Helping Dyslexia

A study by Stein (2021) found that students with dyslexia show a different electrical pattern in their brain pattern on EEG compared to typical readers when their rapid visual processing is stimulated. Typical readers displayed a larger peak at 10Hz than 5Hz whereas it was the opposite way around for dyslexic readers. Taking the ratio of these peaks 10/5Hz further enhanced this difference which was highly statistically significant (P

Visual Signs & Symptoms in Dyslexia
Researchers from the Departments of Ophthalmology and Psychiatry at the Harvard Medical School & the Boston Children’s Hospital have shown that visual symptoms in addition to visual deficits such as eye tracking are more prevalent in school aged children with dyslexia than typical readers. According to the study in the previous post such visual deficits are NOT likely to be due to a lack of reading practice but appear to play more of a causal role.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30027208
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30528188

It’s the Egg Not the Chicken!
A recent study published in the Dyslexia journal found that the visual problems experienced by individuals with dyslexia are unlikely to be due to a lack of reading experience.

The study tested the magno visual pathways of dyslexics and compared them to adults who were illiterate, semi-illiterate and normal readers. It found a visual deficit in those with dyslexia but not in those with poor literacy. It concludes that the visual problems found in dyslexia are unlikely to be a consequence of failing to learn to read but rather provides evidence of a causal role in dyslexia.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30592104

French scientists have found the eyes may be a possible cause for dyslexia. They claim that receptors at the back of the eye in a critical area known as "Maxwell's Spot" are more symmetrical between the eyes in some dyslexics compared to non-dyslexics leading to a lack of dominance in the brain. This may in turn affect the development of the neural pathways in the brain required for processing visual information.

Left–right asymmetry of the Maxwell spot centroids in adults without and with dyslexia In human vision, the brain has to select one view of the world from our two eyes. However, the existence of a clear anatomical asymmetry providing an initial imbalance for normal neural development is still not understood. Using a so-called foveascope, we found that for a cohort of 30 normal adults,...

Vision is more than 20/20! Some visual skills continue to develop until the end of secondary school but develop most rapidly through primary school!
(Data from 700 NZ students with normal reading, spelling & maths)

Visual development is linked to learning disabilities & dyslexia. Optometrist Stuart Warren explains why studies have failed to find a link and the iCept app that can help. For more info visit http://icept.co.nz

Vision, Learning Difficulties & iCept

A recent study in Australia shows 30% of Year 3 students may have a vision problem that could affect their learning.

Through a child's eyes: Classroom study measures vision and academic achievement Researchers have investigated how vision can affect a child's ongoing learning, with results showing 30 per cent of Year 3 students tested had uncorrected eye problems that could affect their academic performances.

One of a growing number of studies to show that training eye movements improves reading performance. This should be BIG news in education because it provides an alternative approach that does NOT depend on language. For years we have been told that poor eye movements are simply the result of a language problem. If this was true then training eye movements should not make any difference to reading!

Eye Movement Training Improves Early Reading Fluency - Mayo Clinic In a new Mayo Clinic study, researchers examined the physical act of reading to see if practicing eye movements in school could lead to better early reading ...

Now collaborating with Raising Achievement to promote visual interventions to schools around NZ.

Jenny Tebbutt - Raising Achievement SENCO Courses 2016 Email Jenny - [email protected] In 2016 Jenny will be launching her new SENCO development course. Click here for more info: www.raisingachievement.co.nz Th...

A major focus for Dyslexia Advocacy Week is that students with dyslexia learn differently than students without dyslexia. If these differences can be recognized and catered for, many students with dyslexia can do very well. Such differences can even be an advantage when it comes to solving problems since dyslexics are well known for thinking outside of the square. Read More...

http://helpingdyslexia.com/dyslexia-not-just-a-learning-difference/

This week is Dyslexia Advocacy Week in NZ. Dyslexia is defined as a developmental reading disorder which is characterized by difficulty with learning to read fluently and with accurate comprehension despite normal intelligence. There is also a growing awareness of other factors that can affect dyslexics which do not depend on language at all – in particular problems with their visual, auditory and motor skills. Read More...

http://helpingdyslexia.com/dyslexia-more-than-a-language-problem/

The iCept Testing & iCept Training software has recently been updated! Emailing a report has been made easier and the training modules have more options.