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Eggleston RL, Marks RA, Sun X, Yu CL, Zhang K, Nickerson N, Hu X, Caruso V, Kovelman I. Lexical Morphology as a Source of Risk and Resilience for Learning to Read With Dyslexia: An fNIRS Investigation. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2024:1-14. [PMID: 38924392 DOI: 10.1044/2024_jslhr-23-00293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/28/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE We examined the neurocognitive bases of lexical morphology in children of varied reading abilities to understand the role of meaning-based skills in learning to read with dyslexia. METHOD Children completed auditory morphological and phonological awareness tasks during functional near-infrared spectroscopy neuroimaging. We first examined the relation between lexical morphology and phonological processes in typically developing readers (Study 1, N = 66, Mage = 8.39), followed by a more focal inquiry into lexical morphology processes in dyslexia (Study 2, N = 50, Mage = 8.62). RESULTS Typical readers exhibited stronger engagement of language neurocircuitry during the morphology task relative to the phonology task, suggesting that morphological analyses involve synthesizing multiple components of sublexical processing. This effect was stronger for more analytically complex derivational affixes (like + ly) than more semantically transparent free base morphemes (snow + man). In contrast, children with dyslexia exhibited stronger activation during the free base condition relative to derivational affix condition. Taken together, the findings suggest that although children with dyslexia may struggle with derivational morphology, they may also use free base morphemes' semantic information to boost word recognition. CONCLUSION This study informs literacy theories by identifying an interaction between reading ability, word structure, and how the developing brain learns to recognize words in speech and print. SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.25944949.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Rebecca A Marks
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
| | - Xin Sun
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Chi-Lin Yu
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
| | - Kehui Zhang
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
- Division of Arts and Sciences, New York University Shanghai, Shanghai, China
| | - Nia Nickerson
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
| | - Xiaosu Hu
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
| | - Valeria Caruso
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
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Ardanouy E, Zesiger P, Delage H. Derivational Morphology Training in French-Speaking, 9- to 14- Year-Old Children and Adolescents With Developmental Dyslexia: Does it Improve Morphological Awaraness, Reading and Spelling Outcome Measures? JOURNAL OF LEARNING DISABILITIES 2024:222194231223526. [PMID: 38321972 DOI: 10.1177/00222194231223526] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2024]
Abstract
Children with developmental dyslexia (DD) display partially preserved morphology skills which they rely upon for reading and spelling. Therefore, we conducted explicit and intensive training of derivational morphology in individuals with DD, ages 9 to 14 years, in order to assess its effect on: morphological awareness, reading (speed and accuracy), and spelling. Our pre-posttest design included a group trained in derivational morphology and a group of children who continued their business-as-usual rehabilitation program with their speech-language therapist. Results showed effects on morphological awareness and on the spelling of complex words, with a large between-group effect size for trained items and a large to moderate effect size for untrained items. All these gains tended to be maintained over time on the delayed posttest, 2 months later. For reading, the results were more contrasted, with large between-group effect sizes for accuracy and speed for trained items, reducing to a small effect for accuracy on the delayed posttest. For untrained items, small effects were observed on accuracy (at both posttests) but not on speed. These results are very promising and argue in favor of using derivational morphology as a medium to improve literacy skills in French-speaking children and adolescents with DD.
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Marks RA, Eggleston RL, Sun X, Yu CL, Zhang K, Nickerson N, Hu XS, Kovelman I. The neurocognitive basis of morphological processing in typical and impaired readers. ANNALS OF DYSLEXIA 2022; 72:361-383. [PMID: 34255265 PMCID: PMC9663212 DOI: 10.1007/s11881-021-00239-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2021] [Accepted: 06/21/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Morphological awareness, or sensitivity to units of meaning, is an essential component of reading comprehension development. Current neurobiological models of reading and dyslexia have largely been built upon phonological processing models, yet reading for meaning is as essential as reading for sound. To fill this gap, the present study explores the relation between children's neural organization for morphological awareness and successful reading comprehension in typically developing and impaired readers. English-speaking children ages 6-11 (N = 97; mean age = 8.6 years, 25% reading impaired) completed standard literacy assessments as well as an auditory morphological awareness task during functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) neuroimaging, which included root (e.g., PERSON + al) and derivational (e.g., quick + LY) morphology. Regression analyses revealed that children's morphological awareness predicted unique variance in reading comprehension above and beyond demographic factors, vocabulary knowledge, and decoding ability. Neuroimaging analyses further revealed that children with stronger reading comprehension showed greater engagement of brain regions associated with integrating sound and meaning, including left inferior frontal, middle temporal, and inferior parietal regions. This effect was especially notable for the derivational morphology condition that involved manipulating more analytically demanding and semantically abstract units (e.g., un-, -ly, -ion). Together, these findings suggest that successful reading comprehension, and its deficit in dyslexia, may be related to the ability to manipulate morpho-phonological units of word meaning and structure. These results inform theoretical perspectives on literacy and children's neural architecture for learning to read.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca A Marks
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA.
| | - Rachel L Eggleston
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Xin Sun
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Chi-Lin Yu
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Kehui Zhang
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Nia Nickerson
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Xiao-Su Hu
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
- Department of Biologic and Materials Sciences & Prosthodontics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Ioulia Kovelman
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
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Godin MP, Berthiaume R, Daigle D. The "Sound of Silence": Sensitivity to Silent Letters in Children With and Without Developmental Language Disorder. Lang Speech Hear Serv Sch 2021; 52:1007-1019. [PMID: 34185580 DOI: 10.1044/2021_lshss-21-00004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose Children with developmental language disorder (DLD) demonstrate general spelling difficulties. This study investigated accuracy on and sensitivity to silent letters in spelling in children with and without DLD. Investigating silent-letter production provides a window into orthographic and morphological knowledge and enhances understanding of children's spelling skills. Method A group of children with DLD (M age = 9;11 [years;months]) and two control groups of typically developing children (n = 30 in each group) were given a dictated spelling task of 44 words that each contained a derivational or a nonderivational silent letter. We coded the silent letter in each word and counted 1 point for each correctly spelled letter in order to examine accuracy on silent letters. Two error patterns were distinguished to analyze sensitivity to silent letters: silent-letter substitutions and silent-letter omissions. Results Repeated-measures ANOVA showed that children with DLD produced significantly more errors on silent letters than did both control groups. Both control groups showed a greater sensitivity to silent-letter endings, as they tended to substitute incorrect silent letters where they made errors. In contrast, children with DLD tended to omit silent letters in their spelling attempts. Conclusions Our results suggest that silent-letter production is a major source of difficulty for spellers, especially for those with DLD, who appear to lack sensitivity to silent letters. These results highlight the importance of promoting spelling instruction to enhance orthographic knowledge in children with DLD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie-Pier Godin
- Department of Didactics, Faculty of Education, Université de Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Rachel Berthiaume
- Department of Didactics, Faculty of Education, Université de Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Daniel Daigle
- Department of Didactics, Faculty of Education, Université de Montréal, Québec, Canada
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Borleffs E, Maassen BAM, Lyytinen H, Zwarts F. Cracking the Code: The Impact of Orthographic Transparency and Morphological-Syllabic Complexity on Reading and Developmental Dyslexia. Front Psychol 2019; 9:2534. [PMID: 30662416 PMCID: PMC6328448 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2017] [Accepted: 11/27/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Reading is an essential skill in modern societies, yet not all learners necessarily become proficient readers. Theoretical concepts (e.g., the orthographic depth hypothesis; the grain size theory) as well as empirical evidence suggest that certain orthographies are easier to learn than others. The present paper reviews the literature on orthographic transparency, morphological complexity, and syllabic complexity of alphabetic languages. These notions are elaborated to show that differences in reading acquisition reflect fundamental differences in the nature of the phonological recoding and reading strategies developing in response to the specific orthography to be learned. The present paper provides a narrative, cross-linguistic and integrated literature review, thereby contributing to the development of universal reading models and at the same time pointing out the important differences between orthographies at the more detailed level. Our review also yields suggestions to devise language-specific instruction and interventions for the development of the specific reading strategies required by the characteristics of the orthography being acquired.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabeth Borleffs
- Center for Language and Cognition Groningen, School of Behavioural and Cognitive Neurosciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Ben A M Maassen
- Center for Language and Cognition Groningen, School of Behavioural and Cognitive Neurosciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Heikki Lyytinen
- Department of Psychology, Agora Center, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland.,Niilo Mäki Institute, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Frans Zwarts
- Center for Language and Cognition Groningen, School of Behavioural and Cognitive Neurosciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
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