Tackling Dyslexia Before Children Learn to Read
Author: Cell Press
Published: 2012/04/08 - Updated: 2021/09/24
Topic: Dyslexia Information - Publications List
Page Content: Synopsis - Introduction - Main
Synopsis: Test results show kids who initially had trouble with visual attention were also the ones to later struggle in reading.
• Dyslexia is a developmental reading disability that occurs when the brain does not properly recognize and process certain symbols.
• Researchers argue the discovery not only closes a long-lasting debate on the causes of dyslexia but also opens the way to a new approach for early identification and interventions for the 10% of children for whom reading is extremely difficult.
Introduction
For children with dyslexia, the trouble begins even before they start reading and for reasons that don't necessarily reflect other language skills.
Main Item
What is Dyslexia? Dyslexia is a developmental reading disability that occurs when the brain does not properly recognize and process certain symbols. The disorder is a specific information processing problem that does not interfere with one's ability to think or to understand complex ideas. Most people with DRD have normal intelligence, and many have above-average intelligence. Specialized help (called remedial instruction) can lead to marked improvement in reading and understanding.
That's according to a report published online on in Current Biology, a Cell Press publication, that for the first time reveals a causal connection between early problems with visual attention and a later diagnosis of dyslexia.
"Visual attention deficits are surprisingly way more predictive of future reading disorders than are language abilities at the pre-reading stage," said Andrea Facoetti of the University of Padua in Italy.
The researchers argue that the discovery not only closes a long-lasting debate on the causes of dyslexia but also opens the way to a new approach for early identification and interventions for the 10 percent of children for whom reading is extremely difficult.
The researchers studied Italian-speaking children for a period of three years, from the time they were pre-reading kindergartners until they entered second grade. Facoetti's team, including Sandro Franceschini, Simone Gori, Milena Ruffino, and Katia Pedrolli, assessed pre-readers for visual spatial attention - the ability to filter relevant versus irrelevant information - through tests that asked them to pick out specific symbols amid distractions. The children also took tests on syllable identification, verbal short-term memory, and rapid color naming, followed over the next two years by measures of reading.
Those test results showed that kids who initially had trouble with visual attention were also the ones to later struggle in reading.
"This is a radical change to the theoretical framework explaining dyslexia," Facoetti said. "It forces us to rewrite what is known about the disorder and to change rehabilitation treatments in order to reduce its impact."
He says that simple visual-attention tasks should improve the early identification of children at risk for dyslexia:
"Because recent studies show that specific pre-reading programs can improve reading abilities, children at risk for dyslexia could be treated with preventive remediation programs of visual spatial attention before they learn to read."
Franceschini et al.: "A Causal Link between Visual Spatial Attention and Reading Acquisition."
Attribution/Source(s):
This quality-reviewed publication was selected for publishing by the editors of Disabled World (DW) due to its significant relevance to the disability community. Originally authored by Cell Press, and published on 2012/04/08 (Edit Update: 2021/09/24), the content may have been edited for style, clarity, or brevity. For further details or clarifications, Cell Press can be contacted at cell.com. NOTE: Disabled World does not provide any warranties or endorsements related to this article.