Auditory temporal processing deficit in dyslexia is associated with enhanced sensitivity in the visual modality

Abstract

Developmental dyslexia has been associated with a deficit in temporal processing, but it is controversial whether the postulated deficit is pansensory or limited to the auditory modality. We present psychophysical assessment data of auditory and visual temporal processing abilities in children with dyslexia. While none of the dyslexic children displayed temporal processing abnormalities in the visual sensory modality, dyslexics with poor auditory temporal scores reached high-level visual performance. Our results do not confirm the hypothesis of a general temporal processing deficit for dyslexia but suggest that limitations in auditory temporal processing might be compensated for by a well-functioning visual sensory modality.