Category: Dyslexia

Addressing a persistent debate in the field of dyslexia research, scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Southern California (USC) have disproved the popular theory that deficits in certain visual processes cause the spelling and reading woes commonly suffered by dyslexics.

About 450,000 children spread among 2,700 public school districts in 25 states (USA) all have something in common: They’ve used educational Fast ForWord software products developed from research that began in the lab of Rutgers-Newark professor of neuroscience Paula Tallal.

Learning disabilities such as dyslexia are believed to affect nearly one in 10 children. To better study them, a Northwestern University research team has developed a data-driven conceptual framework that links two well-established scientific concepts. In doing so, they also have developed a non-invasive diagnostic tool called BioMAP that can quickly identify children with learning disabilities.

Researchers trying to tease out the genetic basis of dyslexia have discovered a location on chromosome 2 that may contain one or more genes that contribute to the reading disorder and make it difficult for people to rapidly pronounce pseudowords. The team from the University of Washington, headed by medical geneticists Dr.

Discovery offers hope for treatment of dyslexia - A gene which is likely to be one of the causes of dyslexia in children has been discovered by researchers at Cardiff University. They believe the major finding will give researchers a better understanding of what causes the brain disorder which disrupts reading and writing skills.

Adults suffering from dyslexia can benefit from tutoring in processing words, and their brains show changes that indicate neural modifications due to the training, researchers have found. Guinevere Eden and her colleagues said that their studies indicate that adult dyslexics can be helped by training. The findings are important, they wrote, because dyslexia accounts for 80% of all learning disabilities in the U.S. and U.K.

New research shows that phonics-based instruction can actually change brain activity in adults with dyslexia, resulting in significant improvements in reading. The findings from a collaborative study by Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and Georgetown University Medical Center were reported today in the journal Neuron.

Georgetown University Medical Center researchers today published the first ever fMRI study of hyperlexia, a rare condition in which children with some degree of autism display extremely precocious reading skills. Appearing in Neuron, the case study uncovers the neural mechanisms that underlie hyperlexia, and suggest that hyperlexia is the true opposite of the reading disability dyslexia.

Dyslexia may be caused by a fault in a single gene, scientists have suggested.Researchers in Finland say their finding may explain why the condition seems to run in families. Dyslexia affects about one in 10 people. It is the most common learning disorder in children. Many find it difficult to recognise and read words. Writing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, scientists said a flaw in a gene called DYXC1 may cause the condition.