EVALUATING CURRENT DEFICIT THEORIES OF POOR READING: ROLE OF PHONOLOGICAL PROCESSING, NAMING SPEED, BALANCE AUTOMATICITY, RAPID VERBAL PERCEPTIONAND WORKING MEMORY1

Although the role of IQ in developmental dyslexia remains ambiguous, the dominant clinical and research approaches rely on a definition of dyslexia that requires reading skill to be significantly below the level expected given an individual’s IQ. In the study reported here, we used functional MRI (fMRI) to examine whether differences in brain activation during phonological processing that are characteristic of dyslexia were similar or dissimilar in children with poor reading ability who had high IQ scores (discrepant readers) and in children with poor reading ability who had low IQ scores (nondiscrepant readers). In two independent samples including a total of 131 children, using univariate and multivariate pattern analyses, we found that discrepant and nondiscrepant poor readers exhibited similar patterns of reduced activation in brain areas such as left parietotemporal and occipitotemporal regions. These results converge with behavioral evidence indicating that, regardless of IQ, poor readers have similar kinds of reading difficulties in relation to phonological processing.

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Evaluating Current Deficit Theories of Poor Reading: Role of Phonological Processing, Naming Speed, Balance Automaticity, Rapid Verbal Perception and Working Memory

Perceptual and Motor Skills ◽

10.2466/pms.101.2.345-361 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 101 (2) ◽

pp. 345-361 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Robert Savage ◽

Ulla Patni ◽

Norah Frederickson ◽

Roz Goodwin ◽

Nicola Smith ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Phonological Processing ◽

Word Reading ◽

Naming Speed ◽

Poor Readers ◽

Chronological Age ◽

Size Analysis ◽

Control Group ◽

Poor Reading ◽

Nonword Reading ◽

Regular Classrooms

To clarify the nature of cognitive deficits experienced by poor readers, 9 10-yr.-old poor readers were matched against 9 chronological age and 9 younger reading age-matched controls screened and selected from regular classrooms. Poor readers performed significantly more poorly than chronological age-matched peers on digit naming speed, spoonerisms, and nonsense word reading. Poor readers were also significantly poorer than reading age-matched controls on nonword reading but were significantly better than reading age-matched controls on postural stability. Analyses of effect sizes were consistent with these findings, showing strong effects for digit naming speed, spoonerisms, and nonword reading. However, effect size analysis also suggested that poor readers experienced moderate difficulties with balance automatisation but did not show verbal speech perception deficits relative to either control group.

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Reading comprehension on word- and sentence-level can be predicted by orthographic knowledge for German children with poor reading proficiency

Reading and Writing ◽

10.1007/s11145-021-10126-9 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Jelena Zarić ◽

Telse Nagler

Keyword(s):

Phonological Awareness ◽

Text Comprehension ◽

Word Reading ◽

Reading Proficiency ◽

Third Graders ◽

Orthographic Knowledge ◽

Naming Speed ◽

Poor Reading ◽

Sentence Level

AbstractPrevious studies mostly examined the role of orthographic knowledge in basic reading processing (i.e., word-reading), however, regarding higher reading processing (i.e., sentence- and text-comprehension), mixed results were reported. In addition, previous research in transparent languages, such as German, focused mostly on typically skilled readers. The aim of this study was to examine the role of orthographic knowledge in basic reading processing (word-reading) as well as in higher reading processing (sentence- and text-comprehension), in addition to phonological awareness and naming speed in a sample of German elementary school poor readers. For this purpose, data from 103 German third-graders with poor reading proficiency were analyzed via multiple linear regression analysis. Analyses revealed that orthographic knowledge contributes to reading at word- and sentence-level, but not at text-level in German third-graders with poor reading proficiency, over and above phonological awareness and naming speed. These findings support that orthographic knowledge should be considered as a relevant reading related predictor. Therefore, it would be reasonable to include the assessment of orthographic knowledge skills in diagnostic procedures to identify children at risk to develop reading difficulties, besides phonological awareness and naming speed.

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Nonword Repetition Skills in Gulf Arabic–Speaking Children With Developmental Language Disorder

Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research ◽

10.1044/2020_jslhr-20-00040 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 63 (11) ◽

pp. 3700-3713

Author(s):

Saleh Shaalan

Keyword(s):

Phonological Processing ◽

Language Disorder ◽

Nonword Repetition ◽

School Age Children ◽

Typically Developing ◽

Developmental Language Disorder ◽

Gulf Arabic ◽

Arabic Speaking ◽

Phonological Complexity

Purpose This study examined the performance of Gulf Arabic–speaking children with developmental language disorder (DLD) on a Gulf Arabic nonword repetition (GA-NWR) test and compared it to their age- and language-matched groups. We also investigated the role of syllable length, wordlikeness, and phonological complexity in light of NWR theories. Method A new GA-NWR test was conducted with three groups of Gulf Arabic–speaking children: school-age children with DLD, language-matched controls (LCs), and age-matched controls (ACs). The test consisted of two- and three-syllable words that either had no clusters, medial clusters, final clusters, or medial + final clusters. Results The GA-NWR distinguished between the performance of children with DLD and the LC and AC groups. Results showed significant syllable length, wordlikeness, and phonological complexity effects. Differences between the DLD and typically developing groups were seen in two- and three-syllable nonwords; however, when compared on nonwords with no clusters, children with DLD were not significantly different from the LC group. Conclusions The GA-NWR test differentiated between children with DLD and their ACs and LCs. Findings, therefore, support its clinical utility in this variety of Arabic. Results showed that phonological processing factors, such as phonological complexity, may have stronger effects when compared to syllable length effects. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.12996812

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