Changes in Brain Function in Children with Dyslexia after Training

Dyslexia is a difficulty in reading that does not stem from areas of general intelligence, motivation, or necessary education. Between 5 and 17% of the general population is estimated to have mild to severe dyslexia. Temple summarizes research findings in this article that addresses whether dyslexia can be improved after focused practice with reading on a computer. The training program used, called Fast ForWord Language, focuses on oral language and auditory processing. Auditory processing is very important in learning how to match the sounds of a word with the meaning of letters on a page. Without the ability to detect rapid auditory signals, a child is unable to distinguish certain sounds and develops an inaccurate understanding of the sounds of his or her language. After training, a significant increase in oral language and auditory processing was observed in children that used the program, in normalizing and compensating terms. While it is important to understand that dyslexia is not only a matter of “trying hard enough” at reading, with carefully targeted practice young people may be able to improve their reading abilities.

As a language teacher I am happy to hear that guided and appropriate language training can be of help to struggling students. I expect that there will be a number of students in classes of mine that have disabilities or exceptionalities. I will keep this information in mind as I am invited to IEP meetings in which this research background information could be valuable. This article also reinforces in me the idea that both drill and practice and the methods of imparting knowledge and skills to students are very important.

Temple, E. (2003) Changes in Brain Function in Children with Dyslexia after Training. The Phonics Bulletin, 04/2003, 1-3.