Identification Of Dyslexia Research Articles

Linguagem, aprendizagem e desenvolvimento: perspectivas sobre aquisição linguística e funcionamento cerebral

What makes us human? Language takes the lead in this dispute that has not been settled by science. What is known is that only humans have developed an apparatus fit for the production of sounds in all the known languages coupled with a brain circuitry that enables communication to become not only transactional, but also a matter of collaboration and cocreation. What is proposed in this review is to examine the relationship between language, thought, and learning; the hypothesis of linguistic determinism and relativism and its implication for learning and development; current ideas on the evolution of human language; connections between linguistic development and genetic inheritance of language capacity; the difference between first and second language acquisition; and how correct identification of dyslexia and aphasia can inform current understanding of the process of language acquisition and development.

Knowledge of basic school teachers on identification and support services for children with dyslexia

Background: Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is characterized by difficulties with fluency, automaticity, and co-morbidity with learning. The study sought to assess the knowledge of basic school teachers on identification and support services for children with dyslexia. Method: A descriptive study design using a quantitative approach was employed for this study. The study population comprised of public basic school teachers who were selected using a simple random sampling technique. Data was collected by means of self-administered questionnaires and analysed with the aid of SPSS. Results: An average of 62% of the teachers had knowledge on dyslexia, 60.5% of teachers had knowledge on dyslexia identification and an average of 65% had knowledge on support services for children with dyslexia. There was a significant relationship between knowledge score and special education training as teachers with Bachelor’s Degree in Special Education were 1.75 times more likely to have higher knowledge score on dyslexia [(AOR) = 1.75 (95% CI; 0.74 to 4.14)]. The main barriers to teaching children with dyslexia included inadequate resources, lack of training on dyslexia, large class sizes making it difficult to recognize a dyslexic as well as time to develop dyslexia friendly instructions. Conclusion: Knowledge of dyslexia among public basic school teachers within the Asokwa Sub-Metropolis was found to be average. Therefore, more in-service training on dyslexia should be organized by the Ghana Education Service for all basic school teachers.

Dyslexia in the Music Classroom: A Review of Literature

Developmental dyslexia, or specific reading disorder, is a reading impairment characterized by persistent difficulty in word recognition, decoding, and spelling skills in children despite having average or above academic performance in other areas. To increase an understanding of the nature of dyslexia and its relationship to music, this article first discusses the process of typical reading development and how researchers believe this process is impaired for individuals with dyslexia. Dyslexia identification and interventions are then explained. Next, research that shows how music skills may differ for students with dyslexia is presented. Experimental studies have shown that music training has been an effective way to improve reading skills in children with dyslexia. To understand why music training might improve reading ability, the precise auditory timing hypothesis proposed by Tierney and Kraus is discussed, along with implications for music education.

Early Identification of Dyslexia: Understanding the Issues.

The purpose of this tutorial is to provide an overview of the benefits and challenges associated with the early identification of dyslexia. The literature on the early identification of dyslexia is reviewed. Theoretical arguments and research evidence are summarized. An overview of response to intervention as a method of early identification is provided, and the benefits and challenges associated with it are discussed. Finally, the role of speech-language pathologists in the early identification process is addressed. Early identification of dyslexia is crucial to ensure that children are able to maximize their educational potential, and speech-language pathologists are well placed to play a role in this process. However, early identification alone is not sufficient-difficulties with reading may persist or become apparent later in schooling. Therefore, continuing progress monitoring and access to suitable intervention programs are essential.

What Speech-Language Pathologists Need to Know About Dyslexia.

The purpose of this clinical forum is to provide a broad survey of up-to-date, evidence-based information about dyslexia that can be readily applied to clinical practice by speech-language pathologists. Topics include (a) theoretical and clinical frameworks for understanding dyslexia in relation to other language-based communication disorders, (b) the neurobiological basis of dyslexia, (c) the current state of dyslexia legislation, (d) issues around identification of dyslexia, (e) and evidence-based reviews of instruction for reading and writing. Though there have been numerous papers written on the topic of dyslexia, this clinical forum is unique in that it is the only combination of articles to focus on dyslexia with the speech-language pathologist in mind.

Identifying dyslexia risk for sport-related concussion management: Sensitivity and specificity of self-report and rapid naming

Background: Dyslexia is the most common type of learning disability and studies have shown that student-athletes with learning disabilities sustain more concussions than their non-affected peers. However, current methods of dyslexia identification in college students are potentially invalid because they rely on students to self-report formal dyslexia diagnoses.Methods: To test the accuracy of self-report against two alternative methods of dyslexia screening, 94 college students completed three dyslexia symptom inventories, two rapid naming (RAN) tasks, and a standard word reading measure.Results: Reliability was acceptable for screening purposes on the inventories (α =.70, −.72), and excellent for RAN (α = .91, −.94). Specificity was acceptable (82.5%), but sensitivity was low (14.3%) when students self-reported suspected diagnoses of reading impairment. Sensitivity and specificity were higher for the digit RAN task (71 and 98%, respectively) compared to the letter RAN task (57 and 90%). Sensitivity (92.7%) and specificity (92.5%) were optimal when a cut-score of ≥27 seconds was used. A binary logistic regression showed digit RAN alone significantly predicted whether students were classified as typical or inefficient readers, p< .001, whereas the most reliable dyslexia inventory alone did not, p=.284. Including inventories along with RAN provided no additional predictive value.Conclusion: Self-report inventories missed many cases of inefficient word reading. The digit RAN task classified 93.6% of the cases correctly compared to 72.3% for self-report inventory. Thus, we recommend that neuropsychologists working with college concussion management programs add to their baseline screening protocols the digit RAN task, which can be completed in less than one minute.

Recently identified university students navigate dyslexia

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to capture students’ understandings of dyslexia as a component of identity. Specifically, the journey that students embarked on in order to contribute to self-understanding of learning and how dyslexia contributes to these experiences was examined.Design/methodology/approachThis qualitative case study explored concepts of social identity theory, how students understood their dyslexia and whether or not labelling theory informed students’ identities through an arts-based phenomenological lens. Eight university students participated in a brief survey, a semi-structured interview and created artefacts representing their dyslexia, which facilitated dialogue about their individual experiences in a higher education context.FindingsInterpretive phenomenological analysis revealed that student participants associated strongly with the identity of dyslexia; however they did not consider themselves to be part of a dyslexic group. They also discussed different routes that informed their decisions to undergo diagnostic assessments for dyslexia. Students did not report dyslexia identity as a label. Nonetheless, the students expressed that creating an artefact supported them to better understand and communicate their dyslexia.Originality/valueAlthough visual methods are increasingly prevalent in educational research, they are not typical in the field of dyslexia in higher education. This research therefore engaged students in active self-reflection which provided valuable insight into the nature and diversity of the experiences that can emerge from identification of dyslexia at university.

Teacher’s Qualification and Dyslexia Identification in Primary Schools in Oyo State, Nigeria

ABSTRACTThe study examined the relationship between teachers’ qualifications and dyslexia identification in primary schools in Oyo State, Nigeria. Data were collected through the use of a well-structured questionnaire – the Teacher Dyslexia Awareness Checklist – administered to 147 primary school teachers in the state. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Principal Component Analysis (PCA), ANOVA and correlation coefficient. Demographic characteristics of teachers reveal that more female than males are engaged in the teaching profession with majority holding a National Certificate of Education (NCE) with more than 20 years teaching experience. The PCA shows that the level of knowledge of dyslexia among the teachers is low, as only 31% were knowledgeable about dyslexia. Results further show that the relationship between teachers’ qualifications and teaching experiences is weak implying that teachers’ qualifications and teaching experience are independent of each other. Thus, teachers’ knowledge about dyslexia is not in relation to their qualification or teaching experiences. It is recommended that teachers undergo periodic in-service training on the manifestation and management practices for learning disabilities at least once a term and formal testing to assist them in identifying different types of psychological issues affecting pupils, as early identification of learning disabilities (such as dyslexia) is the best way to curtail their lifelong effects.

The effect of read-aloud assistance on the text comprehension of dyslexic and non-dyslexic English language learners

One of the special arrangements in testing contexts is to allow dyslexic students to listen to the text while they read. In our study, we investigated the effect of read-aloud assistance on young English learners’ language comprehension scores. We also examined whether students with dyslexia identification benefit from this assistance differently from their peers with no official identification of dyslexia.Our research was conducted with young Slovenian learners of English who performed four language assessment tasks adapted from a standardized battery of Slovenian national English language tests. In a counter-balanced design, 233 students with no identified dyslexia and 47 students with dyslexia identification completed two language comprehension tasks in a reading-only condition, one task with read-aloud assistance and one task in listening-only mode. We used Generalized Linear Mixed-Effects Modelling (GLMM) to estimate accurately the effects of the mode of administration, dyslexia status, and input text difficulty, while accounting for error variance owing to random differences between students, texts, and questions.The results of our study revealed that young L2 learners with no dyslexia identification performed similarly in the three conditions. The read-aloud assistance, however, was found to increase the comprehension scores of dyslexic participants when reading difficult texts, allowing them to perform at the level of their non-dyslexic peers. Therefore, our study suggests that this modification of the test administration mode might assist dyslexic students in demonstrating their text comprehension abilities.

Saccade adaptation deficits in developmental dyslexia suggest disruption of cerebellar-dependent learning

BackgroundEstimates of the prevalence of developmental dyslexia in the general population range from 5% to as many as 10%. Symptoms include reading, writing, and language deficits, but the severity and mix of symptoms can vary widely across individuals. In at least some people with dyslexia, the structure and function of the cerebellum may be disordered. Saccadic adaptation requires proper function of the cerebellum and brainstem circuitry and might provide a simple, noninvasive assay for early identification and sub-phenotyping in populations of children who may have dyslexia.MethodsChildren between the ages of 7 and 15 served as participants in this experiment. Fifteen had been diagnosed with developmental dyslexia and an additional 15 were typically developing children. Five of the participants diagnosed with dyslexia were also diagnosed with an attention deficit hyperactivity disroder and were excluded from further analyses. Participants performed in a saccadic adaptation task in which visual errors were introduced at the end of saccadic eye movements. The amplitudes of primary saccades were measured and plotted as a function of the order in which they occurred. Lines of best fit were calculated. Significant changes in the amplitude of primary saccades were identified.Results12/15 typically developing children had significant adaptation of saccade amplitude in this experiment. 1/10 participants with dyslexia appropriately altered saccade amplitudes to reduce the visual error introduced in the saccade adaptation paradigm.ConclusionsProper cerebellar function is required for saccadic adaptation, but in at least some children with dyslexia, cerebellar structure and function may be disordered. Consistent with this hypothesis, the data presented in this report clearly illustrate a difference in the ability of children with dyslexia to adapt saccade amplitudes in response to imposed visual errors. Saccadic adaptation might provide a noninvasive assay for early identification of dyslexia. Future work will determine whether reduced saccadic adaptation is pervasive in dyslexia or whether this identifies a sub-phenotype within the larger population of people identified with reading and language deficits.

Students’ experiences of academic success with dyslexia: A call for alternative intervention

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 identify facilitating factors that supported participants with dyslexia during their education. The following themes were identified: age of dyslexia identification, family support, dyslexic identity, self‐advocacy skills and learning resources. The study makes a case for an intervention for children and young people (CYP) with dyslexia that, in addition to remedial literacy support, explores self‐advocacy, thinking and study skills and facilitates positive academic self‐concepts. Future research could evaluate such an intervention for its effectiveness on CYP's social emotional well‐being and literacy skills.

Cortical responses to tone and phoneme mismatch as a predictor of dyslexia? A systematic review

Evidence from event-related-potential (ERP) studies has repeatedly shown differences in the perception and processing of auditory stimuli in children with dyslexia compared to control children. The mismatch negativity (MMN) – an ERP component reflecting passive auditory change detection ability – has been found to be reduced, not only in children with a diagnosis of dyslexia, but also in infants and preschool children at risk of developing dyslexia. However, the results are controversial due to the different methods, age of the children and stimuli used. The aim of the present review is to summarize and evaluate the MMN research about at-risk children in order to identify risk factors that discriminate between children with and without dyslexia risk and to analyze if the MMR (the abbreviation refers to positive and negative mismatch responses) correlates with later reading and spelling ability.A literature search yielded 17 studies reporting MMR to speech or non-speech stimuli in children at risk of dyslexia. The results of the studies were inconsistent. Studies measuring speech MMR often found attenuated amplitudes in the at-risk group, but mainly in very young children. The results for older children (6–7years) and for non-speech stimuli are more heterogeneous. A moderate positive correlation of MMR amplitude size with later reading and spelling abilities was consistently found. Overall, the findings of this review indicate that the MMR can be a valuable part of early dyslexia identification, which can enable efficient support and intervention for a child before the first problems appear.

Dyslexia policy and practice: cross‐professional and parental perspectives on the Northern Ireland context

This article considers policy and practice in relation to dyslexia provision in Northern Ireland since the 2002 Task Group Report. Using interviews with original and current stakeholders, this research, funded by SCoTENS (Standing Conference on Teacher Education, North and South), examined the extent to which recommendations have been met in the intervening years. Perspectives of interviewees indicated that while pockets of good practice have existed, this has been inconsistent. Despite the Department of Education (Northern Ireland) promoting and funding a significant and replicable model of teacher education and making efforts to monitor its efficacy, concerns remain regarding the optional nature of training, the maintenance of the discrepancy model of dyslexia identification, the need for early multi‐disciplinary identification, whole‐school policy development and post‐primary provision. In addition, stakeholders questioned the sustainability of funding and advocated enhanced transparency for parents, whose voices, it would appear, can still go unheard.

Knowledge and Beliefs About Developmental Dyslexia: A Comparison Between Pre-Service and In-Service Peruvian Teachers

The purpose of this study was to investigate the knowledge, misconceptions, and knowledge gaps of Peruvian pre-service teachers (PSTs) and in-service teachers (ISTs). To do so, 112 PSTs and 113 ISTs completed the Knowledge and Beliefs About Developmental Dyslexia Scale (KBDDS). Results show that ISTs scored significantly higher than PSTs. Moreover, misconceptions and lack of information were higher in PSTs. The most noteworthy misconceptions were that dyslexia is due to poor visual perception and that letter or word reversals are the most important criterion in the identification of dyslexia. Age, years of teaching experience, prior exposure to a child with dyslexia, and self-efficacy were positively correlated with knowledge about dyslexia in ISTs.

Cortical Thickness and Local Gyrification in Children with Developmental Dyslexia.

Developmental dyslexia is frequently associated with atypical brain structure and function within regions of the left hemisphere reading network. To date, few studies have employed surface-based techniques to evaluate cortical thickness and local gyrification in dyslexia. Of the existing cortical thickness studies in children, many are limited by small sample size, variability in dyslexia identification, and the recruitment of prereaders who may or may not develop reading impairment. Further, no known study has assessed local gyrification index (LGI) in dyslexia, which may serve as a sensitive indicator of atypical neurodevelopment. In this study, children with dyslexia (n = 31) and typically decoding peers (n = 45) underwent structural magnetic resonance imaging to assess whole-brain vertex-wise cortical thickness and LGI. Children with dyslexia demonstrated reduced cortical thickness compared with controls within previously identified reading areas including bilateral occipitotemporal and occipitoparietal regions. Compared with controls, children with dyslexia also showed increased gyrification in left occipitotemporal and right superior frontal cortices. The convergence of thinner and more gyrified cortex within the left occipitotemporal region among children with dyslexia may reflect its early temporal role in processing word forms, and highlights the importance of the ventral stream for successful word reading.

Longitudinal stability of pre-reading skill profiles of kindergarten children: implications for early screening and theories of reading.

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, and verbal short-term memory. The relationship among these constructs has been debated, and several theories have emerged to explain the unique role of each in reading ability/disability. Furthermore, the stability of identification of risk based on these measures varies widely across studies, due in part to the different cut-offs employed to designate risk. We applied a latent profile analysis technique with a diverse sample of 1215 kindergarten and pre-kindergarten students from 20 schools, to investigate whether PA, RAN, letter knowledge, and verbal short-term memory measures differentiated between homogenous profiles of performance on these measures. Six profiles of performance emerged from the data: average performers, below average performers, high performers, PA risk, RAN risk, and double-deficit risk (both PA and RAN). A latent class regression model was employed to investigate the longitudinal stability of these groups in a representative subset of children (n=95) nearly two years later, at the end of 1st grade. Profile membership in the spring semester of pre-kindergarten or fall semester of kindergarten was significantly predictive of later reading performance, with the specific patterns of performance on the different constructs remaining stable across the years. There was a higher frequency of PA and RAN deficits in children from lower socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds. There was no evidence for the IQ-achievement discrepancy criterion traditionally used to diagnose dyslexia. Our results support the feasibility of early identification of dyslexia risk and point to the heterogeneity of risk profiles. These findings carry important implications for improving outcomes for children with dyslexia, based on more targeted interventions.

PROPIEDADES PSICOMÉTRICAS DE LA BATERÍA DE EVALUACIÓN DE PROCESOS COGNITIVOS Y DE LECTURA EN ADULTOS CON DISLEXIA (BEDA)

Abstract:PSYCHOMETRIC PROPERTIES OF ASSESSMENT BATTERY OF DYSLEXIA IN ADULTS (BEDA)This study analyzed the psychometric properties of the Assessment Battery of Dyslexia in Adults (BEDA). Dyslexia persists into adulthood and the assessment should focus also on the underlying cognitive processes involved in dyslexia. Therefore, valid and reliable instruments tools to detect and assess adults with dyslexia are needed. BEDA was designed as a computer-assisted tool developed with web-based technology for the assessment of cognitive processes involved in university students with dyslexia (i.e., phonological awareness, orthographic processing, processing speed, lexical access, working memory and semantic processing). The standardization of BEDA has been conducted with undergraduate degree, master and PhD students from three Spanish universities (University of La Laguna, University of Girona and University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria). Finally, we propose that BEDA is part of an e-learning platform (Platform for Assistance and Intervention Dyslexia in Adults: PIADA), along with other identification and assistance tools, with the aim that can be used by teachers and university students, and thus help to meet the challenge to provide university students a resource that enables the identification of dyslexia and provide information to teachers on strategies and guidelines with students with reading disabilities.Keywords: Psychometric properties, dyslexia, adults, BEDA multimedia battery, computerassisted assessment.Resumen:El presente trabajo analiza las propiedades psicométricas de la Batería de Evaluación de Dislexia en Adultos (BEDA). La dislexia puede persistir en la vida adulta y su identificación va a depender, entre otras consideraciones, de la evidencia de déficit en los procesos cognitivos que subyacen a la misma. Por tanto, se hace necesario contar con instrumentos estandarizados válidos y fiables con los que poder identificar la presencia de dislexia en la población adulta. Con este objetivo se diseñó BEDA, la cual puede definirse como una herramienta basada en tecnología web que permite evaluar y representar los déficits cognitivos (en conciencia fonológica, procesamiento ortográfico, velocidad de procesamiento, acceso al léxico, memoria de trabajo y procesamiento semántico), presentados por estudiantes universitarios con dislexia. La estandarización de BEDA se ha llevado a cabo con estudiantes universitarios de grado, máster y doctorado de tres universidades españolas (Universidad de La Laguna, Universitat de Girona y Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria). Por último, planteamos que BEDA forme parte de una plataforma e-learning (Plataforma de Intervención y Asistencia de Dislexia en Adultos: PIADA), junto con otros instrumentos de identificación y asistencia, con el objetivo de que pueda ser utilizada por profesores y estudiantes universitarios, y de esta manera contribuir a dar respuesta al reto que supone proporcionar al alumnado universitario un recurso que posibilite la identificación de la dislexia, así como ofrecer información al profesorado sobre estrategias y pautas de actuación con el alumnado que presenta esta dificultad.Palabras claves: propiedades psicométricas, dislexia, adultos, batería multimedia BEDA, identificación.

Special Education Teachers’ Narratives on Literacy Support for Bilingual Students with Dyslexia in Swedish Compulsory Schools

The aim of the study is to investigate how special education teachers talk about their teaching in relation to bilingual students with dyslexia within Swedish compulsory schools. Data consist of transcripts from in-depth interviews with 15 special education teachers. According to the teacher narratives, the special education services appeared to be biased against bilingual students, as the support provided to bilingual students with dyslexia was revealed to be more or less the same as that provided to monolingual Swedish-speaking students with dyslexia. This bias is discussed in relation to the notion of difference blindness as well as in relation to practical constraints. Nevertheless, the teachers strongly advocated collaborative work with mother tongue teachers in order to facilitate dyslexia identification in bilingual students and to gain a more comprehensive picture of their language and literacy competencies, which is a desire that contrasts and contests a pedagogical monolingual master model within special education services.

Collective screening tools for early identification of dyslexia.

Current response to intervention models (RTIs) favor a three-tier system. In general, Tier 1 consists of evidence-based, effective reading instruction in the classroom and universal screening of all students at the beginning of the grade level to identify children for early intervention. Non-responders to Tier 1 receive small-group tutoring in Tier 2. Non-responders to Tier 2 are given still more intensive, individual intervention in Tier 3. Limited time, personnel and financial resources derail RTI’s implementation in Brazilian schools because this approach involves procedures that require extra time and extra personnel in all three tiers, including screening tools which normally consist of tasks administered individually. We explored the accuracy of collectively and easily administered screening tools for the early identification of second graders at risk for dyslexia in a two-stage screening model. A first-stage universal screening based on collectively administered curriculum-based measurements was used in 45 7 years old early Portuguese readers from 4 second-grade classrooms at the beginning of the school year and identified an at-risk group of 13 academic low-achievers. Collectively administered tasks based on phonological judgments by matching figures and figures to spoken words [alternative tools for educators (ATE)] and a comprehensive cognitive-linguistic battery of collective and individual assessments were both administered to all children and constituted the second-stage screening. Low-achievement on ATE tasks and on collectively administered writing tasks (scores at the 25th percentile) showed good sensitivity (true positives) and specificity (true negatives) to poor literacy status defined as scores ≤1 SD below the mean on literacy abilities at the end of fifth grade. These results provide implications for the use of a collectively administered screening tool for the early identification of children at risk for dyslexia in a classroom setting.

The psychophysiology of reading

Early identification of dyslexia would be fundamental to prevent the negative consequences of delayed treatment in the social, psychological and occupational domains. Movement-related potentials of dyslexic children are characterized by inadequate ability to program movements and reduced capacity to evaluate their performance and to correct their errors. Reading-related potentials recorded during different reading conditions elicit a series of positive and negative components with specific functional meaning and with a characteristic spatial–temporal pattern. These reading-related potentials, when analyzed with sLORETA, show significantly different patterns of activation when comparing self-paced reading aloud to passive viewing of single letters. Comparison of fMRI and sLORETA during both tasks showed that the cortical region with the widest inter-modality similarities is the middle-superior temporal lobe during self-paced reading aloud. Neuropsychological studies have shown the existence of clinical subtypes of dyslexia; these studies have been confirmed by the results of ICA applied to the EEG. Dyslexia can be defined as a disorder of programming and integrating ideokinetic elements, associated with a deficiency in the fast processing and integration of sensory information, with reduced efficiency of error systems analysis. Each of these phenomena occurs at different levels of the central nervous system and at different times.