New brain findings on dyslexic children

[n2doc]

November 11, 2009
The vast majority of school-aged children can focus on the voice of a teacher amid the cacophony of the typical classroom thanks to a brain that automatically focuses on relevant, predictable and repeating auditory information, according to new research from Northwestern University.

But for children with developmental dyslexia, the teacher's voice may get lost in the background noise of banging lockers, whispering children, playground screams and scraping chairs, the researchers say. Their study appears in the Nov. 12 issue of Neuron.

Recent scientific studies suggest that children with developmental dyslexia -- a neurological disorder affecting reading and spelling skills in 5 to 10 percent of school aged children -- have difficulties separating relevant auditory information from competing noise.

The research from Northwestern University's Auditory Neuroscience Laboratory not only confirms those findings but presents biological evidence that children who report problems hearing speech in noise also suffer from a measurable neural impairment that adversely affects their ability to make use of regularities in the sound environment.

"The ability to sharpen or fine-tune repeating elements is crucial to hearing speech in noise because it allows for superior 'tagging' of voice pitch, an important cue in picking out a particular voice within background noise," said Nina Kraus, Hugh Knowles Professor of Communication Sciences and Neurobiology and director of the Auditory Neuroscience Laboratory.

more:
http://www.physorg.com/news177165357.html

[HuckleB]

1. K & R.

Good stuff.

[Raschel]

2. I knew it! I have often told people I have 'auditory dyslexia'!

[juno jones]

3. dupe n/t

[juno jones]

4. Interesting.

I have always had what seemed to be a deafness when people are speaking in a certain tone, especially in the prescence of background noise. The Charlie Brown "waaawaa" teachers were maddening because I simply could not understand what they were saying, their volume and pitch weren't discernable above the ambient noise, at least to my brain.

Thanks. Another interesting possibility to file away.

[mzmolly]

5. I wonder how many LD's' are actually linked to sensory issues?

:shrug: Seems smaller class room size and quieter environments may be helpful in this case?