Part II of The Nuts & Bolts of Dyslexia, a four part series designed to give a comprehensive view of dyslexia. In the first series, we covered the history of dyslexia, dyslexia as defined by school systems, dyslexia testing in schools. and the different dyslexia types.
Although there is no cure for dyslexia, individuals with this disorder frequently respond successfully to timely and appropriate intervention. A recently published study by Carnegie Mellon University shows that the brain can permanently rewire itself and overcome reading deficits, if students are given 100 hours of intensive remedial instruction. The study, published in the August issue of the journal Neuropsychologia, shows that the remedial instruction resulted in an increase in brain activity in several cortical regions associated with reading, and that gains became further solidified during the year following instruction. "This study demonstrates how remedial instruction can use the plasticity of the human brain to gain an educational improvement," said neuroscientist Marcel Just, director of Carnegie Mellon's Center for Cognitive Brain Imaging (CCBI) and senior author of the study. "Focused instruction can help underperforming brain areas to increase their brain proficiency." To read the rest of the article, go to: www.dys-add.com/RemediationRewires.pdf
Wiring Of A Dyslexic Brain
People with Dyslexia have a larger right-hemisphere in their brains than those of normal readers. That may be one reason people with Dyslexia often have significant strengths in areas controlled by the right-side of the brain, such as artistic, athletic, and mechanical gifts; 3-D visualization ability; musical talent; creative problem solving skills; and intuitive people skills. In addition to unique brain architecture, people with Dyslexia have unusual "wiring". Neurons are found in unusual places in the brain, and are not as neatly ordered as in non-Dyslexic brains. In addition to unique brain architecture and unusual wiring, f/MRI studies have shown that people with Dyslexia do not use the same part of their brain when reading as other people and there appears to be no consistent areas used among Dyslexic readers. It is therefore assumed that people with Dyslexia are not using the most efficient part of their brain when they read. A different part of their brain has taken over that function.
Study Conclusions
The National Institutes of Health conducted a longitudinal study by tracking 5,000 children at random from all over the country starting when they were 4 years old until they graduated from high school. These research results have been independently replicated and are now considered to be irrefutable:
National Dyslexia Statistics
- Dyslexia affects at least 1 out of every 5 children in the United States.
- Dyslexia represents the most common and prevalent of all known learning disabilities
- Dyslexia is the most researched of all learning disabilities.
- Dyslexia affects as many boys as girls.
- Some forms of dyslexia are highly heritable.
- Dyslexia is the leading cause of reading failure and school dropouts in our nation.
- Reading failure is the most commonly shared characteristic of juvenile justice offenders.
- Dyslexia is identifiable, with 92% accuracy, at ages 5 1/2 to 6 1/2.
Dyslexia Testing & Management
- Dyslexia has been shown to be clearly related to neurophysiologic differences in brain function. Dyslexic children display difficulty with the sound/symbol correspondences of our written code because of these differences in brain function.
- Early intervention is essential for this population.
- The current "discrepancy model" testing utilized by our nation's public schools to establish eligibility for special education services is not a valid diagnostic marker for Dyslexia.
- Word recognition difficulties are the most reliable indicators of reading disability in older children and adults. Slow, labored, and inaccurate reading of real and nonsense words in isolation is key warning signs.
- This laborious reading of single words frequently impedes the individual's ability to comprehend what has been read, even though listening comprehension is adequate.
- Disabled readers must be provided highly structured programs that explicitly teach application of phonologic rules to print. Phonics instruction results in more favorable outcomes for disabled readers than does a context-emphasis (whole-language) approach.
Reading With Dyslexia
- Dyslexia is primarily due to linguistic deficits. We now know dyslexia is due to a difficulty processing language. It is not due to visual problems.
- Reading failure caused by Dyslexia is highly preventable through direct, explicit instruction in phonemic awareness.
- Children do not outgrow reading failure or Dyslexia.
- Of children who display reading problems in the first grade, 74% will be poor readers in the ninth grade and into adulthood unless they receive informed and explicit instruction on phonemic awareness. Children do not mature out of their reading difficulties.
- Research evidence does not support the use of "whole language" reading approaches to teach Dyslexic children.
- Even among children and adults who score within normal ranges on reading achievement tests, many report that reading is so laborious and unproductive that they rarely read either for learning or for pleasure.
- Developing adequate awareness of phonemes is not dependent on intelligence, socio-economic status, or parents' education, but can be fostered through direct, explicit instruction. Such instruction is shown to accelerate reading acquisition in general, even as it reduces the incidence of reading failure.
Dyslexia & ADD
- Dyslexia and ADD are two separate and identifiable entities.
- Dyslexia and ADD so frequently coexist within the same child and it is always best to test for both.
Children with both Dyslexia and ADD are at dramatically increased risk for substance abuse and felony convictions if they do not receive appropriate interventions.
