What do Albert Einstein, Steve Jobs and Salma Hayek have in common? Dyslexia.
Dyslexia is a learning disability that affects a person’s ability to read, write and spell. It also impacts concentration, memory, organization, communication skills and self-confidence.
In the US, approximately 1 in 10 people — and 8 in 10 students who struggle with reading — are likely to have some form of dyslexia.
Separating myth from fact
Even though dyslexia is the most common of all neurocognitive disorders, it’s also one of the most misunderstood.
Myth: Dyslexia is a vision problem
Fact: Although some students may have visual issues, dyslexia is primarily an auditory disorder, with weaknesses appearing specifically in phonological processing.
Myth: Students who have dyslexia are lazy or not trying hard enough
Fact: Dyslexia disrupts how the brain processes written language. It interferes with how the brain segments words into sounds and syllables and connects sounds to letters while reading, making reading and language tasks harder. Individuals with dyslexia exert great effort to overcome their learning obstacles and keep up with their peers.
A diagnosis of dyslexia, however, doesn’t have to limit a student’s learning or potential. Brain research is constantly updated with improved technologies and more extensive group studies that provide new insights into instructional approaches and interventions.
What neuroscience says
As neuroscience research shows, learning to read is a complex process involving many areas of the brain.
Consider the visual brain and the talking brain. We have known for years that learning to read requires creating a new visual language link — that is, connecting a visual representation of written words to brain areas for speech sounds and meaning. But, in addition to word learning capacities, research shows that three other language capacities have to be well-developed to support reading:
- Grammar (syntax)
- Phonological awareness (phonology)
- Prosody (melodic contour)
Five researchers’ 2023 Psychological Bulletin review of more than 400 neuroimaging experiments has provided new insights into the brain areas and networks contributing to language processing and these specialized language operations.
Of course, every student’s brain is different. Both genetic differences and differences in experience can impact the language capacities listed above. For example, factors such as socioeconomic status, first language differences, adverse childhood experiences and experiences during the pandemic can affect the language exposure and socialization necessary to build underlying foundational language skills.
Students who have dyslexia also have temporal processing differences in the brain or both. But what causes these neural timing differences? A 2023 research review published in the Brain Science journal, suggests that the impaired development of magnocellular timing neurons is the ultimate cause of developmental dyslexia. Magnocells are a specific type of cell within the brain that enable it to process fast-changing information, like easily hearing all the speech sounds in a conversation.
Why is all of this important? A better understanding of the processes and mechanisms involved in reading — and failure to learn to read — can make it easier to diagnose and treat dyslexia.
What can educators do?
Educators at every grade level should be prepared to have students with dyslexia in their classes. Here are a few tips to help them.
1. Evaluate and intervene early
Signs of dyslexia can appear as early as preschool. Early evaluation of delayed speech, difficulty rhyming and difficulty determining a word’s initial or final sound can prevent long-term harm to a student’s learning and mental health. With a practical, research-based intervention, students who have dyslexia can see improved reading and cognitive capacity outcomes after a few months, not years.
2. Use a brain-based approach
The brains of students who have dyslexia function differently, so their instruction should be different too. A multicomponent approach to intervention is critical to targeting the root causes of difficulties. Interventions must address all the subdomain components of language and reading: syntax, semantics, phonology and prosody.
3. Utilize technology to provide support
Adaptive online interventions can cover all these capacities using an individualized approach to target specific skills. Gamified features such as animated rewards and real-time progress meters can engage students and help them build confidence, free from judgment from their peers or embarrassment in front of their teacher.
In addition, tools such as text-to-speech and speech-to-text software can help students with reading and writing assignments. Smart pens, which digitize a student’s notes while also recording the lecture, can also help.
4. Offer encouragement
Provide positive, consistent support while students are working to change their brains. Celebrate their progress and successes and encourage them to keep going.
5. Take a strengths-based approach
Rather than viewing students who have dyslexia through a deficit model, recognize their strengths. The same genetic neurobiological differences that lead to dyslexia result in other assets. Research has found that those with dyslexia are often strong in spatial reasoning, narrative reasoning, empathy and critical thinking.
Our understanding of the causes of dyslexia has come quite far over the last 50 years, and new neuroscience findings are pointing the way toward more targeted and effective interventions. The more we learn, the more we can help our students with reading and language difficulties. The key is to start today.
Martha Burns, Ph.D., is the director of neuroscience education for Carnegie Learning and has served as an adjunct associate professor in Northwestern University’s Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders for over 25 years. Burns is a fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and has authored four books and over 100 book chapters and articles.
Opinions expressed by SmartBrief contributors are their own.
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