Brain Process In Encoding Sound Key In Study of Dyslexia

Northwestern University researchers found a systematic relationship between reading and how the brain encodes sound that may be key in understanding dyslexia.

Dyslexia is a disability where a person has difficulty processing letters and symbols. Also known as Developmental Reading Disorder (DRD), Dyslexia occurs when the part of the brain that helps process language does not recognize certain symbols or letters that is read by the person.

Dyslexia is not an eye or vision problem, it is an information processing problem. Normal thinking and cognitive functions are not affected and most people with dyslexia have normal intelligence, and many have above-average intelligence.

Disorders related to DRD are Developmental Writing Disorder (Orthographic Dyslexia) and Developmental Arithmetic Disorder (Dyscalculia). These conditions may appear alone or in any combination. All three involves the processing and interpretation of symbols and all three are considered a type of dyslexia. DRD is the most common and most associated with dyslexia.

There are four types of dyslexia:

• Phonological Dyslexia - Difficulty separating component parts of a sentence.
• Orthographic Dyslexia - Problem with writing such as spelling patterns
• Dyscalculia - Problem with basic sense of number and quantity
• Dysgraphia - Disorder which expresses itself primarily through writing or typing.

New Teaching Technique Provides Higher Reading Skills Among Preschoolers

Before learning to read, preschoolers have to develop skills necessary to engage in the activity.

From learning the alphabet, identifying letters in words, and learning how to pronounce basic words, children aged 3 years old to 4 years old slowly transition from just sounding out words to understanding simple basic sentences. Reading is a skill that is a result of smaller skills that just builds up on top of the other.

Encouraging youngsters to start reading is very helpful. It helps reinforce those skills and helps the child further progress. Once the child enters preschool, he or she is exposed to a more structured form of learning. Although, there is play time scheduled within the classes, the curriculum pushes forwards the necessary skills (such as reading) the child needs to learn to advance to the next level.

Preschoolers' reading skills benefit from one modest change by teachers

A small change in how teachers and parents read aloud to preschoolers may provide a big boost to their reading skills later on, a new study found.

That small change involves making specific references to print in books while reading to children – such as pointing out letters and words on the pages, showing capital letters, and showing how you read from left to right and top to bottom on the page.

Preschool children whose teachers used print references during storybook reading showed more advanced reading skills one and even two years later when compared to children whose teachers did not use such references. This is the first study to show causal links between referencing print and later literacy achievement.