The effects of frequency altered feedback on reading comprehension abilities of normal and reading disordered children

Abstract

The effects of frequency altered feedback (FAF) on the reading comprehension levels and error types of normal children and children with reading disorders were examined. Participants read aloud third, sixth, and ninth grade level material in non-altered auditory feedback (NAF) and FAF conditions. Comprehension improved significantly when the reading disordered children read aloud under the FAF listening condition, regardless of the reading level. Significant differences did not occur in reading comprehension for the normal readers under NAF versus FAF conditions. Reading disordered children produced significantly more reading errors as compared to the normal reading children under the NAF listening condition. No significant difference was found in reading errors between groups when reading under FAF regardless of the reading level, suggesting that the FAF signal produced a facilitory effect on reading errors in the reading disordered children. Theoretically, the FAF signal may have activated those cortical regions responsible for the relationship that has been shown to exist between lexical encoding and decoding of verbal and written material, respectively.