Reading in developmental dyslexia: the role of phonemic awareness and executive functions (original) (raw)
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Phonological working memory and reading in students with dyslexia
Frontiers in psychology, 2014
To investigate parameters related to fluency, reading comprehension and phonological processing (operational and short-term memory) and identify potential correlation between the variables in Dyslexia and in the absence of reading difficulties. One hundred and fifteen students from the third to eighth grade of elementary school were grouped into a Control Group (CG) and Group with Dyslexia (GDys). Reading of words, pseudowords and text (decoding); listening and reading comprehension; phonological short-term and working memory (repetition of pseudowords and Digit Span) were evaluated. The comparison of the groups showed significant differences in decoding, phonological short-term memory (repetition of pseudowords) and answers to text-connecting questions (TC) on reading comprehension, with the worst performances identified for GDys. In this group there were negative correlations between pseudowords repetition and TC answers and total score, both on listening comprehension. No correla...
Executive functions for reading and writing in typical literacy development and dyslexia
Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 2008
Experiment 1: Hierarchical linear modeling of growth trajectories of three executive functions (inhibition; rapid automatic switching, RAS; and combined inhibition/switching) in typical readers and writers showed steady improvement of inhibition but leveling of RAS and inhibition/switching about fourth grade. In multiple regressions, RAS, entered after inhibition, contributed uniquely to literacy outcomes at every grade. Improvement of executive functions over the first four grades predicted literacy outcomes at fourth grade. Experiment 2: For children with dyslexia, executive functions explained less variance in literacy outcomes, and boys were worse in inhibition and inhibition/switching. Developmental, educational, and clinical significance of findings are discussed.
Evidence-Based Reading and Writing Assessment for Dyslexia in Adolescents and Young Adults
Learning Disabilities: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 2016
The same working memory and reading and writing achievement phenotypes (behavioral markers of genetic variants) validated in prior research with younger children and older adults in a multigenerational family genetics study of dyslexia were used to study 81 adolescent and young adults (ages 16 to 25) from that study. Dyslexia is impaired word reading and spelling skills below the population mean and ability to use oral language to express thinking. These working memory predictor measures were given and used to predict reading and writing achievement: Coding (storing and processing) heard and spoken words (phonological coding), read and written words (orthographic coding), base words and affixes (morphological coding), and accumulating words over time (syntax coding); Cross-Code Integration (phonological loop for linking phonological name and orthographic letter codes and orthographic loop for linking orthographic letter codes and finger sequencing codes), and Supervisory Attention (focused and switching attention and selfmonitoring during written word finding). Multiple regressions showed that most predictors explained individual difference in at least one reading or writing outcome, but which predictors explained unique variance beyond shared variance depended on outcome. ANOVAs confirmed that research-supported criteria for dyslexia validated for younger children and their parents could be used to diagnose which adolescents and young adults did (n=31) or did not (n=50) meet research criteria for dyslexia. Findings are discussed in reference to the heterogeneity of phenotypes (behavioral markers of genetic variables) and their application to assessment for accommodations and ongoing instruction for adolescents and young adults with dyslexia.
Dyslexia (Chichester, England), 2017
The executive function of fluency describes the ability to generate items according to specific rules. Production of words beginning with a certain letter (phonemic fluency) is impaired in dyslexia, while generation of words belonging to a certain semantic category (semantic fluency) is typically unimpaired. However, in dyslexia, verbal fluency has generally been studied only in terms of overall words produced. Furthermore, performance of adults with dyslexia on non-verbal design fluency tasks has not been explored but would indicate whether deficits could be explained by executive control, rather than phonological processing, difficulties. Phonemic, semantic and design fluency tasks were presented to adults with dyslexia and without dyslexia, using fine-grained performance measures and controlling for IQ. Hierarchical regressions indicated that dyslexia predicted lower phonemic fluency, but not semantic or design fluency. At the fine-grained level, dyslexia predicted a smaller numb...
Developmental dyslexia: Is it different from other forms of reading disability
Annals of Dyslexia, 1987
A controversy whether developmental dyslexia is qualitatively different from other forms of reading disability has existed among reading specialists for many years. In the present study, the hypothesis that the etiology of dyslexia is different from that of other forms of reading disability because of differences in the components that malfunction was tested. A number of studies have shown that the two components that contribute to a large proportion of variance in reading are decoding and comprehension. It is, therefore, possible that a breakdown of different components could lead to different forms of disabilities. College students who were poor readers were assigned to two groups on the basis of their IQ. Conforming to the traditional criterion of dyslexia, those who had an IQ of 95 and above were considered as dyslexic. Those who had an IQ of 85 or below were placed in the Nonspecific Reading-Disabled group. These two groups of poor readers and a group of normal readers were administered a large number of reading-related tests. It was found that the two reading-disabled groups differed from each other in six of the seven areas assessed. There was very little overlap of scores between the two groups in these areas. The results were interpreted to suggest that poor decoding skill is the etiology of developmental dyslexia and that it differs from other forms of reading disability which are caused by generalized cognitive deficits.
An Overview of Dyslexia: Definition, Characteristics, Assessment, Identification, and Intervention
Science Journal of Education
Background: Dyslexia is a developmental brain-based type of learning disability that affects a person's ability to read and spell words. Best estimates place 5 percent to 10 percent of the population with the condition, but the incidence of dyslexia is challenging to pinpoint, as the definition of dyslexia varies throughout research. Objective: The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of dyslexia, its characteristics, assessment and identification, and intervention techniques for the condition. Results: Although the disorder varies from person to person, common characteristics among people with dyslexia include difficulty with phonological skills, low accuracy and fluency of reading, poor spelling, and/or rapid visual-verbal responding. Dyslexia is a neurological condition and can be inherited, and recent studies have identified a number of genes that may predispose an individual to developing dyslexia. Identification of dyslexia early requires recognition of characteristics such as difficulty associating sounds with letters, reading dysfluencies, spelling difficulties, challenges with written expression and poor handwriting. Dyslexia assessments can guide professions in ways to best administer treatment, such as via strategies to enhance word training and improve decoding skills. All of these interventions have shown to benefit the reading and writing abilities of persons with dyslexia. Conclusions: The unique nature and presentation of dyslexia varies among individuals. The importance of understanding as much as possible and keeping abreast of the assessment and intervention strategies available is critical to minimizing the long-term effects of dyslexia.