An Overview of Dyslexia

Summary

This script emphasizes the critical role of reading in daily life and its impact on health outcomes. It highlights dyslexia as a common learning disability that affects reading abilities, not due to laziness but due to neurobiological and cognitive differences. The script underscores the importance of motivation and appropriate, intensive instruction for individuals with dyslexia to overcome reading challenges, suggesting that with the right support, they can achieve literacy success.

Takeaways

• 📚 Reading is a fundamental life skill that is essential for various aspects of daily life, including healthcare navigation.
• 💊 The ability to read is crucial for understanding medical conditions, prescriptions, and healthcare forms, impacting health outcomes.
• 📉 Dyslexia is a brain-based learning disability that affects a person's ability to read, characterized by difficulties in word recognition and spelling.
• 🧬 Dyslexia is highly prevalent and has a genetic component, often running in families, indicating a neurobiological basis.
• 🤔 Reading ability varies among individuals, with dyslexia placing individuals towards the lower end of the reading ability continuum.
• 👶 Motivation is a key factor in learning to read; dyslexia is not due to laziness or lack of effort but rather a specific learning challenge.
• 🏫 Environmental factors and quality classroom instruction are important for reading success, but they are not the sole determinants of dyslexia.
• 🔍 Dyslexia can be identified even in high-quality educational settings, as it is not a result of poor instruction.
• 🌟 With appropriate, intensive, and systematic instruction, individuals with dyslexia can learn to read effectively.
• 🧠 Neurobiological differences in brain structure and function are observed in individuals with dyslexia, affecting language processing areas.
• 📈 The deficits in dyslexia often stem from difficulties with phonological awareness and Rapid Automatized Naming, impacting word reading and fluency.
• 📘 Dyslexia does not represent a generalized learning disability; it is a selective deficit that, with proper instruction, can be overcome.

Q & A

Why is reading considered a fundamental life skill?

Reading is a fundamental life skill because it is essential for various aspects of daily life, including accessing healthcare, understanding medical conditions, and following prescriptions, which are all critical for health outcomes.

What is the impact of dyslexia on an individual's ability to read?

Dyslexia is a brain-based learning disability that impairs a person's ability to read, characterized by difficulties with accurate and fluent word recognition, poor spelling, and decoding abilities.

How does the reading ability vary among individuals?

Reading ability falls along a continuum, with some individuals being superstar readers, others average, and some below average, including those with dyslexia who fall towards the lower end.

Why is motivation an important factor in a child's ability to read?

Motivation is important because children with dyslexia can work as hard, if not harder, than their peers but still struggle with reading, indicating that effort alone is not sufficient without the right instruction.

How does environmental factors affect reading achievement?

Environmental factors, including solid core classroom reading instruction, impact reading achievement. However, dyslexia is not a result of poor instruction, as individuals with dyslexia can be found even in the best schools.

What is the role of high-quality, direct reading instruction in early grades?

High-quality, direct reading instruction is critical for the success of all students in the early grades, but some children, possibly those with dyslexia, do not respond to this instruction and require more specialized support.

What type of instruction is recommended for individuals with dyslexia?

Individuals with dyslexia require direct, intensive, systematic, and cumulative reading instruction that addresses their specific educational needs.

What are the neurobiological differences observed in individuals with dyslexia?

Neurobiological differences in individuals with dyslexia include variations in functional and structural brain scans, as well as differences in the brain's wiring that connects areas involved in reading.

How does family history play a role in the likelihood of having dyslexia?

Dyslexia has a genetic component, and a family history of dyslexia is a risk factor, indicating that genes provide the blueprint for the brain, which is the basis for this learning difference.

What cognitive components are involved in dyslexia?

The cognitive components of dyslexia often involve deficits in phonological awareness and Rapid Automatized Naming, which affect the ability to process the sound structure of language and, consequently, reading accuracy and fluency.

Why is it important to differentiate dyslexia from a generalized learning disability?

Differentiating dyslexia from a generalized learning disability is important because dyslexia is a selective deficit that specifically affects reading abilities, not intelligence or overall cognitive function, and requires targeted instruction for improvement.

Outlines

00:00

📚 The Importance and Impact of Reading Skills

This paragraph emphasizes the fundamental nature of reading in our daily lives, particularly in critical areas like healthcare. It outlines the challenges faced by individuals with dyslexia, a learning disability that hampers reading abilities, and highlights the continuum of reading proficiency in society. The paragraph clarifies that dyslexia is not due to laziness but is a result of neurobiological differences, affecting the brain's language and visual processing areas. It underscores the need for specialized, intensive instruction to help those with dyslexia improve their reading skills, contrary to common misconceptions about the condition.

05:01

🧠 Understanding Dyslexia and Its Cognitive Components

The second paragraph delves into the specifics of dyslexia, focusing on its cognitive and neurological aspects. It explains that dyslexia is linked to difficulties in phonological awareness and Rapid Automatized Naming, which are critical for fluent word reading. The paragraph also addresses the misconception that dyslexia is a generalized learning disability, asserting that it is a selective deficit affecting reading skills. It points out the importance of intensive, systematic reading instruction tailored to the needs of individuals with dyslexia and emphasizes the potential for these individuals to achieve reading proficiency with the right support. The paragraph concludes with a call to action to raise awareness and support for dyslexic individuals, advocating for a collective effort to meet their educational needs.

Keywords

💡Reading

Reading is the process of interpreting written text, which is fundamental to education and daily life. In the video, reading is emphasized as a critical life skill that impacts various aspects of life, including healthcare, where one must read forms and prescriptions. Reading is also linked to health outcomes, highlighting its importance beyond just an academic ability.

💡Dyslexia

Dyslexia is identified as a brain-based learning disability that specifically impairs a person's ability to read. It is characterized by difficulties with word recognition, spelling, and decoding abilities. The video script discusses dyslexia as a prevalent condition that affects individuals differently, placing them along a continuum of reading ability, with those with dyslexia often towards the lower end.

💡Decoding

Decoding refers to the ability to sound out words to read them, which is a crucial skill for reading development. The script mentions that individuals with dyslexia struggle with decoding, which is part of the reason they have difficulties with accurate and fluent word recognition.

💡Motivation

Motivation is a factor that influences reading success. The video emphasizes that children with dyslexia are not lazy or unmotivated; they can work as hard or harder than their peers but still face challenges in reading. Motivation is essential for these children to overcome their difficulties with reading.

💡Instruction

Instruction in the context of the video refers to the teaching methods and strategies used to facilitate reading. It is highlighted that children with dyslexia require direct, intensive, systematic, and cumulative reading instruction to address their specific needs, which differs from the less intensive instruction that may suffice for other students.

💡Neurobiological Differences

Neurobiological differences refer to the variations in brain structure and function observed in individuals with dyslexia. The script explains that these differences underlie the difficulties in reading and are evident in both functional and structural brain scans, as well as in the brain's wiring related to reading.

💡Phonological Awareness

Phonological awareness is the ability to hear and manipulate the internal structure of words, which is essential for learning to read. The video script points out that deficits in phonological awareness are common in individuals with dyslexia and contribute to their reading difficulties.

💡Rapid Automatized Naming

Rapid Automatized Naming (RAN) is the skill of quickly and accurately naming objects or symbols. The script explains that RAN supports the speed of word reading and that deficits in this skill are often observed in individuals with dyslexia, affecting their ability to read words fluently.

💡Comprehension

Comprehension is the ultimate goal of reading, which involves understanding the meaning of text. The video script states that without comprehension, a person has not truly read. Comprehension is affected by word reading skills, and individuals with dyslexia often struggle with both, leading to difficulties in learning new vocabulary and understanding text.

💡Vocabulary

Vocabulary refers to the set of words that a person knows and can use effectively. The script highlights that most vocabulary is learned through reading, and students with dyslexia often lag behind their peers in vocabulary acquisition due to their difficulties with word-level reading skills.

💡Genetic Component

The genetic component refers to the hereditary factors that contribute to the development of dyslexia. The video script mentions that dyslexia runs in families and has a genetic basis, indicating that our genes provide the blueprint for brain development, which includes the areas involved in reading.

Highlights

Reading is fundamental and deeply intertwined with our daily life, impacting areas such as healthcare.

Reading ability is a continuum, with dyslexia affecting those at the lower end.

Dyslexia is a brain-based learning disability that hampers reading ability.

Dyslexia is characterized by difficulties in word recognition, spelling, and decoding.

Dyslexia is the most common learning disability and is highly prevalent.

Reading success is influenced by multiple interacting factors, including motivation.

Dyslexia is not a result of laziness or lack of effort from the child.

Children with dyslexia require appropriate instruction to address their specific needs.

Environmental factors and core classroom reading instruction impact reading achievement.

Dyslexia is not a consequence of poor core reading instruction.

Some children do not respond to high-quality reading instruction, which may indicate dyslexia.

Dyslexic individuals can learn to read with the right type of intensive instruction.

Neurobiological differences in dyslexia are partly responsible for the lack of response to less intensive instruction.

Dyslexia has a genetic component, with a family history being a risk factor.

The brain areas that support reading are differently wired in individuals with dyslexia.

Cognitive processing of language is a key area affected in dyslexia, impacting phonological awareness and Rapid Automatized Naming.

Dyslexia is not a generalized learning disability; it is selective and specific to reading.

With intensive, systematic reading instruction, dyslexic individuals can achieve reading proficiency.

The Tennessee Center for Dyslexia at MTSU is working to raise awareness and support dyslexic individuals.

Transcripts

[MUSIC]

I am sure that you've heard the old adage that reading is

fundamental, but have you taken time to contemplate how reliant

we are on reading?

Just imagine trying to get healthcare for

a loved one if you couldn't read.

There are tons of forms,

then you have to read up on the medical condition.

If you get a prescription, you have to read what it is,

when to take it, and how much.

This is kind of important stuff.

And given that this is a big deal, you're probably not

surprised that reading is linked to health outcomes.

Reading is truly a life skill that most of us

take for granted.

I mean, if you think about it, why shouldn't most of us?

We learned how to read in school, and

it's just something we picked up, it's something we could do.

But this is not the reality for

the people who struggle with reading due to dyslexia.

Reading ability falls along a continuum.

Some individuals are great, superstar readers,

while others are just average.

But then there's people who are below average

to well below average.

Individuals with dyslexia fall towards the lower end of this

continuum.

Dyslexia is a brain-based type of learning disability that

specifically impairs a person's ability to read.

Dyslexia is characterized by difficulties with accurate and

fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and

decoding abilities.

Decoding is our ability to sound out words to read them.

Dyslexia is extremely prevalent and

is the most common learning disability.

The ability for all children

to read is influenced by multiple factors

that interact with one another to bring about reading success.

One of these factors is motivation.

With that said, dyslexia is not the result of a child being lazy

or not trying hard enough.

Children with dyslexia can work just as hard and

even harder than the other kids in their class and

still struggle to read.

All of this effort will achieve little if these children are not

provided with the appropriate instruction to address

their needs.

Environmental factors also impact reading achievement, and

solid, core classroom reading instruction is critical for

the success of all students.

But dyslexia is not the result of poor core reading

instruction.

Don't get me wrong, our schools can be improved, but individuals

with dyslexia can be found in even the best of schools.

During the early grades, the majority of children respond to

high-quality, direct reading instruction.

But some kids do not respond to this high-quality instruction,

and parents and teachers alike are left wondering why these

kids are not learning to read.

For many of these kids, the reason could be dyslexia.

But there is hope for these individuals.

Children and adults with dyslexia can learn to read when

provided with appropriate instruction that addresses their

educational needs.

Individuals with dyslexia require direct, intensive,

systematic, cumulative reading instruction.

But why don't they respond to less intensive quality

instruction like many other students?

The answer is in part due to neurobiological differences

observed in individuals with dyslexia.

One of the risk factors is a family history of dyslexia, and

it is well documented that dyslexia runs in families and

has a genetic component.

Our genes provide the blueprints for our brain, and

dyslexia is a brain-based learning difference.

My research and the research of many others provides a better

understanding of this brain basis.

Reading is supported by areas of the brain that allow us to

produce and understand language.

These language areas work with the visual centers and

learning circuits of the brain to support reading development.

This distributed network of brain regions allows a person to

understand written language.

Individuals with dyslexia show differences in areas of this

distributed network.

Differences can be seen in functional brain scans taken

while individuals perform reading tasks.

Differences are also seen on structural brain scans.

And the wiring that connects the areas of the brain involved in

reading differ between individuals with dyslexia and

their typically developing peers.

Another part of the answer to the question,

what causes dyslexia, can be found in how we process language

at a cognitive level in support of reading.

But before we consider the cognitive components

of dyslexia,

we first need to consider the different components of reading.

The ultimate goal of reading is to comprehend text.

If comprehension does not occur, then a person has not read.

But we can't comprehend a text if we do not have the skills

needed to identify the words on the page.

And we use our ability to understand spoken language to

comprehend written language.

Our ability to understand spoken language is supported by many

skills, more than I can capture in a single figure.

But to highlight a few, children need a wide vocabulary,

background knowledge of the topic being discussed.

They need to be aware of the meaning units within words.

And they need to know how words are put together to form

meaningful expressions.

Children also need to be able to read print fluently.

When reading aloud,

they should be able to read quickly with expression.

Fluent reading requires an ability to efficiently and

accurately identify individual words.

The identification of written words is supported by an ability

to sound out individual words.

This is the skill of decoding, and

to identify words by sight, sight word reading.

Sounding out words to identify them is supported by knowing our

letters, their formation, and

the sounds that go with them in the language.

Sounding out words is also supported by the ability to

hear the internal structure of words and

isolate the individual sound units that make up words.

For example,

there are three sound units in the word “huff,” /h/ /u/ /f/

Proficient readers are highly accurate in word reading and

the skills that support reading words.

Proficient readers are also highly efficient and

automatic in word reading.

And just as phonological awareness supports

the development of accurate word reading that is needed to allow

students to develop proficient word reading skills,

Rapid Automatized Naming supports the speed by which

a person can read words.

Pulling a word from memory or

effortlessly decoding a word is supported by our ability to

efficiently go from print to sound,

to go from seeing something to being able to access its name.

So now let's turn back to the cognitive basis of dyslexia for

many individuals.

Remember, dyslexia is characterized

by underachievement in accurate and/or fluent word reading.

Individuals with dyslexia also often struggle with

sounding out and reading words.

But why is it that a child can have such a selective deficit in

areas of written language?

The reading deficits of individuals with dyslexia often

stem from a problem with processing the sound structure

of language.

These aspects of language are phonological awareness and

Rapid Automatized Naming.

When these components are deficient, we commonly observe

corresponding deficits in reading accuracy and fluency.

Deficits in word reading ability give rise to an issue with

comprehending text and learning new vocabulary.

We often forget that most of the vocabulary that

we learn comes from reading.

It isn't possible to directly teach all the vocabulary

necessary to support language development and listening and

reading comprehension.

So students who struggle with word-level reading skills often

lag behind their peers in learning new vocabulary.

Notice that I've not mentioned that dyslexia is a generalized

learning disability.

Well, because it's not.

I've not said that these kids are dumb or lazy,

because that's not true.

And they're not throwaway kids or adults.

These individuals have a very selective deficit that limits

their ability to learn how to read.

And they need more intensive, direct,

systematic reading instruction than others.

But when they receive this instruction,

they will learn how to read.

Here at MTSU in the

Tennessee Center for Dyslexia

we are striving to help raise awareness about

the success that these children can achieve.

We want to help parents, educators, and

policymakers become aware of what these needs are, so

that collectively, we can work together to make sure that

we strive to meet these needs.

So look forward to more future videos such as this to help

raise awareness about other aspects of dyslexia.

[MUSIC]