that interventions are more effective and have greater impact the earlier they are administered. Effective interventions start with diagnosis. Currently, formal diagnosis requires an assessment by a dyslexia specialist or educational psychologist. These assessments are expensive and are not easy for a non-specialist teacher or parent to interpret. Consequently, formal assessments are normally performed at a much later age, when interventions are less likely to be effective. Combining the latest in scientific research, expertise of dyslexia practitioners and real-time interactivity facilitated by digital technologies, we aim to provide a cost-effective and convenient solution that focuses on early dyslexia detection and management. We discuss the rationale and protocol for the design and development of a digital health solution aimed at improving the early detection, monitoring and management of dyslexia (DIMMAND) in young children (4-8 years). The primary objective is to create a game-based digital solution aimed at children, parents, and teachers that firstly assesses, then monitors and manages progress in a convenient, cost-effective and private environment. The proposed solution will be designed and developed in phases. In the initial phase, the full functional specification of the games that constitute the app will be designed, together with the overall architecture of the solution. Prototype proof-of-concept implementation for few of these games, and commercialization strategies will also be developed. The follow-on phases will see the design implemented into a validated solution. In the initial phase, we worked closely with dyslexia specialists, adult dyslexics, teachers of special-needs children, parents of dyslexic children, and senior dyslexia representatives for large organizations. These interactions provided insights into the range of language difficulties faced by dyslexics, which solutions are used by teachers and professionals, and an overall understanding of the market. We comprehensively defined the ethical, privacy, and data security issues. The detailed design spec of the games, the methodology to be followed to interpret the results, and flow diagrams illustrating how the game screens will be presented was completed. As proof of concept, a few reading, visual, and auditory games were developed and successfully tested by stakeholders on different digital devices. The stakeholders provided regular feedback and confirmed the viability of our game-based solution. DIMMAND has the potential to provide significant positive health care and economic impact. It is expected to reduce intervention costs, improve dyslexia detection at an early age and aid self-management. RR1-10.2196/9583. ©Mariam R Sood, Annet Toornstra, Martin I Sereno, Mark Boland, Daniele Filaretti, Anuj Sood. Originally published in JMIR Research Protocols (http://www.researchprotocols.org), 17.05.2018.

L1 and L2 reading skills in Dutch adolescents with a familial risk of dyslexia

PubMed Central

Tops, Wim; Hakvoort, Britt E.; van der Leij, Aryan; Maurits, Natasha M.; Maassen, Ben A.M.

2017-01-01

Background The present study investigated differences in reading and spelling outcomes in Dutch and English as a second language (ESL) in adolescents with a high familial risk of dyslexia, of whom some have developed dyslexia (HRDys) while others have not (HRnonDys), in comparison to a low familial risk control group without dyslexia (LRnonDys). This allowed us to investigate the persistence of dyslexia in the first language (L1) and the effect of dyslexia on the second language (L2), which has, in this case, a lower orthographic transparency. Furthermore, the inclusion of the HRnonDys group allowed us to investigate the continuity of the familial risk of dyslexia, as previous studies observed that the HRnonDys group often scores in between the HRDys and LRnonDys group, and whether these readers without reading deficits in Dutch, have more reading difficulties in ESL. Methods The data of three groups of adolescents were analyzed; 27 LRnonDys, 25 HRdys 25 HRnonDys. The mean age was 14;1 years; months, and 37 were male. All were native speakers of Dutch, attended regular secondary education (grade 7–10), and were non-native speakers of English. Using MANOVA the groups were compared on Dutch and English word reading fluency (WRF), spelling and vocabulary, Dutch pseudoword and loanword reading fluency, phonological awareness (PA), rapid automatized naming (RAN), and verbal short term and working memory. A repeated measures ANOVA was used to compare English and Dutch WRF, spelling and vocabulary directly within the three groups. Results The analyses revealed that the HRDys group had a deficit in both reading and spelling in Dutch and ESL. They also performed poorer than the LRnonDys group on all other measures. Effect sizes were especially large for pseudoword reading and the reaction times during the PA task. The HRnonDys group scored generally poorer than the LRnonDys group but this difference was only significant for Dutch pseudoword reading, PA reaction times and verbal short term memory. In general the HRDys and HRnonDys group scored similar in Dutch and English, except for English WRF where the HRDys group scored slightly better than expected based on their Dutch WRF. Discussion There was a high persistence of dyslexia. Adolescents with dyslexia had large impairments in reading and spelling, and reading related measures, both in Dutch and ESL. Despite high inter-individual differences, an overall three-step pattern was observed. Adolescents in the HRnonDys group scored in between the HRDys and LRnonDys group, supporting the polygenetic origin of dyslexia and the continuity of the familial risk of dyslexia. The lower orthographic transparency did not have a negative effect on L2 reading, spelling and vocabulary, both in the HRnonDys and HRDys group. The latter group performed slightly better than expected in L2, which may be a result of the massive exposure to English and high motivation to use English by adolescents. PMID:29062600

The Double-Deficit Hypothesis in Spanish Developmental Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jimenez, Juan E.; Hernandez-Valle, Isabel; Rodriguez, Cristina; Guzman, Remedios; Diaz, Alicia; Ortiz, Rosario

2008-01-01

The double-deficit hypothesis (DDH) of developmental dyslexia was investigated in seven to twelve year old Spanish children. It was observed that the double deficit (DD) group had the greatest difficulty with reading.

Reading Strategy Guides to Assist Middle School Educators of Students with Dyslexia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nichols-Yehling, M.; Strohl, C.

2014-07-01

According to the 2010 International Dyslexia Association publication, “Knowledge and Practice Standards for Teachers of Reading,” effective instruction is the key to addressing students' reading difficulties associated with dyslexia, a language-based disorder of learning to read and write. “Informed and effective classroom instruction. . . can prevent or at least effectively address and limit the severity of reading and writing problems.” The Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) mission Education and Public Outreach program recently funded the development of six strategy guides for teachers of middle school students with reading difficulties, especially dyslexia. These guides utilize space science-themed reading materials developed by the Great Exploration in Math and Science (GEMS), including the IBEX-funded GEMS Space Science Sequence (Grades 6-8). The aforementioned reading strategy guides are now available on the IBEX mission website.

Speed of processing and reading disability: a cross-linguistic investigation of dyslexia and borderline intellectual functioning.

PubMed

Bonifacci, Paola; Snowling, Margaret J

2008-06-01

English and Italian children with dyslexia were compared with children with reading difficulties associated with low-IQ on tests of simple and choice RT, and in number and symbol scanning tasks. On all four speed-of-processing tasks, children with low-IQ responded more slowly than children with dyslexia and age-controls. In the choice RT task, the performance of children with low-IQ was also less accurate than that of children of normal IQ, consistent with theories linking processing speed limitations with low-IQ. These findings support the hypothesis that dyslexia is a specific cognitive deficit that can arise in the context of normal IQ and normal speed of processing. The same cognitive phenotype was observed in readers of a deep (English) and a shallow (Italian) orthography.

Intelligence and dyslexia: implications for diagnosis and intervention.

PubMed

Gustafson, S; Samuelsson, S

1999-06-01

In this paper we critically examine theoretical issues and practical consequences of including IQ in the definition of dyslexia. According to the discrepancy criterion individuals are classified as dyslexic if their reading skills are below what would be expected from their IQ scores. However, we argue that intelligence is a fuzzy concept and that there is no clear causal relationship between intelligence level and word decoding skills. Also, high and low IQ poor readers show the same reading performance patterns, indicating that both groups might benefit from the same remedial activities. Evidence for the critical role of phonological skills in dyslexia is presented and a more recent definition of dyslexia is discussed in relation to these findings. Finally, two alternative, more outcome-based classifications of poor readers are suggested and some critical consequences for individual interventions are outlined.

Long-lasting improvement following tDCS treatment combined with a training for reading in children and adolescents with dyslexia.

PubMed

Costanzo, Floriana; Rossi, Serena; Varuzza, Cristiana; Varvara, Pamela; Vicari, Stefano; Menghini, Deny

2018-03-14

Noninvasive brain stimulation transiently modulates reading ability in individuals with dyslexia by facilitating the underactive neural pathways in them. However, its long-term effects have not been determined. This study confirmed the ameliorative effects of multiple sessions of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) combined with a training for reading on the reading abilities of children and adolescents with dyslexia and examined whether they are long-lasting. Twenty-six children and adolescents with dyslexia received 3 20-min sessions per week for 6 weeks (18 sessions) of left anodal/right cathodal tDCS, set to 1 mA, over the parieto-temporal regions, combined with training for reading. The participants were randomly assigned to receive active or sham treatment. Reading measures (text, high- and low-frequency words, non-words) were recorded before and immediately after the treatment and 1 and 6 months later. The long-term tolerability to tDCS was also evaluated. The active group received long-lasting benefits in reading. Specifically, the non-word reading efficiency index improved at every time point, as did the low-frequency word reading efficiency index at 1 and 6 months after the end of the treatment. No differences emerged in the sham group. No long-term adverse effects were documented. This study provides evidence of persistent improvements in reading in children and adolescents with dyslexia, constituting a new rehabilitative approach for the remediation of dyslexia. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Imaging-Genetics in Dyslexia: Connecting risk genetic variants to brain neuroimaging and ultimately to reading impairments

PubMed Central

Eicher, John D.; Gruen, Jeffrey R.

2013-01-01

Dyslexia is a common pediatric disorder that affects 5-17% of schoolchildren in the United States. It is marked by unexpected difficulties in fluent reading despite adequate intelligence, opportunity, and instruction. Classically, neuropsychologists have studied dyslexia using a variety of neurocognitive batteries to gain insight into the specific deficits and impairments in affected children. Since dyslexia is a complex genetic trait with high heritability, analyses conditioned on performance on these neurocognitive batteries have been used to try to identify associated genes. This has led to some successes in identifying contributing genes, although much of the heritability remains unexplained. Additionally, the lack of relevant human brain tissue for analysis and the challenges of modeling a uniquely human trait in animals are barriers to advancing our knowledge of the underlying pathophysiology. In vivo imaging technologies, however, present new opportunities to examine dyslexia and reading skills in a clearly relevant context in human subjects. Recent investigations have started to integrate these imaging data with genetic data in attempts to gain a more complete and complex understanding of reading processes. In addition to bridging the gap from genetic risk variant to a discernible neuroimaging phenotype and ultimately to the clinical impairments in reading performance, the use of neuroimaging phenotypes will reveal novel risk genes and variants. In this article, we briefly discuss the genetic and imaging investigations and take an in-depth look at the recent imaging-genetics investigations of dyslexia. PMID:23916419

Enhanced Sensitivity to Subphonemic Segments in Dyslexia: A New Instance of Allophonic Perception

PubMed Central

Serniclaes, Willy; Seck, M’ballo

2018-01-01

Although dyslexia can be individuated in many different ways, it has only three discernable sources: a visual deficit that affects the perception of letters, a phonological deficit that affects the perception of speech sounds, and an audio-visual deficit that disturbs the association of letters with speech sounds. However, the very nature of each of these core deficits remains debatable. The phonological deficit in dyslexia, which is generally attributed to a deficit of phonological awareness, might result from a specific mode of speech perception characterized by the use of allophonic (i.e., subphonemic) units. Here we will summarize the available evidence and present new data in support of the “allophonic theory” of dyslexia. Previous studies have shown that the dyslexia deficit in the categorical perception of phonemic features (e.g., the voicing contrast between /t/ and /d/) is due to the enhanced sensitivity to allophonic features (e.g., the difference between two variants of /d/). Another consequence of allophonic perception is that it should also give rise to an enhanced sensitivity to allophonic segments, such as those that take place within a consonant cluster. This latter prediction is validated by the data presented in this paper. PMID:29587419

The modality and redundancy effects in multimedia learning in children with dyslexia.

PubMed

Knoop-van Campen, Carolien A N; Segers, Eliane; Verhoeven, Ludo

2018-05-01

The present study aimed to examine the modality and redundancy effects in multimedia learning in children with dyslexia in order to find out whether their learning benefits from written and/or spoken text with pictures. We compared study time and knowledge gain in 26 11-year-old children with dyslexia and 38 typically reading peers in a within-subjects design. All children were presented with a series of user-paced multimedia lessons in 3 conditions: pictorial information presented with (a) written text, (b) audio, or (c) combined text and audio. We also examined whether children's learning outcomes were related to their working memory. With respect to study time, we found modality and reversed redundancy effects. Children with dyslexia spent more time learning in the text condition, compared with the audio condition and the combined text-and-audio condition. Regarding knowledge gain, no modality or redundancy effects were evidenced. Although the groups differed on working memory, it did not influence the modality or redundancy effect on study time or knowledge gain. In multimedia learning, it thus is more efficient to provide children with dyslexia with audio or with auditory support. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Preliminary study towards the development of copying skill assessment on dyslexic children in Jawi handwriting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rahim, Kartini Abdul; Kahar, Rosmila Abdul; Khalid, Halimi Mohd.; Salleh, Rohayu Mohd; Hashim, Rathiah

2015-05-01

Recognition of Arabic handwritten and its variants such as Farsi (Persian) and Urdu had been receiving considerable attention in recent years. Being contrast to Arabic handwritten, Jawi, as a second method of Malay handwritten, has not been studied yet, but if any, there were a few references on it. The recent transformation in Malaysian education, the Special Education is one of the priorities in the Malaysia Blueprint. One of the special needs quoted in Malaysia education is dyslexia. A dyslexic student is considered as student with learning disability. Concluding a student is truly dyslexia might be incorrect for they were only assessed through Roman alphabet, without considering assessment via Jawi handwriting. A study was conducted on dyslexic students attending a special class for dyslexia in Malay Language to determine whether they are also dyslexia in Jawi handwriting. The focus of the study is to test the copying skills in relation to word reading and writing in Malay Language with and without dyslexia through both characters. A total of 10 dyslexic children and 10 normal children were recruited. In conclusion for future study, dyslexic students have less difficulty in performing Jawi handwriting in Malay Language through statistical analysis.

Thinking outside the boxes: Using current reading models to assess and treat developmental surface dyslexia.

PubMed

Law, Caroline; Cupples, Linda

2017-03-01

Improving the reading performance of children with developmental surface dyslexia has proved challenging, with limited generalisation of reading skills typically reported after intervention. The aim of this study was to provide tailored, theoretically motivated intervention to two children with developmental surface dyslexia. Our objectives were to improve their reading performance, and to evaluate the utility of current reading models in therapeutic practice. Detailed reading and cognitive profiles for two male children with developmental surface dyslexia were compared to the results obtained by age-matched control groups. The specific area of single-word reading difficulty for each child was identified within the dual route model (DRM) of reading, following which a theoretically motivated intervention programme was devised. Both children showed significant improvements in single-word reading ability after training, with generalisation effects observed for untrained words. However, the assessment and intervention results also differed for each child, reinforcing the view that the causes and consequences of developmental dyslexia, even within subtypes, are not homogeneous. Overall, the results of the interventions corresponded more closely with the DRM than other current reading models, in that real word reading improved in the absence of enhanced nonword reading for both children.

Procedural learning is impaired in dyslexia: Evidence from a meta-analysis of serial reaction time studies☆

PubMed Central

Lum, Jarrad A.G.; Ullman, Michael T.; Conti-Ramsden, Gina

2013-01-01

A number of studies have investigated procedural learning in dyslexia using serial reaction time (SRT) tasks. Overall, the results have been mixed, with evidence of both impaired and intact learning reported. We undertook a systematic search of studies that examined procedural learning using SRT tasks, and synthesized the data using meta-analysis. A total of 14 studies were identified, representing data from 314 individuals with dyslexia and 317 typically developing control participants. The results indicate that, on average, individuals with dyslexia have worse procedural learning abilities than controls, as indexed by sequence learning on the SRT task. The average weighted standardized mean difference (the effect size) was found to be 0.449 (CI95: .204, .693), and was significant (p < .001). However, moderate levels of heterogeneity were found between study-level effect sizes. Meta-regression analyses indicated that studies with older participants that used SRT tasks with second order conditional sequences, or with older participants that used sequences that were presented a large number of times, were associated with smaller effect sizes. These associations are discussed with respect to compensatory and delayed memory systems in dyslexia. PMID:23920029

Writing in dyslexia: product and process.

PubMed

Morken, Frøydis; Helland, Turid

2013-08-01

Research on dyslexia has largely centred on reading. The aim of this study was to assess the writing of 13 children with and 28 without dyslexia at age 11 years. A programme for keystroke logging was used to allow recording of typing activity as the children performed a sentence dictation task. Five sentences were read aloud twice each. The task was to type the sentence as correctly as possible, with no time constraints. The data were analysed from a product (spelling, grammar and semantics) and process (transcription fluency and revisions) perspective, using repeated measures ANOVA and t-tests to investigate group differences. Furthermore, the data were correlated with measures of rapid automatic naming and working memory. Results showed that the group with dyslexia revised their texts as much as the typical group, but they used more time, and the result was poorer. Moreover, rapid automatic naming correlated with transcription fluency, and working memory correlated with the number of semantic errors. This shows that dyslexia is generally not an issue of effort and that cognitive skills that are known to be important for reading also affect writing. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Profile of language and cognitive functions in children with dyslexia in speakers of Brazilian Portuguese.

PubMed

Barbosa, Thais; Rodrigues, Camila Cruz; Toledo-Piza, Carolina Mattar; Navas, Ana Luiza Gomes Pinto; Bueno, Orlando Francisco Amodeu

2015-01-01

To verify the language and cognitive profile of children with dyslexia, contributing to the diagnosis of this condition in readers of a regular orthography, such as Brazilian Portuguese. In this study, 47 children with dyslexia (GD) and two controlled groups, one composed of 41 age controls (GCI) and the other with 31 reading controls (GCL), participated. All children were submitted to a battery involving the above-mentioned abilities. GD demonstrated predominant deficits in phonological processing, which were not compatible with a delay in the development of such abilities, indicating an atypical development. The GD also obtained lower scores in both basic and more complex reading and writing skills (i.e., letters, words, pseudowords, and texts, respectively), as well as in other domains, such as language (syntactic processing and oral sentence comprehension), which may be a result of a deficit in phonological skills, that interfered with higher complexity linguistic skills. Phonological abilities demonstrated to be the main difficulty observed in children with dyslexia investigated in this study, corroborating previous studies in other languages. This demonstrates that, independently of the language regularity, phonological skills are fundamental to the diagnosis of developmental dyslexia.

'It Takes Me Half a Bottle of Whisky to Get through One of Your Assignments': Exploring One Teacher Educator's Personal Experiences of Dyslexia.

PubMed

Glazzard, Jonathan; Dale, Kirsty

2015-05-01

This article uses a life history approach to explore personal experiences of dyslexia of one higher-education lecturer and its impact on her professional identity. The informant is currently employed as a lecturer of initial teacher training in a UK university. She worked as a primary school teacher for over a decade prior to embarking on an academic career in teacher education. The informant draws on her own experiences as a pupil, teacher and lecturer, and additionally, she presents accounts of student teachers with dyslexia drawn from her current professional context. Although the data are not generalizable, the account nevertheless illustrates the positive impact of the social model of disability for the informant and her students who had been identified as dyslexic during their initial training as teachers. Additionally, the account also illustrates the ways in which teachers' personal experiences of dyslexia can shape professional identities in very positive ways. Implications for both teacher training and pedagogic approaches in schools to support learners with dyslexia are drawn out of the narrative. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Understanding Dyslexia (For Parents)

MedlinePlus

... dis-LEK-see-uh) is a type of learning disability. A child with a learning disability has trouble processing words or numbers. There are several kinds of learning disabilities — dyslexia is the term used when people have ...

What is Dyslexia? | NIH MedlinePlus the Magazine

MedlinePlus

... words Difficulty understanding text that is read (poor comprehension) Problems with spelling Delayed speech (learning to talk ... of technology. Children with dyslexia may benefit from listening to books on tape or using word-processing ...

Age, dyslexia subtype and comorbidity modulate rapid auditory processing in developmental dyslexia.

PubMed

Lorusso, Maria Luisa; Cantiani, Chiara; Molteni, Massimo

2014-01-01

The nature of Rapid Auditory Processing (RAP) deficits in dyslexia remains debated, together with the specificity of the problem to certain types of stimuli and/or restricted subgroups of individuals. Following the hypothesis that the heterogeneity of the dyslexic population may have led to contrasting results, the aim of the study was to define the effect of age, dyslexia subtype and comorbidity on the discrimination and reproduction of non-verbal tone sequences. Participants were 46 children aged 8-14 (26 with dyslexia, subdivided according to age, presence of a previous language delay, and type of dyslexia). Experimental tasks were a Temporal Order Judgment (TOJ) (manipulating tone length, ISI and sequence length), and a Pattern Discrimination Task. Dyslexic children showed general RAP deficits. Tone length and ISI influenced dyslexic and control children's performance in a similar way, but dyslexic children were more affected by an increase from 2 to 5 sounds. As to age, older dyslexic children's difficulty in reproducing sequences of 4 and 5 tones was similar to that of normally reading younger (but not older) children. In the analysis of subgroup profiles, the crucial variable appears to be the advantage, or lack thereof, in processing long vs. short sounds. Dyslexic children with a previous language delay obtained the lowest scores in RAP measures, but they performed worse with shorter stimuli, similar to control children, while dyslexic-only children showed no advantage for longer stimuli. As to dyslexia subtype, only surface dyslexics improved their performance with longer stimuli, while phonological dyslexics did not. Differential scores for short vs. long tones and for long vs. short ISIs predict non-word and word reading, respectively, and the former correlate with phonemic awareness. In conclusion, the relationship between non-verbal RAP, phonemic skills and reading abilities appears to be characterized by complex interactions with subgroup characteristics.

Age, dyslexia subtype and comorbidity modulate rapid auditory processing in developmental dyslexia

PubMed Central

Lorusso, Maria Luisa; Cantiani, Chiara; Molteni, Massimo

2014-01-01

The nature of Rapid Auditory Processing (RAP) deficits in dyslexia remains debated, together with the specificity of the problem to certain types of stimuli and/or restricted subgroups of individuals. Following the hypothesis that the heterogeneity of the dyslexic population may have led to contrasting results, the aim of the study was to define the effect of age, dyslexia subtype and comorbidity on the discrimination and reproduction of non-verbal tone sequences. Participants were 46 children aged 8–14 (26 with dyslexia, subdivided according to age, presence of a previous language delay, and type of dyslexia). Experimental tasks were a Temporal Order Judgment (TOJ) (manipulating tone length, ISI and sequence length), and a Pattern Discrimination Task. Dyslexic children showed general RAP deficits. Tone length and ISI influenced dyslexic and control children's performance in a similar way, but dyslexic children were more affected by an increase from 2 to 5 sounds. As to age, older dyslexic children's difficulty in reproducing sequences of 4 and 5 tones was similar to that of normally reading younger (but not older) children. In the analysis of subgroup profiles, the crucial variable appears to be the advantage, or lack thereof, in processing long vs. short sounds. Dyslexic children with a previous language delay obtained the lowest scores in RAP measures, but they performed worse with shorter stimuli, similar to control children, while dyslexic-only children showed no advantage for longer stimuli. As to dyslexia subtype, only surface dyslexics improved their performance with longer stimuli, while phonological dyslexics did not. Differential scores for short vs. long tones and for long vs. short ISIs predict non-word and word reading, respectively, and the former correlate with phonemic awareness. In conclusion, the relationship between non-verbal RAP, phonemic skills and reading abilities appears to be characterized by complex interactions with subgroup characteristics. PMID:24904356

Reading in dyslexia across literacy development: A longitudinal study of effective connectivity.

PubMed

Morken, Frøydis; Helland, Turid; Hugdahl, Kenneth; Specht, Karsten

2017-01-01

Dyslexia is a literacy disorder affecting the efficient acquisition of reading and writing skills. The disorder is neurobiological in origin. Due to its developmental nature, longitudinal studies of dyslexia are of essence. They are, however, relatively scarce. The present study took a longitudinal approach to cortical connectivity of brain imaging data in reading tasks in children with dyslexia and children with typical reading development. The participants were followed with repeated measurements through Pre-literacy (6 years old), Emergent Literacy (8 years old) and Literacy (12 years old) stages, using Dynamic Causal Modelling (DCM) when analysing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data. Even though there are a few longitudinal studies on effective connectivity in typical reading, to our knowledge, no studies have previously investigated these issues in relation to dyslexia. We set up a model of a brain reading network involving five cortical regions (inferior frontal gyrus, precentral gyrus, superior temporal gyrus, inferior parietal lobule, and occipito-temporal cortex). Using DCM, connectivity measures were calculated for each connection in the model. These measures were further analysed using factorial ANOVA. The results showed that the difference between groups centred on connections going to and from the inferior frontal gyrus (two connections) and the occipito-temporal cortex (three connections). For all five connections, the typical group showed stable or decreasing connectivity measures. The dyslexia group, on the other hand, showed a marked up-regulation (occipito-temporal connections) or down-regulation (inferior frontal gyrus connections) from 6 years to 8 years, followed by normalization from 8 years to 12 years. We interpret this as a delay in the dyslexia group in developing into the Pre-literacy and Emergent literacy stages. This delay could possibly be detrimental to literacy development. By age 12, there was no statistically significant difference in connectivity between the groups, but differences in literacy skills were still present, and were in fact larger than when measured at younger ages. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Precursors of developmental dyslexia: an overview of the longitudinal Dutch Dyslexia Programme study.

PubMed

van der Leij, Aryan; van Bergen, Elsje; van Zuijen, Titia; de Jong, Peter; Maurits, Natasha; Maassen, Ben

2013-11-01

Converging evidence suggests that developmental dyslexia is a neurobiological disorder, characterized by deficits in the auditory, visual, and linguistic domains. In the longitudinal project of the Dutch Dyslexia Programme, 180 children with a familial risk of dyslexia (FR) and a comparison group of 120 children without FR (noFR) were followed from the age of 2 months up to 9 years. Children were assessed on (1) auditory, speech, and visual event-related potentials every half year between 2 and 41 months; (2) expressive and receptive language, motor development, behaviour problems, and home-literacy environment by questionnaires at the age of 2 and 3; (3) speech-language and cognitive development from 47 months onwards; and (4) preliteracy and subskills of reading, and reading development during kindergarten and Grades 2 and 3. With regard to precursors of reading disability, first analyses showed specific differences between FR and noFR children in neurophysiological, cognitive, and early language measures. Once reading tests administered from age 7 to 9 years were available, the children were divided into three groups: FR children with and without dyslexia, and controls. Analyses of the differences between reading groups yielded distinct profiles and developmental trajectories. On early speech and visual processing, and several cognitive measures, performance of the non-dyslexic FR group differed from the dyslexic FR group and controls, indicating continuity of the influence of familial risk. Parental reading and rapid naming skills appeared to indicate their offspring's degree of familial risk. Furthermore, on rapid naming and nonverbal IQ, the non-dyslexic FR group performed similarly to the controls, suggesting protective factors. There are indications of differences between the FR and control groups, irrespective of reading outcome. These results contribute to the distinction between the deficits correlated to dyslexia as a manifest reading disorder and deficits correlated to familial risk only. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Developmental surface and phonological dyslexia in both Greek and English.

PubMed

Sotiropoulos, Andreas; Hanley, J Richard

2017-11-01

The hallmark of developmental surface dyslexia in English and French is inaccurate reading of words with atypical spelling-sound correspondences. According to Douklias, Masterson and Hanley (2009), surface dyslexia can also be observed in Greek (a transparent orthography for reading that does not contain words of this kind). Their findings suggested that surface dyslexia in Greek can be characterized by slow reading of familiar words, and by inaccurate spelling of words with atypical sound-spelling correspondences (Greek is less transparent for spelling than for reading). In this study, we report seven adult cases whose slow reading and impaired spelling accuracy satisfied these criteria for Greek surface dyslexia. When asked to read words with atypical grapheme-phoneme correspondences in English (their second language), their accuracy was severely impaired. A co-occurrence was also observed between impaired spelling of words with atypical phoneme-grapheme correspondences in English and Greek. These co-occurrences provide strong evidence that surface dyslexia genuinely exists in Greek and that slow reading of real words in Greek reflects the same underlying impairment as that which produces inaccurate reading of atypical words in English. Two further individuals were observed with impaired reading and spelling of nonwords in both languages, consistent with developmental phonological dyslexia. Neither of the phonological dyslexics read words slowly. In terms of computational models of reading aloud, these findings suggest that slow reading by dyslexics in transparent orthographies is the consequence of a developmental impairment of the lexical (Coltheart, Rastle, Perry, Langdon, & Zeigler, 2001; Perry, Ziegler, & Zorzi, 2010) or semantic reading route (Plaut, McClelland, Seidenberg, & Patterson, 1996). This outcome provides evidence that the neurophysiological substrate(s) that support the lexical/semantic and the phonological pathways that are involved in reading and spelling are the same in both Greek and English. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The impact of developmental dyslexia and dysgraphia on movement production during word writing.

PubMed

Kandel, Sonia; Lassus-Sangosse, Delphine; Grosjacques, Géraldine; Perret, Cyril

This study investigated how deficits in orthographic processing affect movement production during word writing. Children with dyslexia and dysgraphia wrote words and pseudo-words on a digitizer. The words were orthographically regular and irregular of varying frequency. The group analysis revealed that writing irregular words and pseudo-words increased movement duration and dysfluency. This indicates that the spelling processes were active while the children were writing the words. The impact of these spelling processes was stronger for the children with dyslexia and dysgraphia. The analysis of individual performance revealed that most dyslexic/dysgraphic children presented similar writing patterns. However, selective lexical processing deficits affected irregular word writing but not pseudo-word writing. Selective poor sublexical processing affected pseudo-word writing more than irregular word writing. This study suggests that the interaction between orthographic and motor processing constitutes an important cognitive load that may disrupt the graphic outcome of the children with dyslexia/dysgraphia.

The effect of a specialized dyslexia font, OpenDyslexic, on reading rate and accuracy.

PubMed

Wery, Jessica J; Diliberto, Jennifer A

2017-07-01

A single-subject alternating treatment design was used to investigate the extent to which a specialized dyslexia font, OpenDyslexic, impacted reading rate or accuracy compared to two commonly used fonts when used with elementary students identified as having dyslexia. OpenDyslexic was compared to Arial and Times New Roman in three reading tasks: (a) letter naming, (b) word reading, and (c) nonsense word reading. Data were analyzed through visual analysis and improvement rate difference, a nonparametric measure of nonoverlap for comparing treatments. Results from this alternating treatment experiment show no improvement in reading rate or accuracy for individual students with dyslexia, as well as the group as a whole. While some students commented that the font was "new" or "different", none of the participants reported preferring to read material presented in that font. These results indicate there may be no benefit for translating print materials to this font.

Speech Sound Processing Deficits and Training-Induced Neural Plasticity in Rats with Dyslexia Gene Knockdown

PubMed Central

Centanni, Tracy M.; Chen, Fuyi; Booker, Anne M.; Engineer, Crystal T.; Sloan, Andrew M.; Rennaker, Robert L.; LoTurco, Joseph J.; Kilgard, Michael P.

2014-01-01

In utero RNAi of the dyslexia-associated gene Kiaa0319 in rats (KIA-) degrades cortical responses to speech sounds and increases trial-by-trial variability in onset latency. We tested the hypothesis that KIA- rats would be impaired at speech sound discrimination. KIA- rats needed twice as much training in quiet conditions to perform at control levels and remained impaired at several speech tasks. Focused training using truncated speech sounds was able to normalize speech discrimination in quiet and background noise conditions. Training also normalized trial-by-trial neural variability and temporal phase locking. Cortical activity from speech trained KIA- rats was sufficient to accurately discriminate between similar consonant sounds. These results provide the first direct evidence that assumed reduced expression of the dyslexia-associated gene KIAA0319 can cause phoneme processing impairments similar to those seen in dyslexia and that intensive behavioral therapy can eliminate these impairments. PMID:24871331

The multiple deficit model of dyslexia: what does it mean for identification and intervention?

PubMed

Ring, Jeremiah; Black, Jeffrey L

2018-04-24

Research demonstrates that phonological skills provide the basis of reading acquisition and are a primary processing deficit in dyslexia. This consensus has led to the development of effective methods of reading intervention. However, a single phonological deficit is not sufficient to account for the heterogeneity of individuals with dyslexia, and recent research provides evidence that supports a multiple-deficit model of reading disorders. Two studies are presented that investigate (1) the prevalence of phonological and cognitive processing deficit profiles in children with significant reading disability and (2) the effects of those same phonological and cognitive processing skills on reading development in a sample of children that received treatment for dyslexia. The results are discussed in the context of implications for identification and an intervention approach that accommodates multiple deficits within a comprehensive skills-based reading program.

[Phonological awareness, working memory, reading and writing performances in familial dyslexia].

PubMed

Capellini, Simone Aparecida; Padula, Niura Aparecida de Mouro Ribeiro; Santos, Lara Cristina Antunes Dos; Lourenceti, Maria Dalva; Carrenho, Erika Hasse; Ribeiro, Lucilene Arilho

2007-01-01

familial dyslexia. to characterize and compare the phonological awareness, working memory, reading and writing abilities of individuals whose family members are also affected. in this study 10 familial nuclei of natural family relationship of individuals with dyslexia were analyzed. Families of natural individuals living in the west region of the state of São Paulo were selected. Inclusion criteria were: to be a native speaker of the Brazilian Portuguese language, to have 8 years of age or more, to present positive familial history for learning disabilities, that is, to present at least one relative with difficulties in learning. Exclusion criteria were: to present any neurological disorder genetically caused or not, in any of the family members, such as dystonia, extra pyramidal diseases, mental disorder, epilepsy, attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHA); psychiatric symptoms or conditions; or any other pertinent conditions that could cause errors in the diagnosis. As for the diagnosis of developmental dyslexia, information about the familial history of the adolescents and children was gathered with the parents, so that a detailed pedigree could be delineated. Neurological, psychological, speech-language, and school performance evaluations were made with the individuals and their families. the results of this study suggest that the dyslexic individuals and their respective relatives, also with dyslexia, presented lower performances than the control group in terms of rapid automatic naming, reading, writing and phonological awareness. deficits in phonological awareness, working memory, reading and writing seem to have genetic susceptibility that possibly determine, when in interaction with the environment, the manifestation of dyslexia.

Enhancement of brain event-related potentials to speech sounds is associated with compensated reading skills in dyslexic children with familial risk for dyslexia.

PubMed

Lohvansuu, Kaisa; Hämäläinen, Jarmo A; Tanskanen, Annika; Ervast, Leena; Heikkinen, Elisa; Lyytinen, Heikki; Leppänen, Paavo H T

2014-12-01

Specific reading disability, dyslexia, is a prevalent and heritable disorder impairing reading acquisition characterized by a phonological deficit. However, the underlying mechanism of how the impaired phonological processing mediates resulting dyslexia or reading disabilities remains still unclear. Using ERPs we studied speech sound processing of 30 dyslexic children with familial risk for dyslexia, 51 typically reading children with familial risk for dyslexia, and 58 typically reading control children. We found enhanced brain responses to shortening of a phonemic length in pseudo-words (/at:a/ vs. /ata/) in dyslexic children with familial risk as compared to other groups. The enhanced brain responses were associated with better performance in behavioral phonemic length discrimination task, as well as with better reading and writing accuracy. Source analyses revealed that the brain responses of sub-group of dyslexic children with largest responses originated from a more posterior area of the right temporal cortex as compared to the responses of the other participants. This is the first electrophysiological evidence for a possible compensatory speech perception mechanism in dyslexia. The best readers within the dyslexic group have probably developed alternative strategies which employ compensatory mechanisms substituting their possible earlier deficit in phonological processing and might therefore be able to perform better in phonemic length discrimination and reading and writing accuracy tasks. However, we speculate that for reading fluency compensatory mechanisms are not that easily built and dyslexic children remain slow readers during their adult life. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Aberrant N400 responses to phonological overlap during rhyme judgements in children at risk for dyslexia.

PubMed

Noordenbos, Mark W; Segers, Eliane; Wagensveld, Barbara; Verhoeven, Ludo

2013-11-06

It is widely accepted that dyslexia is associated with difficulties in phonological awareness and that rhyme awareness in young children can predict later reading success. However, little is known regarding the underlying phonological mechanisms of rhyme awareness in dyslexia, as rhyme awareness is typically assessed using explicit behavioural measures that represent only the endpoint of processing and often lack phonological distracters. We examined event-related potentials (ERPs) in response to auditory word pairs that differed in phonological overlap during a rhyme judgement task given to 6-year-old beginning readers who were at risk for dyslexia (n=30) and typical-reading age-matched controls (n=29). ERPs were recorded in response to word pairs with various types of phonological overlap, including rhyming (e.g., wall-ball), non-rhyming overlapping (e.g., bell-ball) and non-rhyming unrelated (e.g., sock-ball) word pairs. Both groups of participants exhibited N400 responses for basic rhyme judgements vs. unrelated targets. In the typical-reading controls, the neural responses also differed between the rhyming targets and the non-rhyming overlapping targets, whereas neural responses to these targets were similar in the group of children at risk for dyslexia, indicating difficulties in their ability to process similar-sounding, non-rhyming targets. These findings suggest that typical-reading children solve the rhyme judgement task using a more analytical approach, whereas children who are at risk for dyslexia base their judgments on a comparison of overall sound similarity. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Bias in dyslexia screening in a Dutch multicultural population.

PubMed

Verpalen, Anick; Van de Vijver, Fons; Backus, Ad

2018-04-01

We set out to address the adequacy of dyslexia screening in Dutch and non-western immigrant children, using the Dutch Dyslexia Screening Test (DST-NL) and outcomes of the Dutch dyslexia protocol, both of which are susceptible to cultural bias. Using the protocol as standard, we conducted an ROC (Receiver Operating Characteristics) analysis in Dutch and immigrant third, fifth, and seventh graders, combining a cross-sectional and longitudinal design. Sensitivity and specificity increased with grade, but were non-significant for various subtests in the lowest grade, suggesting considerable non-convergence between the two measures. Effective subtests in all grades, presumably not strongly influenced by Cultural Background or Word Lexicon, were One-Minute Reading, Non-Word Reading, and Nonsense Passage Reading. In a multilevel analysis, cultural background, dyslexia diagnosis, parental education, and grade of first assessment were predictors of subtest performance. In a second analysis, Word Lexicon was added as a proxy of knowledge of the Dutch language and culture. After controlling for Word Lexicon, cultural background became significant for most subtests, suggesting the presence of cultural bias. Subtests assessing technical literacy, such as One-Minute-Reading, Non-Word-Reading, One-Minute-Writing, or Two-Minutes-Spelling, showed more convergence between the two assessments. Less-effective subtests were Naming Pictures, Backward Digit Span, and Verbal and Semantic Fluency. It is concluded that the DST-NL and the standard protocol do not show complete convergence, notably in the lower grades in the multilingual pupil group of our cohort, mainly because dyslexia and literacy difficulties are hard to disentangle.

Evidence-Based Reading and Writing Assessment for Dyslexia in Adolescents and Young Adults

PubMed Central

Nielsen, Kathleen; Abbott, Robert; Griffin, Whitney; Lott, Joe; Raskind, Wendy; Berninger, Virginia W.

2016-01-01

The same working memory and reading and writing achievement phenotypes (behavioral markers of genetic variants) validated in prior research with younger children and older adults in a multi-generational family genetics study of dyslexia were used to study 81 adolescent and young adults (ages 16 to 25) from that study. Dyslexia is impaired word reading and spelling skills below the population mean and ability to use oral language to express thinking. These working memory predictor measures were given and used to predict reading and writing achievement: Coding (storing and processing) heard and spoken words (phonological coding), read and written words (orthographic coding), base words and affixes (morphological coding), and accumulating words over time (syntax coding); Cross-Code Integration (phonological loop for linking phonological name and orthographic letter codes and orthographic loop for linking orthographic letter codes and finger sequencing codes), and Supervisory Attention (focused and switching attention and self-monitoring during written word finding). Multiple regressions showed that most predictors explained individual difference in at least one reading or writing outcome, but which predictors explained unique variance beyond shared variance depended on outcome. ANOVAs confirmed that research-supported criteria for dyslexia validated for younger children and their parents could be used to diagnose which adolescents and young adults did (n=31) or did not (n=50) meet research criteria for dyslexia. Findings are discussed in reference to the heterogeneity of phenotypes (behavioral markers of genetic variables) and their application to assessment for accommodations and ongoing instruction for adolescents and young adults with dyslexia. PMID:26855554

Knockdown of Dyslexia-Gene Dcdc2 Interferes with Speech Sound Discrimination in Continuous Streams.

PubMed

Centanni, Tracy Michelle; Booker, Anne B; Chen, Fuyi; Sloan, Andrew M; Carraway, Ryan S; Rennaker, Robert L; LoTurco, Joseph J; Kilgard, Michael P

2016-04-27

Dyslexia is the most common developmental language disorder and is marked by deficits in reading and phonological awareness. One theory of dyslexia suggests that the phonological awareness deficit is due to abnormal auditory processing of speech sounds. Variants in DCDC2 and several other neural migration genes are associated with dyslexia and may contribute to auditory processing deficits. In the current study, we tested the hypothesis that RNAi suppression of Dcdc2 in rats causes abnormal cortical responses to sound and impaired speech sound discrimination. In the current study, rats were subjected in utero to RNA interference targeting of the gene Dcdc2 or a scrambled sequence. Primary auditory cortex (A1) responses were acquired from 11 rats (5 with Dcdc2 RNAi; DC-) before any behavioral training. A separate group of 8 rats (3 DC-) were trained on a variety of speech sound discrimination tasks, and auditory cortex responses were acquired following training. Dcdc2 RNAi nearly eliminated the ability of rats to identify specific speech sounds from a continuous train of speech sounds but did not impair performance during discrimination of isolated speech sounds. The neural responses to speech sounds in A1 were not degraded as a function of presentation rate before training. These results suggest that A1 is not directly involved in the impaired speech discrimination caused by Dcdc2 RNAi. This result contrasts earlier results using Kiaa0319 RNAi and suggests that different dyslexia genes may cause different deficits in the speech processing circuitry, which may explain differential responses to therapy. Although dyslexia is diagnosed through reading difficulty, there is a great deal of variation in the phenotypes of these individuals. The underlying neural and genetic mechanisms causing these differences are still widely debated. In the current study, we demonstrate that suppression of a candidate-dyslexia gene causes deficits on tasks of rapid stimulus processing. These animals also exhibited abnormal neural plasticity after training, which may be a mechanism for why some children with dyslexia do not respond to intervention. These results are in stark contrast to our previous work with a different candidate gene, which caused a different set of deficits. Our results shed some light on possible neural and genetic mechanisms causing heterogeneity in the dyslexic population. Copyright © 2016 the authors 0270-6474/16/364895-12$15.00/0.

Neural signatures of phonological deficits in Chinese developmental dyslexia.

PubMed

Cao, Fan; Yan, Xin; Wang, Zhao; Liu, Yanni; Wang, Jin; Spray, Gregory J; Deng, Yuan

2017-02-01

There has been debate on whether phonological deficits explain reading difficulty in Chinese, since Chinese is a logographic language which does not employ grapheme-phoneme-correspondence rules and remote memorization seems to be the main method to acquire reading. In the current study, we present neuroimaging evidence that the phonological deficit is also a signature of Chinese dyslexia. Specifically, we found that Chinese children with dyslexia (DD) showed reduced brain activation in the left dorsal inferior frontal gyrus (dIFG) when compared to both age-matched controls (AC) and reading-matched controls (RC) during an auditory rhyming judgment task. This suggests that the phonological processing deficit in this region may be a signature of dyslexia in Chinese, rather than a difference due to task performance or reading ability, which was matched on DD and RC. At exactly the same region of the left dIFG, we found a positive correlation between brain activation and reading skill in DD, suggesting that the phonological deficit is associated with the severity of dyslexia. We also found increased brain activation in the right precentral gyrus in DD than both AC and RC, suggesting a compensation of reliance on articulation. Functional connectivity analyses revealed that DD had a weaker connection between the left superior temporal gyrus (STG) and fusiform gyrus (FG) than the two control groups, suggesting that the reduced connection between phonology and orthography is another neural signature of dyslexia. In contrast, DD showed greater connectivity between the left dIFG and the left inferior parietal lobule (IPL) than both control groups, suggesting a reduced segregation between the language network and default mode network in dyslexic children. We also found that connectivity between the left STG and the left dIFG was sensitive to task performance and/or reading skill rather than being dyslexic or not, because AC was greater than both RC and DD, while the connectivity between the left middle occipital gyrus (MOG) and left STG was sensitive to age, because both AC and DD were greater than RC. In summary, our study provides the very first neurological evidence of phonological deficits in Chinese developmental dyslexia and we successfully distinguished variations of brain activity/functional connectivity due to age, performance, and dyslexia by comparing AC, RC, and DD. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Knockdown of Dyslexia-Gene Dcdc2 Interferes with Speech Sound Discrimination in Continuous Streams

PubMed Central

Booker, Anne B.; Chen, Fuyi; Sloan, Andrew M.; Carraway, Ryan S.; Rennaker, Robert L.; LoTurco, Joseph J.; Kilgard, Michael P.

2016-01-01

Dyslexia is the most common developmental language disorder and is marked by deficits in reading and phonological awareness. One theory of dyslexia suggests that the phonological awareness deficit is due to abnormal auditory processing of speech sounds. Variants in DCDC2 and several other neural migration genes are associated with dyslexia and may contribute to auditory processing deficits. In the current study, we tested the hypothesis that RNAi suppression of Dcdc2 in rats causes abnormal cortical responses to sound and impaired speech sound discrimination. In the current study, rats were subjected in utero to RNA interference targeting of the gene Dcdc2 or a scrambled sequence. Primary auditory cortex (A1) responses were acquired from 11 rats (5 with Dcdc2 RNAi; DC−) before any behavioral training. A separate group of 8 rats (3 DC−) were trained on a variety of speech sound discrimination tasks, and auditory cortex responses were acquired following training. Dcdc2 RNAi nearly eliminated the ability of rats to identify specific speech sounds from a continuous train of speech sounds but did not impair performance during discrimination of isolated speech sounds. The neural responses to speech sounds in A1 were not degraded as a function of presentation rate before training. These results suggest that A1 is not directly involved in the impaired speech discrimination caused by Dcdc2 RNAi. This result contrasts earlier results using Kiaa0319 RNAi and suggests that different dyslexia genes may cause different deficits in the speech processing circuitry, which may explain differential responses to therapy. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Although dyslexia is diagnosed through reading difficulty, there is a great deal of variation in the phenotypes of these individuals. The underlying neural and genetic mechanisms causing these differences are still widely debated. In the current study, we demonstrate that suppression of a candidate-dyslexia gene causes deficits on tasks of rapid stimulus processing. These animals also exhibited abnormal neural plasticity after training, which may be a mechanism for why some children with dyslexia do not respond to intervention. These results are in stark contrast to our previous work with a different candidate gene, which caused a different set of deficits. Our results shed some light on possible neural and genetic mechanisms causing heterogeneity in the dyslexic population. PMID:27122044

Response to "The Many Faces of Dyslexia."

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Galaburda, Albert M.

1986-01-01

In response to M. Rawson's paper, the author uses an analogy with coronary artery disease to show that current brain research is not entirely at odds with the position that dyslexia may be a developmental variation, rather than a defect. (Author/DB)

E-Readers Are More Effective than Paper for Some with Dyslexia

PubMed Central

Schneps, Matthew H.; Thomson, Jenny M.; Chen, Chen; Sonnert, Gerhard; Pomplun, Marc

2013-01-01

E-readers are fast rivaling print as a dominant method for reading. Because they offer accessibility options that are impossible in print, they are potentially beneficial for those with impairments, such as dyslexia. Yet, little is known about how the use of these devices influences reading in those who struggle. Here, we observe reading comprehension and speed in 103 high school students with dyslexia. Reading on paper was compared with reading on a small handheld e-reader device, formatted to display few words per line. We found that use of the device significantly improved speed and comprehension, when compared with traditional presentations on paper for specific subsets of these individuals: Those who struggled most with phoneme decoding or efficient sight word reading read more rapidly using the device, and those with limited VA Spans gained in comprehension. Prior eye tracking studies demonstrated that short lines facilitate reading in dyslexia, suggesting that it is the use of short lines (and not the device per se) that leads to the observed benefits. We propose that these findings may be understood as a consequence of visual attention deficits, in some with dyslexia, that make it difficult to allocate attention to uncrowded text near fixation, as the gaze advances during reading. Short lines ameliorate this by guiding attention to the uncrowded span. PMID:24058697

[Acquired dyslexias and dysgraphias under the prism of cognitive neuropsychology: a model for the Spanish language].

PubMed

Böhm, P; Diéguez-Vide, F; Peña-Casanova, J; Tainturier, M J; Lecours, A R

2000-02-01

The present paper discusses the different clinical manifestations of acquired disorders of reading and writing from a neurocognitive viewpoint. Based on a specific functional architecture of reading and writing--a cognitive model; presented as well--the different syndromes of acquired dyslexias and dysgraphias, that have been described in the specialized literature during the last 25 years, will be reviewed. The different pathologies are distributed along three different functional axes: a plurimodal component, including the semantic system, for the description of peripheric disorders of reading and writing; a lexical block which is justified by the findings in patients with surface dyslexia/dysgraphia; and a third, sublexical component, in order to illustrate the different functional impairments in phonological dyslexia/dysgraphia. Following the description of syndromes due to selective "functional lesions", we discuss deep dyslexia/dysgraphia, a syndrome due to multiple functional lesions. All of the syndromes will be justified and discussed with respect to the different components of the functional architecture presented and are based on cases of the literature and personal observations. Concluding remarks will evaluate the new insights gained by the presented functional arquitecture in relation to other cognitive models for the analysis of reading aloud and writing to dictation of single words.

Verbal Short-Term Memory Deficits in Chinese Children with Dyslexia may not be a Problem with the Activation of Phonological Representations.

PubMed

Zhao, Jing; Yang, Yang; Song, Yao-Wu; Bi, Hong-Yan

2015-11-01

This study explored the underlying mechanism of the verbal short-term memory deficit in Chinese children with developmental dyslexia. Twenty-four children with dyslexia and 28 age-matched normal readers participated in the study. They were required to memorize a visually presented series of six Chinese characters and identify them from a list also including code-specific distracters and non-code-specific distracters. Error rates were recorded and were higher for code-specific distracters in all three conditions, revealing phonological, visual, and semantic similarity effects respectively. Group comparisons showed a stronger phonological similarity effect in dyslexic group, suggesting intact activation of phonological representations of target characters. Children with dyslexia also exhibited a greater semantic similarity effect, revealing stronger activation of semantic representations, while visual similarity effects were equivalent to controls. These results suggest that the verbal short-term memory deficit in Chinese dyslexics might not stem from insufficient activation of phonological information. Based the semantic activation of target characters in dyslexics is greater than in controls, it is possible that the memory deficit of dyslexia is related with deficient inhibition of target semantic representations in short-term memory. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Vocabulary skills are well developed in university students with dyslexia: Evidence from multiple case studies.

PubMed

Cavalli, Eddy; Casalis, Séverine; El Ahmadi, Abdessadek; Zira, Mélody; Poracchia-George, Florence; Colé, Pascale

2016-01-01

Most studies in adults with developmental dyslexia have focused on identifying the deficits responsible for their persistent reading difficulties, but little is known on how these readers manage the intensive exposure to written language required to obtain a university degree. The main objective of this study was to identify certain skills, and specifically vocabulary skills, that French university students with dyslexia have developed and that may contribute to their literacy skills. We tested 20 university students with dyslexia and 20 normal readers (matched on chronological age, gender, nonverbal IQ, and level of education) in reading, phonological, vocabulary breadth (number of known words), and vocabulary depth (accuracy and precision) tasks. In comparing vocabulary measures, we used both Rasch model and single case study methodologies. Results on reading and phonological tasks confirmed the persistence of deficits in written word recognition and phonological skills. However, using the Rasch model we found that the two groups performed at the same level in the vocabulary breadth task, whereas dyslexics systematically outperformed their chronological age controls in the vocabulary depth task. These results are supplemented by multiple case studies. The vocabulary skills of French university students with dyslexia are well developed. Possible interpretations of these results are discussed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Music Training Increases Phonological Awareness and Reading Skills in Developmental Dyslexia: A Randomized Control Trial

PubMed Central

Flaugnacco, Elena; Lopez, Luisa; Terribili, Chiara; Montico, Marcella; Zoia, Stefania; Schön, Daniele

2015-01-01

There is some evidence for a role of music training in boosting phonological awareness, word segmentation, working memory, as well as reading abilities in children with typical development. Poor performance in tasks requiring temporal processing, rhythm perception and sensorimotor synchronization seems to be a crucial factor underlying dyslexia in children. Interestingly, children with dyslexia show deficits in temporal processing, both in language and in music. Within this framework, we test the hypothesis that music training, by improving temporal processing and rhythm abilities, improves phonological awareness and reading skills in children with dyslexia. The study is a prospective, multicenter, open randomized controlled trial, consisting of test, rehabilitation and re-test (ID NCT02316873). After rehabilitation, the music group (N = 24) performed better than the control group (N = 22) in tasks assessing rhythmic abilities, phonological awareness and reading skills. This is the first randomized control trial testing the effect of music training in enhancing phonological and reading abilities in children with dyslexia. The findings show that music training can modify reading and phonological abilities even when these skills are severely impaired. Through the enhancement of temporal processing and rhythmic skills, music might become an important tool in both remediation and early intervention programs. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02316873 PMID:26407242

Reading difficulties in Spanish adults with dyslexia.

PubMed

Suárez-Coalla, Paz; Cuetos, Fernando

2015-04-01

Recent studies show that dyslexia persists into adulthood, even in highly educated and well-read people. The main characteristic that adults with dyslexia present is a low speed when reading. In Spanish, a shallow orthographic system, no studies about adults with dyslexia are available; and it is possible that the consistency of the orthographic system favours the reading fluency. The aim of this study was to get an insight of the reading characteristics of Spanish adults with dyslexia and also to infer the reading strategies that they are using. For that purpose, a group of 30 dyslexics (M age = 32 years old) and an age-matched group of 30 adults without reading disabilities completed several phonological and reading tasks: phonological awareness tasks, rapid automatic naming, lexical decision, word and pseudoword reading, letter detection and text reading. The results showed that highly educated Spanish dyslexics performed significantly worse than the control group in the majority of the tasks. Specifically, they showed difficulties reading long pseudowords, indicating problems in automating the grapheme-phoneme rules, but they also seem to present difficulties reading words, which indicate problems with the lexical route. It seems that the Spanish dyslexic adults, as in deep orthographies, continue having difficulties in phonological awareness tasks, rapid naming and reading.

Music Training Increases Phonological Awareness and Reading Skills in Developmental Dyslexia: A Randomized Control Trial.

PubMed

Flaugnacco, Elena; Lopez, Luisa; Terribili, Chiara; Montico, Marcella; Zoia, Stefania; Schön, Daniele

2015-01-01

There is some evidence for a role of music training in boosting phonological awareness, word segmentation, working memory, as well as reading abilities in children with typical development. Poor performance in tasks requiring temporal processing, rhythm perception and sensorimotor synchronization seems to be a crucial factor underlying dyslexia in children. Interestingly, children with dyslexia show deficits in temporal processing, both in language and in music. Within this framework, we test the hypothesis that music training, by improving temporal processing and rhythm abilities, improves phonological awareness and reading skills in children with dyslexia. The study is a prospective, multicenter, open randomized controlled trial, consisting of test, rehabilitation and re-test (ID NCT02316873). After rehabilitation, the music group (N = 24) performed better than the control group (N = 22) in tasks assessing rhythmic abilities, phonological awareness and reading skills. This is the first randomized control trial testing the effect of music training in enhancing phonological and reading abilities in children with dyslexia. The findings show that music training can modify reading and phonological abilities even when these skills are severely impaired. Through the enhancement of temporal processing and rhythmic skills, music might become an important tool in both remediation and early intervention programs.Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02316873

Impaired Driving Performance as Evidence of a Magnocellular Deficit in Dyslexia and Visual Stress.

PubMed

Fisher, Carri; Chekaluk, Eugene; Irwin, Julia

2015-11-01

High comorbidity and an overlap in symptomology have been demonstrated between dyslexia and visual stress. Several researchers have hypothesized an underlying or causal influence that may account for this relationship. The magnocellular theory of dyslexia proposes that a deficit in visuo-temporal processing can explain symptomology for both disorders. If the magnocellular theory holds true, individuals who experience symptomology for these disorders should show impairment on a visuo-temporal task, such as driving. Eighteen male participants formed the sample for this study. Self-report measures assessed dyslexia and visual stress symptomology as well as participant IQ. Participants completed a drive simulation in which errors in response to road signs were measured. Bivariate correlations revealed significant associations between scores on measures of dyslexia and visual stress. Results also demonstrated that self-reported symptomology predicts magnocellular impairment as measured by performance on a driving task. Results from this study suggest that a magnocellular deficit offers a likely explanation for individuals who report high symptomology across both conditions. While conclusions about the impact of these disorders on driving performance should not be derived from this research alone, this study provides a platform for the development of future research, utilizing a clinical population and on-road driving assessment techniques. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Shared vs. specific brain activation changes in dyslexia after training of phonology, attention, or reading.

PubMed

Heim, Stefan; Pape-Neumann, Julia; van Ermingen-Marbach, Muna; Brinkhaus, Moti; Grande, Marion

2015-07-01

Whereas the neurobiological basis of developmental dyslexia has received substantial attention, only little is known about the processes in the brain during remediation. This holds in particular in light of recent findings on cognitive subtypes of dyslexia which suggest interactions between individual profiles, training methods, and also the task in the scanner. Therefore, we trained three groups of German dyslexic primary school children in the domains of phonology, attention, or visual word recognition. We compared neurofunctional changes after 4 weeks of training in these groups to those in untrained normal readers in a reading task and in a task of visual attention. The overall reading improvement in the dyslexic children was comparable over groups. It was accompanied by substantial increase of the activation level in the visual word form area (VWFA) during a reading task inside the scanner. Moreover, there were activation increases that were unique for each training group in the reading task. In contrast, when children performed the visual attention task, shared training effects were found in the left inferior frontal sulcus and gyrus, which varied in amplitude between the groups. Overall, the data reveal that different remediation programmes matched to individual profiles of dyslexia may improve reading ability and commonly affect the VWFA in dyslexia as a shared part of otherwise distinct networks.

Family Characteristics of Children with Dyslexia.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Melekian, Badrig A.

1990-01-01

A retrospective review of 249 French children (ages 8-15) with severe dyslexia found that families were characterized by low occupational status and educational level for parents and predominance of high-ranking children in large sibships. Parental age and matrimonial status seemed unimportant. (Author/JDD)

Reading, Dyslexia and the Brain

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goswami, Usha

2008-01-01

Background: Neuroimaging offers unique opportunities for understanding the acquisition of reading by children and for unravelling the mystery of developmental dyslexia. Here, I provide a selective overview of recent neuroimaging studies, drawing out implications for education and the teaching of reading. Purpose: The different neuroimaging…

Could Specific Braille Reading Difficulties Result from Developmental Dyslexia?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Veispak, Anneli; Ghesquiere, Pol

2010-01-01

A proportion of children with visual impairments have specific reading difficulties that cannot be easily explained. This article reviews the data on problems with braille reading and interprets them from the framework of the temporal-processing deficit theory of developmental dyslexia.

Does Dyslexia Exist?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Elliott, Julian G.; Gibbs, Simon

2008-01-01

In this paper we argue that attempts to distinguish between categories of "dyslexia" and "poor reader" or "reading disabled" are scientifically unsupportable, arbitrary and thus potentially discriminatory. We do not seek to veto scientific curiosity in examining underlying factors in reading disability, for seeking greater understanding of the…

Computerised Screening for Dyslexia in Adults

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Singleton, Chris; Horne, Joanna; Simmons, Fiona

2009-01-01

Identifying dyslexia in adulthood presents particular challenges because of complicating factors such as acquisition of compensatory strategies, differing degrees of intervention and the problem of distinguishing dyslexic adults from those whose literacy difficulties have non-cognitive causes. One of the implications is that conventional literacy…

The Dyslexia Simulation: Impact and Implications

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wadlington, Elizabeth; Elliot, Cynthia; Kirylo, James

2008-01-01

Many students with reading difficulties have a specific learning disability called dyslexia, which is neurobiological in origin and characterized by problems with spelling, decoding, and accurate/fluent word identification, negatively impacting vocabulary growth and comprehension. Consequently, the role of the insightful teacher is critical in…

Prevalence of Developmental Dyslexia in Spanish University Students

PubMed Central

López-Escribano, Carmen; Suro Sánchez, Judith; Leal Carretero, Fernando

2018-01-01

A recent concern in the field of dyslexia studies is the lack of awareness and attention to university students suffering from this condition. If this problem is serious in countries where the relative opacity of the writing system allows for an early detection and, therefore, effective interventions, it is most critical in countries where transparent spelling makes such detection difficult, except in the most severe cases. In Spain, the diagnosis of dyslexia is rare among university-level adults. The present study pursues three aims: (a) to put forward a screening instrument for the detection of university students at risk of dyslexia, (b) to determine the ratio of university students that could be at risk of dyslexia by means of two different procedures, and (c) to create awareness for a disorder that causes hitherto unrecognized difficulties for an important subgroup of the college population. Six hundred and eighty-six university students in four different fields of study within the general area of Social Sciences from a public University in Madrid completed a Spanish-adapted version of a protocol including stress assignment, spelling words and nonwords, and timed phonological working memory of reading and writing task. Results showed that between 1.6% and 6.4% of this population could be at risk of suffering dyslexia. Such risk is not evenly distributed across the four fields of study. As for gender, the first criterion used yields 1.8 males at risk for every female, but the second criterion has as many males as females at risk. Women were significantly better than men in word spelling. Spelling was best predicted by the timed phonological working memory task of reading and writing. PMID:29738440

When left-hemisphere reading is compromised: Comparing reading ability in participants after left cerebral hemispherectomy and participants with developmental dyslexia.

PubMed

Katzir, Tami; Christodoulou, Joanna A; de Bode, Stella

2016-10-01

We investigated reading skills in individuals who have undergone left cerebral hemispherectomy and in readers with developmental dyslexia to understand diverse characteristics contributing to reading difficulty. Although dyslexia is a developmental disorder, left hemispherectomy requires that patients (re)establish the language process needed to perform the language-based tasks in the nondominant (right) hemisphere to become readers. Participants with developmental dyslexia (DD; n = 11) and participants who had undergone left hemispherectomy (HEMI; n = 11) were matched on age and gender, and were compared on timed and untimed measures of single word and pseudo-word reading. The hemispherectomy group was subdivided into prenatal (in utero) and postnatal (>3 years) insult groups, indicating the timing of the primary lesion that ultimately required surgical intervention. On an untimed reading measure, the readers with DD were comparable to individuals who had undergone left hemispherectomy due to prenatal insult, but both scored higher than the postnatal hemispherectomy group. Timed word reading differed across groups. The hemispherectomy prenatal subgroup had low average scores on both timed and untimed tests. The group with dyslexia had average scores on untimed measures and below average scores on timed reading. The hemispherectomy postnatal group had the lowest scores among the groups by a significant margin, and the most pronounced reading difficulty. Patients with prenatal lesions leading to an isolated right hemisphere (RH) have the potential to develop reading to a degree comparable to that in persons with dyslexia for single word reading. This potential sharply diminishes in individuals who undergo hemispherectomy due to postnatal insult. The higher scores of the prenatal hemispherectomy group on timed reading suggest that under these conditions, individuals with an isolated RH can compensate to a significant degree. Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 International League Against Epilepsy.

[Binocular status of dyslexics--are there differences to a healthy comparison group?].

PubMed

Riebeling, P; Brunner, E; Grossjohann, R; Clemens, S

2009-10-01

Despite numerous studies dealing with the question of a possible relation of visual problems and dyslexia, which is negated by most ophthalmologists, some opticians still favour the treatment of dyslexia by correction of the "Winkelfehlsichtigkeit" following MCH. Our aim was by also including the Pola test to check the usefulness of this treatment. In a 2-year prospective study we examined the 4th grade elementary school students in our city who had dyslexia as an assured diagnosis (n = 21). The results were compared to those of an age-matched group without pathological findings regarding their reading and spelling ability (n = 21). Examinations included visual acuity, eye position by cover test, Maddox cylinder and Pola test for near distance, binocular vision (Bagolini and Worth test, Lang test I and II, Titmus test, amplitude of fusion), amplitude of accommodation, refraction in cycloplegia and organic status. A significant difference was found between the two groups regarding the amplitude of divergence in near (p = 0.009) and far distance (p = 0.019) which were both smaller for the dyslexia group, as well as the binocular near visual acuity (p = 0.04). Using the SAS procedure STEPDISC we discriminated the normal and dyslexia group by amplitude of divergence, near visual acuity and alternating near prism cover test with a sensitivity of 81 % and a specifity of 75 %. The results of the Pola test did not show any significant difference between the groups. No differences were found between the groups regarding the eye position. Therefore a treatment of dyslexia using prisms does not appear reasonable. However because of the group sizes the significance of the results is limited. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart.New York.

Identification, assessment and intervention--Implications of an audit on dyslexia policy and practice in Scotland.

PubMed

Reid, Gavin; Deponio, Pamela; Davidson Petch, Louise

2005-08-01

This article reports on research commissioned by the Scottish Executive Education Department (SEED). It aimed to establish the range and extent of policy and provision in the area of specific learning difficulties (SpLD) and dyslexia throughout Scotland. The research was conducted between January and June 2004 by a team from the University of Edinburgh. The information was gathered from a questionnaire sent to all education authorities (100% response rate was achieved). Additional information was also obtained from supplementary interviews and additional materials provided by education authorities. The results indicated that nine education authorities in Scotland (out of 32) have explicit policies on dyslexia and eight authorities have policies on SpLD. It was noted however that most authorities catered for dyslexia and SpLD within a more generic policy framework covering aspects of Special Educational Needs or within documentation on 'effective learning'. In relation to identification thirty-six specific tests, or procedures, were mentioned. Classroom observation, as a procedure was rated high by most authorities. Eleven authorities operated a formal staged process combining identification and intervention. Generally, authorities supported a broader understanding of the role of identification and assessment and the use of standardized tests was only part of a wider assessment process. It was however noted that good practice in identification and intervention was not necessarily dependent on the existence of a dedicated policy on SpLD/dyslexia. Over fifty different intervention strategies/programmes were noted in the responses. Twenty-four authorities indicated that they had developed examples of good practice. The results have implications for teachers and parents as well as those involved in staff development. Pointers are provided for effective practice and the results reflect some of the issues on the current debate on dyslexia particularly relating to early identification.

Cross-Modal Binding in Developmental Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Manon W.; Branigan, Holly P.; Parra, Mario A.; Logie, Robert H.

2013-01-01

The ability to learn visual-phonological associations is a unique predictor of word reading, and individuals with developmental dyslexia show impaired ability in learning these associations. In this study, we compared developmentally dyslexic and nondyslexic adults on their ability to form cross-modal associations (or "bindings") based…

Vol III Module 1: Management of Dyslexia and Related Learning Disabilities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Helveston, Eugene M.

1987-01-01

An ophthalmologist reviews the clinical features of dyslexia, gives guidelines for recognition and referral, discusses controversies regarding the management of learning disorders, and stresses the need for a multidisciplinary approach. Also included are the ophthalmologist's answers to practitioner questions. (Author/DB)

Learning Difficulties and Nutrition: Pills or Pedagogy?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Evans, Roy

1999-01-01

Examines the efforts to find effective ameliorative measures for literacy difficulties such as dyslexia and dyspraxia, focusing on noneducational techniques found in holistic medicine, complementary therapies, and nutritional supplements. Maintains that dyslexia has become big business for drug companies and that the appropriate research regarding…

Impaired Statistical Learning in Developmental Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gabay, Yafit; Thiessen, Erik D.; Holt, Lori L.

2015-01-01

Purpose: Developmental dyslexia (DD) is commonly thought to arise from phonological impairments. However, an emerging perspective is that a more general procedural learning deficit, not specific to phonological processing, may underlie DD. The current study examined if individuals with DD are capable of extracting statistical regularities across…

Procedural Learning and Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nicolson, R. I.; Fawcett, A. J.; Brookes, R. L.; Needle, J.

2010-01-01

Three major "neural systems", specialized for different types of information processing, are the sensory, declarative, and procedural systems. It has been proposed ("Trends Neurosci.",30(4), 135-141) that dyslexia may be attributable to impaired function in the procedural system together with intact declarative function. We provide a brief…