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Pérez-Navarro J, Klimovich-Gray A, Lizarazu M, Piazza G, Molinaro N, Lallier M. Early language experience modulates the tradeoff between acoustic-temporal and lexico-semantic cortical tracking of speech. iScience 2024; 27:110247. [PMID: 39006483 PMCID: PMC11246002 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.110247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2023] [Revised: 03/14/2024] [Accepted: 06/07/2024] [Indexed: 07/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Cortical tracking of speech is relevant for the development of speech perception skills. However, no study to date has explored whether and how cortical tracking of speech is shaped by accumulated language experience, the central question of this study. In 35 bilingual children (6-year-old) with considerably bigger experience in one language, we collected electroencephalography data while they listened to continuous speech in their two languages. Cortical tracking of speech was assessed at acoustic-temporal and lexico-semantic levels. Children showed more robust acoustic-temporal tracking in the least experienced language, and more sensitive cortical tracking of semantic information in the most experienced language. Additionally, and only for the most experienced language, acoustic-temporal tracking was specifically linked to phonological abilities, and lexico-semantic tracking to vocabulary knowledge. Our results indicate that accumulated linguistic experience is a relevant maturational factor for the cortical tracking of speech at different levels during early language acquisition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jose Pérez-Navarro
- Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language (BCBL), 20009 Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain
| | | | - Mikel Lizarazu
- Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language (BCBL), 20009 Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain
| | - Giorgio Piazza
- Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language (BCBL), 20009 Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain
| | - Nicola Molinaro
- Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language (BCBL), 20009 Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain
- Ikerbasque, Basque Foundation for Science, 48009 Bilbao, Spain
| | - Marie Lallier
- Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language (BCBL), 20009 Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain
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Maïonchi-Pino N, Runge É, Chabanal D. Phonological syllables allow children with developmental dyslexia to access words. ANNALS OF DYSLEXIA 2024; 74:244-270. [PMID: 38366193 DOI: 10.1007/s11881-024-00302-1] [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: 06/09/2023] [Accepted: 01/21/2024] [Indexed: 02/18/2024]
Abstract
Learning to read is a middle-distance race for children worldwide. Most of them succeed in this acquisition with "normal" difficulties that ensue from the progressive (re)structuring of the phonological and orthographic systems. Evidence accumulated on reading difficulties in children with developmental dyslexia (DYS children, henceforth) shows a pervasive phonological deficit. However, the phonological deficit may not be due to degraded phonological representations but rather due to impaired access to them. This study focused on how and to what extent phonological syllables, which are essential reading units in French, were accessible to DYS children to segment and access words. We tested the assumption that DYS children did not strictly have pervasive degraded phonological representations but also have impaired access to phonological and orthographic representations. We administered a visually adapted word-spotting paradigm, engaging both sublexical processing and lexical access, with French native-speaking DYS children (N = 25; Mage in months = 121.6, SD = 3.0) compared with chronological age-matched peers (N = 25; Mage in months = 121.8, SD = 2.7; CA peers henceforth) and reading level-matched peers (N = 25; Mage in months = 94.0, SD = 4.6; RL peers henceforth). Although DYS children were slower and less accurate than CA and RL peers, we found that they used phonological syllables to access and segment words. However, they exhibit neither the classical inhibitory syllable frequency effect nor the lexical frequency effect, which is generally observed in typically developing children. Surprisingly, DYS children did not show strictly degraded phonological representations because they demonstrated phonological syllable-based segmentation abilities, particularly with high-frequency syllables. Their difficulties are rather interpreted in terms of impaired access to orthographic and phonological representations, which could be a direct effect of difficulties in generalizing and consolidating low-frequency syllables. We discuss these results regarding reading acquisition and the specificities of the French linguistic system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Norbert Maïonchi-Pino
- Université Clermont Auvergne, 34, Avenue Carnot, TSA 60401, 63001, Clermont-Ferrand, France.
- Laboratoire de Psychologie Sociale Et Cognitive (LAPSCO), CNRS UMR 6024, 17, Rue Paul Collomp, 63037, Clermont-Ferrand, France.
| | - Élise Runge
- Université Clermont Auvergne, 34, Avenue Carnot, TSA 60401, 63001, Clermont-Ferrand, France
- Laboratoire de Psychologie Sociale Et Cognitive (LAPSCO), CNRS UMR 6024, 17, Rue Paul Collomp, 63037, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Damien Chabanal
- Université Clermont Auvergne, 34, Avenue Carnot, TSA 60401, 63001, Clermont-Ferrand, France
- Laboratoire de Recherche Sur Le Langage (LRL), EA 999, Maison des Sciences de L'Homme, 4, Rue Ledru, 63000, Clermont-Ferrand, France
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Keshavarzi M, Di Liberto GM, Gabrielczyk F, Wilson A, Macfarlane A, Goswami U. Atypical speech production of multisyllabic words and phrases by children with developmental dyslexia. Dev Sci 2024; 27:e13428. [PMID: 37381667 DOI: 10.1111/desc.13428] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2022] [Revised: 05/20/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/30/2023]
Abstract
The prevalent "core phonological deficit" model of dyslexia proposes that the reading and spelling difficulties characterizing affected children stem from prior developmental difficulties in processing speech sound structure, for example, perceiving and identifying syllable stress patterns, syllables, rhymes and phonemes. Yet spoken word production appears normal. This suggests an unexpected disconnect between speech input and speech output processes. Here we investigated the output side of this disconnect from a speech rhythm perspective by measuring the speech amplitude envelope (AE) of multisyllabic spoken phrases. The speech AE contains crucial information regarding stress patterns, speech rate, tonal contrasts and intonational information. We created a novel computerized speech copying task in which participants copied aloud familiar spoken targets like "Aladdin." Seventy-five children with and without dyslexia were tested, some of whom were also receiving an oral intervention designed to enhance multi-syllabic processing. Similarity of the child's productions to the target AE was computed using correlation and mutual information metrics. Similarity of pitch contour, another acoustic cue to speech rhythm, was used for control analyses. Children with dyslexia were significantly worse at producing the multi-syllabic targets as indexed by both similarity metrics for computing the AE. However, children with dyslexia were not different from control children in producing pitch contours. Accordingly, the spoken production of multisyllabic phrases by children with dyslexia is atypical regarding the AE. Children with dyslexia may not appear to listeners to exhibit speech production difficulties because their pitch contours are intact. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: Speech production of syllable stress patterns is atypical in children with dyslexia. Children with dyslexia are significantly worse at producing the amplitude envelope of multi-syllabic targets compared to both age-matched and reading-level-matched control children. No group differences were found for pitch contour production between children with dyslexia and age-matched control children. It may be difficult to detect speech output problems in dyslexia as pitch contours are relatively accurate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahmoud Keshavarzi
- Centre for Neuroscience in Education, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Giovanni M Di Liberto
- School of Computer Science and Statistics, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Fiona Gabrielczyk
- Centre for Neuroscience in Education, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Angela Wilson
- Centre for Neuroscience in Education, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Annabel Macfarlane
- Centre for Neuroscience in Education, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Usha Goswami
- Centre for Neuroscience in Education, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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Aldakhil AF, Ebrahim MT, Gadelrab HF. Diagnostic survey of dyslexia and accompanying behavioral indicators in primary school students in Saudi Arabia. RESEARCH IN DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES 2023; 134:104424. [PMID: 36638672 DOI: 10.1016/j.ridd.2023.104424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2022] [Revised: 12/05/2022] [Accepted: 01/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although dyslexia is the most common learning disorder in children, it has not received adequate attention in Saudi Arabia. AIMS This study aimed at determining the prevalence of dyslexia among Saudi students in Grades 3-6, exploring associations between severity of dyslexia, its behavioral indicators, gender and grade, and the moderating role of grade in the relationship between severity and behavioral indicators. METHODS AND PROCEDURES The sample consisted of 2848 female students and 2647 male students in Zulfi governorate, Saudi Arabia. A survey-based mixed-methods design was chosen including a structured interview with teachers and three assessments using the Diagnostic Assessment Scale for Dyslexia, the Arabic Reading Test, and the Dyslexia Behavioral Indicators Scale. OUTCOMES AND RESULTS Dyslexia was assessed in 5.86 % of the total sample. It was twice as prevalent among male students as among female students (6.54 % and 3.83 %, respectively). The mean score for behavioral indicators of dyslexia was also significantly higher for male than for female students. The correlation between dyslexia severity and behavioral indicators score was high and significant, with grade level as a significant moderator. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS We found that, for children with dyslexia in Saudi Arabia, dyslexia was twice as prevalent among male students as among female students. Early dyslexia diagnosis and intervention services are suggested to reduce the risk for reading problems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali Fahad Aldakhil
- Department of Special Education, College of Education, Majmaah University, Majmaah 11952, Saudi Arabia.
| | - Mona Tawakkul Ebrahim
- Department of Educational Sciences, College of Education, Majmaah University, Majmaah 11952, Saudi Arabia.
| | - Hesham Fathy Gadelrab
- Department of Psychology, Kuwait University; Department of Educational Psychology, Mansoura University, Egypt
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Is learning a logographic script easier than reading an alphabetic script for German children with dyslexia? PLoS One 2023; 18:e0282200. [PMID: 36827407 PMCID: PMC9956901 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0282200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2021] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 02/26/2023] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Developmental dyslexia in alphabetic languages (DD) is characterized by a phonological deficit. Since logographic scripts rely predominantly on visual and morphological processing, reading performance in DD can be assumed to be less impaired when reading logographic scripts. METHODS 40 German-speaking children (18 with DD, 22 not reading-impaired-group C; 9-11 years) received Chinese lessons. Eye movements (EM) were recorded during naming single alphabetic words, pictures (confrontational) and Chinese characters to be named in German and Chinese. The main outcome variables were: Articulation latency, numbers and durations of fixations. Quality of life (QoL) was assessed by questionnaires. RESULTS While reading alphabetic words, articulation latencies and numbers of fixations were significantly higher for group DD than for group C (AL-DD = 1.13, AL-C = 0.84, p< .001; FN-DD = 3.50; FN-C = 2.00, p< .001). For naming pictures and Chinese characters in German and in Chinese, no significant group differences were found for any of the EM variables. The percentage of correct answers was high for German naming (DD = 86.67%, C = 95.24%; p = .015) and lower for Chinese naming in both groups, but significantly lower in group DD, especially for Chinese naming (DD = 56.67%, C: 83.77%; p = .003). QoL differed between groups from the children's perspective only at posttest. Parents of group DD perceived their children`s QoL to be lower compared with parents of group C at pre- and posttest. CONCLUSIONS Children with dyslexia performed as well as group C during naming Chinese characters in German and in Chinese regarding their EM variables, presumably because they processed Chinese characters by the visuo-spatial pathway with direct access to the semantic system. However, the significantly lower percentage of correct answers especially during Chinese naming showed that group DD had more difficulties naming Chinese characters than group C, which could be attributed to their phonological deficit, among other factors. TRIAL REGISTRATION German clinical trials register (DRKS00015697).
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Gibert C, Roger F, Icart E, Brugulat M, Bucci MP. A New Immersive Rehabilitation Therapy (MoveR) Improves More Than Classical Visual Training Visual Perceptual Skills in Dyslexic Children. Biomedicines 2022; 11:biomedicines11010021. [PMID: 36672529 PMCID: PMC9855666 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11010021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2022] [Revised: 12/15/2022] [Accepted: 12/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
In this study, we wonder how to compare the improvement in visual perceptual skills (by using the test of visual perceptual skills, TVPS) in children with dyslexia after two visual training types (a new immersive rehabilitation therapy called MoveR, and the classical vision therapy). Thirty-nine children with dyslexia were enrolled in the study. They were split into two groups (G1 and G2) matched in IQ (intelligence quotient), sex, and age. Children of the group G1 underwent to MoveR training while children of the group G2 underwent to visual training. TVPS scores of four subtests were assessed twice before and 6 months after the two different types of training (MoveR or visual). MoveR training is an immersive therapy to reinforce visual discrimination, visual attention, saccadic/vergence system and spatial orientation. Visual therapy is based by training different types of eyes movements (horizontal, vertical and oblique pursuits and saccades, convergence and divergence movements), reading task and some exercise for improving eyes-head coordination. Each training type lasted 30 min a day, five days a week, for two weeks. Before training, the TVPS scores of the four subtests measured were statistically similar for both groups of children with dyslexia (G1 and G2). After training, both group of children (G1 and G2) improved the TVPS score of the four subtests assessed; however, such improvement reached significance in G1 only. We conclude that MoveR training could be a more useful tool than classical visual training to improve visual perceptual abilities in dyslexic children. Follow up studies on a larger number of dyslexic children will be necessary in order to explore whether such improvement persists over time and its eventual implication in reading or other classroom's activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte Gibert
- Clinique de l’Europe, 73 Boulevard de l’Europe, 76100 Rouen, France
| | - Florent Roger
- Cabinet Orthoptie, 5 Rue Alfred Sisley, 17000 La Rochelle, France
| | - Emmanuel Icart
- Scale-1 Portal, 12 Avenue des Prés, 78180 Montigny le Bretonneux, France
| | - Marie Brugulat
- Scale-1 Portal, 12 Avenue des Prés, 78180 Montigny le Bretonneux, France
| | - Maria Pia Bucci
- MoDyCo, UMR 7114 CNRS, Paris Nanterre University, 92001 Nanterre, France
- Correspondence:
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Silva PB, Oliveira DG, Cardoso AD, Laurence PG, Boggio PS, Macedo EC. Event-related potential and lexical decision task in dyslexic adults: Lexical and lateralization effects. Front Psychol 2022; 13:852219. [PMID: 36438365 PMCID: PMC9682126 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.852219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Developmental dyslexia is a specific learning disorder that presents cognitive and neurobiological impairments related to different patterns of brain activation throughout development, continuing in adulthood. Lexical decision tasks, together with electroencephalography (EEG) measures that have great temporal precision, allow the capture of cognitive processes during the task, and can assist in the understanding of altered brain activation processes in adult dyslexics. High-density EEG allows the use of temporal analyses through event-related potentials (ERPs). The aim of this study was to compare and measure the pattern of ERPs in adults with developmental dyslexia and good readers, and to characterize and compare reading patterns between groups. Twenty university adults diagnosed with developmental dyslexia and 23 healthy adult readers paired with dyslexics participated in the study. The groups were assessed in tests of intelligence, phonological awareness, reading, and writing, as well as through the lexical decision test (LDT). During LDT, ERPs were recorded using a 128-channel EEG device. The ERPs P100 occipital, N170 occipito-temporal, N400 centro-parietal, and LPC centro-parietal were analyzed. The results showed a different cognitive profile between the groups in the reading, phonological awareness, and writing tests but not in the intelligence test. In addition, the brain activation pattern of the ERPs was different between the groups in terms of hemispheric lateralization, with higher amplitude of N170 in the dyslexia group in the right hemisphere and opposite pattern in the control group and specificities in relation to the items of the LDT, as the N400 were more negative in the Dyslexia group for words, while in the control group, this ERP was more pronounced in the pseudowords. These results are important for understanding different brain patterns in developmental dyslexia and can better guide future interventions according to the changes found in the profile.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Elizeu Coutinho Macedo
- Social and Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Developmental Disorders Program, Center for Health and Biological Sciences, Mackenzie Presbyterian University, São Paulo, Brazil
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Pérez-Navarro J, Lallier M, Clark C, Flanagan S, Goswami U. Local Temporal Regularities in Child-Directed Speech in Spanish. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2022; 65:3776-3788. [PMID: 36194778 DOI: 10.1044/2022_jslhr-22-00111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE The purpose of this study is to characterize the local (utterance-level) temporal regularities of child-directed speech (CDS) that might facilitate phonological development in Spanish, classically termed a syllable-timed language. METHOD Eighteen female adults addressed their 4-year-old children versus other adults spontaneously and also read aloud (CDS vs. adult-directed speech [ADS]). We compared CDS and ADS speech productions using a spectrotemporal model (Leong & Goswami, 2015), obtaining three temporal metrics: (a) distribution of modulation energy, (b) temporal regularity of stressed syllables, and (c) syllable rate. RESULTS CDS was characterized by (a) significantly greater modulation energy in the lower frequencies (0.5-4 Hz), (b) more regular rhythmic occurrence of stressed syllables, and (c) a slower syllable rate than ADS, across both spontaneous and read conditions. DISCUSSION CDS is characterized by a robust local temporal organization (i.e., within utterances) with amplitude modulation bands aligning with delta and theta electrophysiological frequency bands, respectively, showing greater phase synchronization than in ADS, facilitating parsing of stress units and syllables. These temporal regularities, together with the slower rate of production of CDS, might support the automatic extraction of phonological units in speech and hence support the phonological development of children. SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.21210893.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jose Pérez-Navarro
- BCBL, Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language, Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain
- University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain
| | - Marie Lallier
- BCBL, Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language, Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain
| | - Catherine Clark
- BCBL, Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language, Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain
- University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain
| | - Sheila Flanagan
- Centre for Neuroscience in Education, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Usha Goswami
- Centre for Neuroscience in Education, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
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Wang LC, Liu D, Kwan-Chen LLY, Chung KKH, Chen JK. Lower prosodic sensitivity in Chinese children with dyslexia and its impact on Chinese reading. DYSLEXIA (CHICHESTER, ENGLAND) 2022; 28:342-358. [PMID: 35789139 DOI: 10.1002/dys.1720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2021] [Revised: 05/17/2022] [Accepted: 06/14/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The current study aims to examine prosodic sensitivity in Chinese children with dyslexia and its relation to Chinese reading in children with and without dyslexia. A total of 172 Chinese children from third grade to sixth grade in Taiwanese primary schools were recruited. Thirty (14 male) children were identified as having dyslexia, and the remaining children (N = 142; 67 male) were typically developing children matched with those with dyslexia as carefully as possible with respect to school, grade, and gender. Our results indicated that group differences were found for all three types of prosodic sensitivity. Moderation analyses showed that group had no significant interaction with prosodic sensitivity in predicting Chinese reading, so the participants in the two groups were combined in the following analyses. The results of the stepwise regression analyses showed that only lexical tone awareness could significantly predict Chinese character reading after controlling for phonological awareness, while only intonation awareness could significantly predict reading comprehension after controlling for Chinese character reading. The results provide preliminary evidence on the issue of prosodic sensitivity in Chinese children with dyslexia and its role in Chinese reading, which might provide a novel approach to the teaching of Chinese languages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li-Chih Wang
- Department of Special Education, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
- Department of Special Education and Counselling, The Education University of Hong Kong, New Territories, Hong Kong
| | - Duo Liu
- Department of Special Education and Counselling, The Education University of Hong Kong, New Territories, Hong Kong
| | - Lorinda Li-Ying Kwan-Chen
- Department of Special Education and Counselling, The Education University of Hong Kong, New Territories, Hong Kong
| | - Kevin Kien-Hoa Chung
- Department of Early Childhood Education, The Education University of Hong Kong, New Territories, Hong Kong
| | - Ji-Kang Chen
- Department of Social Work, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong
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Goswami U. Language acquisition and speech rhythm patterns: an auditory neuroscience perspective. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2022; 9:211855. [PMID: 35911192 PMCID: PMC9326295 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.211855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2021] [Accepted: 07/04/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
All human infants acquire language, but their brains do not know which language/s to prepare for. This observation suggests that there are fundamental components of the speech signal that contribute to building a language system, and fundamental neural processing mechanisms that use these components, which are shared across languages. Equally, disorders of language acquisition are found across all languages, with the most prevalent being developmental language disorder (approx. 7% prevalence), where oral language comprehension and production is atypical, and developmental dyslexia (approx. 7% prevalence), where written language acquisition is atypical. Recent advances in auditory neuroscience, along with advances in modelling the speech signal from an amplitude modulation (AM, intensity or energy change) perspective, have increased our understanding of both language acquisition and these developmental disorders. Speech rhythm patterns turn out to be fundamental to both sensory and neural linguistic processing. The rhythmic routines typical of childcare in many cultures, the parental practice of singing lullabies to infants, and the ubiquitous presence of BabyTalk (infant-directed speech) all enhance the fundamental AM components that contribute to building a linguistic brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Usha Goswami
- Centre for Neuroscience in Education, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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11
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Sun C, Meng X, Du B, Zhang Y, Liu L, Dong Q, Georgiou GK, Nan Y. Behavioral and neural rhythm sensitivities predict phonological awareness and word reading development in Chinese. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2022; 230:105126. [PMID: 35487083 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2022.105126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2021] [Revised: 03/07/2022] [Accepted: 04/14/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The present study examined both the development of behavioral and electrophysiological rhythm processing and their contribution to phonological awareness and word reading in Chinese. We followed a sample of 47 Mandarin-speaking Chinese children from age 9 (Grade 3) to age 11 (Grade 5). Results showed first a significant improvement over time in behavioral beat perception and in P3as for small beat changes. Second, behavioral and neural beat sensitivities at age 9 predicted phonological awareness (phoneme deletion and tone identification) at age 11 and its development over the two-year span of the study. Neural beat sensitivities at age 9 also explained unique variance in reading accuracy (but not reading fluency) at age 11 and its two-year development. Taken together, these findings suggest that rhythm and Chinese reading-related skills are intricately related. Neural rhythm sensitivities could serve as predictive biomarkers for the development of phonological awareness and reading in Chinese school-age children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG, McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Xiangyun Meng
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG, McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Boqi Du
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG, McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Yuxuan Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG, McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Li Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG, McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
| | - Qi Dong
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG, McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - George K Georgiou
- Department of Educational Psychology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2G5, Canada
| | - Yun Nan
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG, McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
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Tuero E, Núñez JC, Vallejo G, Fernández MP, Añón FJ, Moreira T, Martins J, Rosário P. Short and Long-Term Effects on Academic Performance of a School-Based Training in Self-Regulation Learning: A Three-Level Experimental Study. Front Psychol 2022; 13:889201. [PMID: 35645884 PMCID: PMC9134005 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.889201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2022] [Accepted: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
An experimental study was designed to analyze the effect of school-based training in self-regulation learning strategies on academic performance (Mathematics, Sciences, Language, and English). Class-level variables (i.e., gender, the teacher's teaching experience, class size) were considered and the effects of the intervention were measured at the end of the intervention and 3 months later. A sample of 761 students from 3rd and 4th grades (356 in the control condition and 405 in the experimental condition), from 14 schools, participated in the study. Data were analyzed using three-level analysis with within-student measurements at level 1, between-students within-classes at level 2, and between-classes at level 3. Data showed a positive effect of the intervention on student performance, both at post-test (d = 0.25) and at follow-up (d = 0.33) considering the four school subjects together. However, the effect was significant just at follow-up when subjects were considered separately. Student performance was significantly related to the students' variables (i.e., gender, level of reading comprehension) and the context (teacher gender and class size). Finally, students' gender and level of reading comprehension, as well as the teacher's gender, were found to moderate the effect of the intervention on students' academic performance. Two conclusions were highlighted: first, data emphasize the importance of considering time while conducting intervention studies. Second, more teaching experience does not necessarily translate into improvements in the quality of students' instruction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellián Tuero
- Department of Psychology, University of Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain
| | | | | | | | | | - Tânia Moreira
- Department of Applied Psychology, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
| | - Joana Martins
- Department of Applied Psychology, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
| | - Pedro Rosário
- Department of Applied Psychology, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
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13
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Yin J, Guan CQ, Smolen ER, Geva E, Meng W. Does Early Exposure to Chinese-English Biliteracy Enhance Cognitive Skills? Front Psychol 2022; 13:852437. [PMID: 35548521 PMCID: PMC9083352 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.852437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2022] [Accepted: 04/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Clarifying the effects of biliteracy on cognitive development is important to understanding the role of cognitive development in L2 learning. A substantial body of research has shed light on the cognitive factors contributing to biliteracy development. Yet, not much is known about the effect of the degree of exposure to biliteracy on cognitive functions. To fill this research void, we measured three categories of biliteracy skills (language, reading, and cognitive-linguistic skills in both Chinese and English) jointly and investigated the effects of biliteracy skill performance in these three categories on cognitive skills (working memory and attentional control) in Chinese L1 children who were exposed to English as L2 beginning at age 3 ("early") or in grade 3 ("late"). In this cross-sectional study, 10 parallel Chinese and English language, reading, and cognitive-linguistic measures were administered to emerging Chinese-English bilingual children in grade 3 (n = 178) and grade 6 (n = 176). The results revealed that early exposure to Chinese-English biliteracy enhanced cognitive skills but with a cost of a slight delay in performance on Chinese L1 language skills in grade 3 (but not in grade 6). Importantly, the present findings suggest that, in addition to universal and developmental processes, the cumulative effect of early and sustained bi-scriptal exposure enhances working memory and attention in school children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Yin
- School of Languages and Communication Studies, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing, China
| | - Connie Qun Guan
- Beijing Language and Culture University, Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Elaine R. Smolen
- Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Esther Geva
- The Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Wanjin Meng
- Department of Moral, Psychology and Special Education, China National Institute of Education Sciences, Beijing, China
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14
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Jacewicz E, Arzbecker LJ, Fox RA. Perception of indexical cues in speech by children and adults with and without dyslexia: Regional dialect and gender identification. DYSLEXIA (CHICHESTER, ENGLAND) 2022; 28:60-78. [PMID: 34612551 DOI: 10.1002/dys.1702] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2020] [Revised: 05/07/2021] [Accepted: 09/20/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Auditory research in developmental dyslexia proposes that deficient auditory processing of speech underlies difficulties with reading and spelling. Focusing predominantly on phonological processing, studies have not yet addressed the role of the speaker-related (indexical) properties of speech that enable the formation of phonological representations. Here, we assess auditory processing of indexical characteristics cueing a speaker's regional dialect and gender to determine whether dyslexia constraints recognition of dialect features and voice gender. Adults and children aged 11-14 years with dyslexia and their age-matched controls responded to 360 unique sentences extracted from spontaneous conversations of 40 speakers. In addition to the original unprocessed speech, there were two focused filtered conditions (using lowpass filtering at 400 Hz and 8-channel noise vocoding) probing listeners' responses to segmental and prosodic cues. Compared with controls, both groups with dyslexia were significantly limited in their abilities to recognize dialect features from either set of cues. The results for gender suggest that their comparatively worse gender recognition in the noise-vocoded condition was possibly related to poor temporal resolution. We propose that the deficient processing of indexical cues by individuals with dyslexia originates in peripheral auditory processes, of which impaired processing of relevant temporal cues in amplitude envelope is a likely candidate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ewa Jacewicz
- Department of Speech and Hearing Science, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Lian J Arzbecker
- Department of Speech and Hearing Science, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Robert Allen Fox
- Department of Speech and Hearing Science, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
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15
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Jones C, Collin E, Kepinska O, Hancock R, Caballero J, Zekelman L, Vandermosten M, Hoeft F. Auditory Processing of Non-speech Stimuli by Children in Dual-Language Immersion Programs. Front Psychol 2021; 12:687651. [PMID: 34733197 PMCID: PMC8558524 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.687651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2021] [Accepted: 09/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Perception of low-level auditory cues such as frequency modulation (FM) and rise time (RT) is crucial for development of phonemic representations, segmentation of word boundaries, and attunement to prosodic patterns in language. While learning an additional language, children may develop an increased sensitivity to these cues to extract relevant information from multiple types of linguistic input. Performance on these auditory processing tasks such as FM and RT by children learning another language is, however, unknown. Here we examine 92 English-speaking 7-8-year-olds in the U.S. and their performance in FM and RT perceptual tasks at the end of their second year in Cantonese or Spanish dual-language immersion compared to children in general English education programs. Results demonstrate that children in immersion programs have greater sensitivity to FM, but not RT, controlling for various factors. The immersion program students were also observed to have better phonological awareness performance. However, individual differences in FM sensitivity were not associated with phonological awareness, a pattern typically observed in monolinguals. These preliminary findings suggest a possible impact of formal language immersion on low-level auditory processing. Additional research is warranted to understand causal relationships and ultimate impact on language skills in multilinguals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chloe Jones
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, United States.,Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States
| | - Elizabeth Collin
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, United States.,Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, United States
| | - Olga Kepinska
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, United States.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States.,Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.,Brain and Language Lab, Cognitive Science Hub, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.,Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.,Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Roeland Hancock
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, United States.,Brain Imaging Research Center, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, United States
| | - Jocelyn Caballero
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Leo Zekelman
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States.,Speech and Hearing Bioscience and Technology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Maaike Vandermosten
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States.,Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Fumiko Hoeft
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, United States.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States.,Departments of Mathematics, Neuroscience, Psychiatry, and Educational Psychology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, United States.,Haskins Laboratories, New Haven, CT, United States
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16
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Gibbon S, Attaheri A, Ní Choisdealbha Á, Rocha S, Brusini P, Mead N, Boutris P, Olawole-Scott H, Ahmed H, Flanagan S, Mandke K, Keshavarzi M, Goswami U. Machine learning accurately classifies neural responses to rhythmic speech vs. non-speech from 8-week-old infant EEG. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2021; 220:104968. [PMID: 34111684 PMCID: PMC8358977 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2021.104968] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2020] [Revised: 05/11/2021] [Accepted: 05/13/2021] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Currently there are no reliable means of identifying infants at-risk for later language disorders. Infant neural responses to rhythmic stimuli may offer a solution, as neural tracking of rhythm is atypical in children with developmental language disorders. However, infant brain recordings are noisy. As a first step to developing accurate neural biomarkers, we investigate whether infant brain responses to rhythmic stimuli can be classified reliably using EEG from 95 eight-week-old infants listening to natural stimuli (repeated syllables or drumbeats). Both Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) and Support Vector Machine (SVM) approaches were employed. Applied to one infant at a time, the CNN discriminated syllables from drumbeats with a mean AUC of 0.87, against two levels of noise. The SVM classified with AUC 0.95 and 0.86 respectively, showing reduced performance as noise increased. Our proof-of-concept modelling opens the way to the development of clinical biomarkers for language disorders related to rhythmic entrainment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel Gibbon
- Centre for Neuroscience in Education, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, UK.
| | - Adam Attaheri
- Centre for Neuroscience in Education, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, UK
| | - Áine Ní Choisdealbha
- Centre for Neuroscience in Education, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, UK
| | - Sinead Rocha
- Centre for Neuroscience in Education, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, UK
| | - Perrine Brusini
- Centre for Neuroscience in Education, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, UK
| | - Natasha Mead
- Centre for Neuroscience in Education, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, UK
| | - Panagiotis Boutris
- Centre for Neuroscience in Education, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, UK
| | - Helen Olawole-Scott
- Centre for Neuroscience in Education, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, UK
| | - Henna Ahmed
- Centre for Neuroscience in Education, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, UK
| | - Sheila Flanagan
- Centre for Neuroscience in Education, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, UK
| | - Kanad Mandke
- Centre for Neuroscience in Education, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, UK
| | - Mahmoud Keshavarzi
- Centre for Neuroscience in Education, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, UK; Department of Bioengineering and Centre for Neurotechnology, Imperial College London, UK
| | - Usha Goswami
- Centre for Neuroscience in Education, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, UK
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17
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Jakovljević T, Janković MM, Savić AM, Soldatović I, Čolić G, Jakulin TJ, Papa G, Ković V. The Relation between Physiological Parameters and Colour Modifications in Text Background and Overlay during Reading in Children with and without Dyslexia. Brain Sci 2021; 11:539. [PMID: 33922926 PMCID: PMC8146078 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11050539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2021] [Revised: 04/18/2021] [Accepted: 04/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Reading is one of the essential processes during the maturation of an individual. It is estimated that 5-10% of school-age children are affected by dyslexia, the reading disorder characterised by difficulties in the accuracy or fluency of word recognition. There are many studies which have reported that coloured overlays and background could improve the reading process, especially in children with reading disorders. As dyslexia has neurobiological origins, the aim of the present research was to understand the relationship between physiological parameters and colour modifications in the text and background during reading in children with and without dyslexia. We have measured differences in electroencephalography (EEG), heart rate variability (HRV), electrodermal activities (EDA) and eye movements of the 36 school-age (from 8 to 12 years old) children (18 with dyslexia and 18 of control group) during the reading task in 13 combinations of background and overlay colours. Our findings showed that the dyslexic children have longer reading duration, fixation count, fixation duration average, fixation duration total, and longer saccade count, saccade duration total, and saccade duration average while reading on white and coloured background/overlay. It was found that the turquoise background, turquoise overlay, and yellow background colours are beneficial for dyslexic readers, as they achieved the shortest time duration of the reading tasks when these colours were used. Additionally, dyslexic children have higher values of beta (15-40 Hz) and the broadband EEG (0.5-40 Hz) power while reading in one particular colour (purple), as well as increasing theta range power while reading with the purple overlay. We have observed no significant differences between HRV parameters on white colour, except for single colours (purple, turquoise overlay, and yellow overlay) where the control group showed higher values for mean HR, while dyslexic children scored higher with mean RR. Regarding EDA measure, we found systematically lower values in children with dyslexia in comparison to the control group. Based on the present results, we can conclude that both pastel and intense background/overlays are beneficial for reading of both groups and all sensor modalities could be used to better understand the neurophysiological origins in dyslexic children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamara Jakovljević
- Jožef Stefan International Postgraduate School, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Milica M. Janković
- School of Electrical Engineering, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia; (M.M.J.); (A.M.S.)
| | - Andrej M. Savić
- School of Electrical Engineering, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia; (M.M.J.); (A.M.S.)
| | - Ivan Soldatović
- Institute of Medical Statistics and Informatics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade,11000 Belgrade, Serbia;
| | | | - Tadeja Jere Jakulin
- Faculty of Tourism Studies, University of Primorska, 6320 Portorož, Slovenia;
| | - Gregor Papa
- Computer Systems Department, Jožef Stefan Institute, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia;
| | - Vanja Ković
- Laboratory for Neurocognition and Applied Cognition, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia;
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18
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Chung WL, Bidelman GM. Mandarin-speaking preschoolers' pitch discrimination, prosodic and phonological awareness, and their relation to receptive vocabulary and reading abilities. READING AND WRITING 2021; 34:337-353. [PMID: 34326571 PMCID: PMC8315586 DOI: 10.1007/s11145-020-10075-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Cross-linguistic studies have reported that prosodic pattern awareness (e.g., lexical stress and lexical tone) is more important to reading acquisition than phonological awareness. However, few longitudinal studies have been conducted to explore the relations between these variables. This study examined preschoolers' pitch discrimination, prosodic and phonological awareness, and their connection to receptive vocabulary in preschool and reading abilities in first grade. Findings reveal (1) children improve their pitch discrimination and prosodic awareness from preschool to fourth grade; (2) pitch interval discrimination (frequency separation between tones) contributes to receptive vocabulary whereas pitch contour discrimination (patterns of rising and falling pitch) predicts word reading; (3) phonological awareness accounts for more variability in receptive vocabulary than prosodic awareness; whereas the reverse was found for word reading and reading comprehension. Together, prosody and its acoustic cue (i.e., pitch) play a vital role in learning to read Mandarin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei-Lun Chung
- Department of Education, National Taipei University of Education, No. 134, Sec. 2, Heping E. Rd, Da-an District, Taipei 10671, Taiwan
- Center for Teacher Education and Career Service, National Taipei University of Education, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Gavin M. Bidelman
- School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Memphis, 4055 North Park Loop, Memphis, TN 38152, USA
- Institute for Intelligent Systems, University of Memphis, Memphis, USA
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center, Memphis, USA
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19
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Mittag M, Larson E, Clarke M, Taulu S, Kuhl PK. Auditory deficits in infants at risk for dyslexia during a linguistic sensitive period predict future language. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2021; 30:102578. [PMID: 33581583 PMCID: PMC7892990 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2021.102578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2020] [Revised: 01/05/2021] [Accepted: 01/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Developmental dyslexia, a specific difficulty in learning to read and spell, has a strong hereditary component, which makes it possible to examine infants for early predictors of the condition even prior to the emergence of detectable symptoms. Using magnetoencephalography (MEG), we found smaller and shorter neural responses to simple sounds in infants at risk for dyslexia at 6 as compared to 12 months of age, a pattern that was reversed in age-matched controls. The findings indicate atypical auditory processing in at-risk infants across the sensitive period for native-language phoneme learning. This pattern was robust and localized to the same cortical areas regardless of the modeling parameters/algorithms used to estimate the current distribution underlying the measured activity. Its localization to left temporal and left frontal brain regions indicates a potential impact of atypical auditory processing on early language learning and later language skills because language functions are typically lateralized to the left hemisphere. This interpretation is supported by our further finding that atypical auditory responses in at-risk infants consistently predicted syntactic processing between 18 and 30 months and word production at 18 and 21 months of age. These results suggest a possible early marker of risk for dyslexia in at-risk infants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Mittag
- Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, 1715 Columbia Road N, Portage Bay Building, Box 357988, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-7988, USA.
| | - Eric Larson
- Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, 1715 Columbia Road N, Portage Bay Building, Box 357988, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-7988, USA
| | - Maggie Clarke
- Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, 1715 Columbia Road N, Portage Bay Building, Box 357988, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-7988, USA
| | - Samu Taulu
- Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, 1715 Columbia Road N, Portage Bay Building, Box 357988, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-7988, USA; Department of Physics, 1715 Columbia Road N, Portage Bay Building, Box 357988, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-7988, USA
| | - Patricia K Kuhl
- Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, 1715 Columbia Road N, Portage Bay Building, Box 357988, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-7988, USA.
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20
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Campos HDOV, Alves LM, Pereira LA, Rothe-Neves R. Rise Time Perception, Phonological Processing, and Reading in Brazilian Portuguese-Speaking Schoolchildren. Folia Phoniatr Logop 2021; 73:513-526. [PMID: 33440371 DOI: 10.1159/000512850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2020] [Accepted: 11/05/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND/AIMS Studies of people with dyslexia have pointed to the ability to perceive the amplitude envelope rise time ("beat" perception) as a possible cause of phonological processing (PhP) difficulties in this population. However, there are very few studies about the relationships between such skills in the non-dyslexic school population. METHODS We investigated the influence of the beat perception ability on PhP and reading skills of 93 Brazilian Portuguese-speaking schoolchildren from the 3rd to the 5th year, with data on reading, phonological awareness (PhA), lexical access, phonological operational memory, and perception of amplitude envelope rise time. To verify the possible effects of age, gender, and school grade on the tasks in the study, we directly included these variables in the models. RESULTS Modeling structural equations showed that beat perception did not influence PhP or reading skills, but only the tasks of repetition of words and pseudowords. These tasks may be related because of the demand for phonological working memory necessary to perform the beat perception task rather than a possible connection between this and phonological abilities, as reported in the literature. CONCLUSION We suspect beat perception could be of relevance only for subjects with altered reading and/or a deficit in PhP. Further studies will indicate whether the rise time of the amplitude envelope is an essential acoustic clue only for those individuals whose PhA ability is not fully present.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Leandro Alves Pereira
- Biometrics and Statistics Study Group, Mathematics Faculty, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, Brazil
| | - Rui Rothe-Neves
- Phonetics Laboratory, Faculdade de Letras, UFMG, Belo Horizonte, Brazil,
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21
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Wang J, Wu KC, Mo J, Wong WL, Siu TSC, McBride C, Chung KKH, Wong PCM, Maurer U. Remediation of a phonological representation deficit in Chinese children with dyslexia: A comparison between metalinguistic training and working memory training. Dev Sci 2020; 24:e13065. [PMID: 33217109 DOI: 10.1111/desc.13065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2019] [Revised: 08/24/2020] [Accepted: 11/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
A form-preparation task in the language production field was adopted to examine output phonological representations in Chinese dyslexia and their susceptibility to training. Forty-one Chinese children with dyslexia (7-11 years old) and 36 chronological age controls completed this task. The controls demonstrated a marginally significant syllable facilitation effect (d = -0.13), indicating their use of syllable-sized phonological representations during speech production, while the group with dyslexia showed a significantly different pattern (d = 0.04), opposite to the direction of a facilitation effect. The children with dyslexia were then randomly assigned to either metalinguistic training (N = 22) or working memory training (N = 19). Only the metalinguistic training subgroup demonstrated a significant syllable facilitation effect afterward (metalinguistic: d = -0.13; working memory: d = -0.01). The results suggest the presence of a phonological representation deficit at the syllable level in Chinese dyslexia and its possible remediation by metalinguistic training. Such a phonological deficit in readers of a logographic script strongly supports the impaired phonological representation view of developmental dyslexia. A video abstract of this article can be viewed at https://youtu.be/zT2Be0xMkh0.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Wang
- Department of Psychology, The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong S.A.R., China
| | - Ka Chun Wu
- Department of Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong S.A.R., China
| | - Jianhong Mo
- Department of Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong S.A.R., China
| | - Wai Leung Wong
- Department of Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong S.A.R., China
| | - Tik Sze Carrey Siu
- Department of Early Childhood Education, The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong S.A.R., China
| | - Catherine McBride
- Department of Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong S.A.R., China.,Brain and Mind Institute, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong S.A.R., China
| | - Kevin Kien Hoa Chung
- Department of Early Childhood Education, The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong S.A.R., China
| | - Patrick C M Wong
- Brain and Mind Institute, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong S.A.R., China.,Department of Linguistics and Modern Languages, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong S.A.R., China
| | - Urs Maurer
- Department of Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong S.A.R., China.,Brain and Mind Institute, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong S.A.R., China
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22
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Feng X, Altarelli I, Monzalvo K, Ding G, Ramus F, Shu H, Dehaene S, Meng X, Dehaene-Lambertz G. A universal reading network and its modulation by writing system and reading ability in French and Chinese children. eLife 2020; 9:54591. [PMID: 33118931 PMCID: PMC7669264 DOI: 10.7554/elife.54591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2019] [Accepted: 10/26/2020] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Are the brain mechanisms of reading acquisition similar across writing systems? And do similar brain anomalies underlie reading difficulties in alphabetic and ideographic reading systems? In a cross-cultural paradigm, we measured the fMRI responses to words, faces, and houses in 96 Chinese and French 10-year-old children, half of whom were struggling with reading. We observed a reading circuit which was strikingly similar across languages and consisting of the left fusiform gyrus, superior temporal gyrus/sulcus, precentral and middle frontal gyri. Activations in some of these areas were modulated either by language or by reading ability, but without interaction between those factors. In various regions previously associated with dyslexia, reading difficulty affected activation similarly in Chinese and French readers, including the middle frontal gyrus, a region previously described as specifically altered in Chinese. Our analyses reveal a large degree of cross-cultural invariance in the neural correlates of reading acquisition and reading impairment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoxia Feng
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, CEA DRF/I2BM, INSERM, NeuroSpin Center, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France.,State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Irene Altarelli
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, CEA DRF/I2BM, INSERM, NeuroSpin Center, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France.,Université de Paris, LaPsyDÉ, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Karla Monzalvo
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, CEA DRF/I2BM, INSERM, NeuroSpin Center, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Guosheng Ding
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Franck Ramus
- Laboratoire de Sciences Cognitives et Psycholinguistique (ENS, CNRS, EHESS), Ecole Normale Supérieure, PSL Research University, Paris, France
| | - Hua Shu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Stanislas Dehaene
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, CEA DRF/I2BM, INSERM, NeuroSpin Center, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France.,Collège de France, Université PSL Paris Sciences Lettres, Paris, France
| | - Xiangzhi Meng
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, China.,PekingU-PolyU Center for Child Development and Learning, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Ghislaine Dehaene-Lambertz
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, CEA DRF/I2BM, INSERM, NeuroSpin Center, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
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23
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Pagliarini E, Scocchia L, Granocchio E, Sarti D, Stucchi N, Guasti MT. Timing anticipation in adults and children with Developmental Dyslexia: evidence of an inefficient mechanism. Sci Rep 2020; 10:17519. [PMID: 33060637 PMCID: PMC7562876 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-73435-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2020] [Accepted: 09/14/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Developmental Dyslexia (DD) is a learning disorder characterized by specific difficulties in learning to read accurately and fluently, which has been generally explained in terms of phonological deficits. Recent research has shown that individuals with DD experience timing difficulties in the domains of language, music perception and motor control, probably due to impaired rhythmic perception, suggesting that timing deficit might be a key underlying factor to explain such a variety of difficulties. The present work presents two experiments aimed at assessing the anticipatory ability on a given rhythm of 9-year old Italian children and Italian adults with and without DD. Both adults and children with DD displayed a greater timing error and were more variable than controls in high predictable stimuli. No difference between participants with and without DD was found in the control condition, in which the uncertain timing of the beat did not permit the extraction of regularities. These results suggest that both children and adults with DD are unable to exploit temporal regularities to efficiently anticipate the next sensory event whereas control participants easily are. By showing that the anticipatory timing system of individuals with Developmental Dyslexia appears affected, this study adds another piece of evidence to the multifaceted reality of Developmental Dyslexia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Pagliarini
- DiSLL Dipartimento di Studi Linguistici e Letterari, Università degli Studi di Padova, Via E. Vendramini, 13, 35137, Padua, Italy.
| | - Lisa Scocchia
- Department of Psychology, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, Piazza dell'Ateneo Nuovo, 1, 20126, Milan, Italy
| | - Elisa Granocchio
- Developmental Neurology Unit, Fondazione I.R.C.C.S. Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Via Giovanni Celoria, 11, 20133, Milan, Italy
| | - Daniela Sarti
- Developmental Neurology Unit, Fondazione I.R.C.C.S. Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Via Giovanni Celoria, 11, 20133, Milan, Italy
| | - Natale Stucchi
- Department of Psychology, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, Piazza dell'Ateneo Nuovo, 1, 20126, Milan, Italy
| | - Maria Teresa Guasti
- Department of Psychology, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, Piazza dell'Ateneo Nuovo, 1, 20126, Milan, Italy
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Goswami U, Huss M, Mead N, Fosker T. Auditory Sensory Processing and Phonological Development in High IQ and Exceptional Readers, Typically Developing Readers, and Children With Dyslexia: A Longitudinal Study. Child Dev 2020; 92:1083-1098. [PMID: 32851656 DOI: 10.1111/cdev.13459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Phonological difficulties characterize children with developmental dyslexia across languages, but whether impaired auditory processing underlies these phonological difficulties is debated. Here the causal question is addressed by exploring whether individual differences in sensory processing predict the development of phonological awareness in 86 English-speaking lower- and middle-class children aged 8 years in 2005 who had dyslexia, or were age-matched typically developing children, some with exceptional reading/high IQ. The predictive relations between auditory processing and phonological development are robust for this sample even when phonological awareness at Time 1 (the autoregressor) is controlled. High reading/IQ does not much impact these relations. The data suggest that basic sensory abilities are significant longitudinal predictors of growth in phonological awareness in children.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Tim Fosker
- University of Cambridge.,Queen's University
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Wang NYH, Chiang CH, Wang HLS, Tsao Y. Atypical Frequency Sweep Processing in Chinese Children With Reading Difficulties: Evidence From Magnetoencephalography. Front Psychol 2020; 11:1649. [PMID: 32849009 PMCID: PMC7431696 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2019] [Accepted: 06/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Chinese lexical tones determine word meaning and are crucial in reading development. Reduced tone awareness is widely reported in children with reading difficulties (RD). Lexical-tone processing requires sensitivity to frequency-modulated sound changes. The present study investigates whether reduced tone awareness in children with RD is reflected in basic auditory processing and the level at which the breakdown occurs. Magnetoencephalographic techniques and an oddball paradigm were used to elicit auditory-related neural responses. Five frequency sweep conditions were established to mirror the frequency fluctuation in Chinese lexical tones, including one standard (level) sweep and four deviant sweeps (fast-up, fast-down, slow-up, and slow-down). A total of 14 Chinese-speaking children aged 9–12 years with RD and 13 age-matched typically developing children were recruited. The participants completed a magnetoencephalographic data acquisition session, during which they watched a silent cartoon and the auditory stimuli were presented in a pseudorandomized order. The results revealed that the significant between-group difference was caused by differences in the level of auditory sensory processing, reflected by the P1m component elicited by the slow-up frequency sweep. This finding indicated that auditory sensory processing was affected by both the duration and the direction of a frequency sweep. Sensitivity to changes in duration and frequency is crucial for the processing of suprasegmental features. Therefore, this sensory deficit might be associated with difficulties discriminating two tones with an upward frequency contour in Chinese.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie Yu-Hsien Wang
- Department of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology, Asia University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Chun-Han Chiang
- Department of Special Education, National Pingtung University, Pingtung, Taiwan
| | | | - Yu Tsao
- Research Center for Information Technology Innovation, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
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Ijalba E, Bustos A, Romero S. Phonological-Orthographic Deficits in Developmental Dyslexia in Three Spanish-English Bilingual Students. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY 2020; 29:1133-1151. [PMID: 32750285 DOI: 10.1044/2020_ajslp-19-00175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Introduction The purpose of this study is to present three case studies of developmental dyslexia in dual-language learners (DLLs) and our assessment process. We identify how phonological and orthographic deficits influence reading outcomes. We review the literature on theoretical models of bilingualism and reading models of developmental dyslexia to guide the assessment process through a multicomponential approach. We point out differences in the manifestation of dyslexia in more and less transparent writing systems. We suggest that reading instruction in Spanish can afford benefits to English-Spanish DLLs with developmental dyslexia. Method The study included three participants, two in fifth grade (10.3-11.7 years) and one in college (18.7 years). The assessment battery included reading nonwords and sight words (Test of Word Reading Efficiency); reading accuracy, fluency, and comprehension (Gray Oral Reading Tests-Fourth Edition); phonological awareness subtests (Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing); and rapid automatized naming tests. A language and reading history interview was elicited from the mothers. In addition, we analyzed the participants' phonemic and word errors in reading. Results Our three participants showed core phonological deficits, with decreased performance in decoding nonwords and low accuracy in reading aloud. In spite of their reading and writing deficits, reading comprehension was within average levels for the three participants in this study. Conclusions We show the importance of assessing reading processes in students with a history of reading and writing problems. Our findings are based on three single case studies and are not generalizable. Our aim is to stimulate questions and research on dyslexia and the particular needs of DLLs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth Ijalba
- Department of Linguistics and Communication Disorders, Queens College, City University of New York, NY
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Auditory processing deficit in individuals with dyslexia: A meta-analysis of mismatch negativity. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 116:396-405. [PMID: 32610180 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.06.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2019] [Revised: 06/21/2020] [Accepted: 06/25/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Several previous studies have used mismatch negativity (MMN) to examine the auditory processing deficit in individuals with dyslexia. However, researchers have not clearly determined whether the deficit is general or specific and how it potentially changes with age. Meta-analysis was adopted to quantitatively identify the auditory processing deficit in individuals with dyslexia. By analysing 81 results within 25 publications that employed passive oddball paradigms to explore auditory processing in individuals with dyslexia, we identified that MMN impairment in auditory processing of speech was observed in children (Cohen's d = 0.296) and adults with dyslexia (Cohen's d = 0.486). Besides, adults with dyslexia showed atypical auditory processing of non-speech (Cohen's d = 0.409), which appeared to be related to the types of stimuli. Based on these findings, for individuals with dyslexia, the auditory processing deficit in speech will persist into adulthood, and the auditory processing deficit is general in adults with dyslexia. Because few studies used appropriate non-speech stimuli to examine the auditory processing in children with dyslexia, future studies should focus more on this area.
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Chiang CH, Hämäläinen J, Xu W, Wang HL. Neural Responses to Musical Rhythm in Chinese Children With Reading Difficulties. Front Psychol 2020; 11:1013. [PMID: 32581920 PMCID: PMC7291366 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2019] [Accepted: 04/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The perception of the musical rhythm has been suggested as one of the predicting factors for reading abilities. Several studies have demonstrated that children with reading difficulties (RD) show reduced neural sensitivity in musical rhythm perception. Despite this prior evidence, the association between music and reading in Chinese is still controversial. In the present study, we sought to answer the question of whether the musical rhythm perception of Chinese children with RD is intact or not, providing further clues on how reading and music might be interlinked across languages. Oddball paradigm was adapted for testing the difference of musical rhythm perception, including predictable and unpredictable omission, in elementary school children with RD and typically developing age-controlled children with magnetoencephalography (MEG). We used the cluster-based permutation tests to examine the statistical difference in neural responses. The event-related field (ERF) components, mismatch negativity (MMNm) and P3a(m), were elicited by the rhythmical patterns with omitted strong beats. Specifically, differential P3a(m) components were found smaller in children with RD when comparing the rhythmical patterns between predictable and unpredicted omission patterns. The results showed that brain responses to the omission in the strong beat of an unpredicted rhythmic pattern were significantly smaller in Chinese children with RD. This indicated that children with RD may be impaired in the auditory sensitivity of rhythmic beats. This also suggests that children with reading difficulties may have atypical neural representations of rhythm that could be one of the underlying factors in dysfluent reading development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chun-Han Chiang
- Department of Special Education, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Jarmo Hämäläinen
- Department of Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Weiyong Xu
- Department of Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Hsiao-Lan Wang
- Department of Special Education, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan
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Hashimoto T, Higuchi H, Uno A, Yokota S, Asano K, Taki Y, Kawashima R. Association Between Resting-State Functional Connectivity and Reading in Two Writing Systems in Japanese Children With and Without Developmental Dyslexia. Brain Connect 2020; 10:254-266. [PMID: 32567365 PMCID: PMC7465633 DOI: 10.1089/brain.2020.0759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction: Japanese is unique, as it features two distinct writing systems that share the same sound and meaning: syllabic Hiragana and logographic Kanji scripts. Acquired reading difficulties in Hiragana and Kanji have been examined in older patients with brain lesions. However, the precise mechanisms underlying deficits in developmental dyslexia (DD) remain unclear. Materials and Methods: The neural signatures of Japanese children with DD were examined by using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. We examined 22 dyslexic and 46 typically developing (TD) children, aged 7–14 years. Results: Reading performance in each writing system was correlated with neural connectivity in TD children. In contrast, in children with DD, weak associations between neural connectivity and reading performance were observed. In TD children, Hiragana-reading fluency was positively correlated with the left fusiform gyrus network. No significant correlations between Hiragana fluency and neural connectivity were observed in children with DD. Correspondingly, there were fewer correlations between Kanji accuracy and strength of reading-related connectivity in children with DD, whereas positive correlations with the bilateral fronto-parietal network and negative correlations with the left fusiform network were found in TD children. Discussion: These data suggest that positive and negative coupling with neural connectivity is associated with developing Japanese reading skills. Further, different neural connectivity correlations between Hiragana fluency and Kanji accuracy were detected in TD children but less in children with DD. Conclusion: The two writing systems may exert differential effects and deficits on reading in healthy children and in children with DD, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teruo Hashimoto
- Division of Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Hiroki Higuchi
- Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Akira Uno
- Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Susumu Yokota
- Faculty of Art and Science, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Kohei Asano
- Kokoro Research Center, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Yasuyuki Taki
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and Radiology, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Ryuta Kawashima
- Division of Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
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Gori M, Ober KM, Tinelli F, Coubard OA. Temporal representation impairment in developmental dyslexia for unisensory and multisensory stimuli. Dev Sci 2020; 23:e12977. [PMID: 32333455 PMCID: PMC7507191 DOI: 10.1111/desc.12977] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2018] [Revised: 12/16/2019] [Accepted: 12/24/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Dyslexia has been associated with a problem in visual-audio integration mechanisms. Here, we investigate for the first time the contribution of unisensory cues on multisensory audio and visual integration in 32 dyslexic children by modelling results using the Bayesian approach. Non-linguistic stimuli were used. Children performed a temporal task: they had to report whether the middle of three stimuli was closer in time to the first one or to the last one presented. Children with dyslexia, compared with typical children, exhibited poorer unimodal thresholds, requiring greater temporal distance between items for correct judgements, while multisensory thresholds were well predicted by the Bayesian model. This result suggests that the multisensory deficit in dyslexia is due to impaired audio and visual inputs rather than impaired multisensory processing per se. We also observed that poorer temporal skills correlated with lower reading skills in dyslexic children, suggesting that this temporal capability can be linked to reading abilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica Gori
- U-VIP Unit for Visually Impaired People, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genoa, Italy
| | - Kinga M Ober
- Faculty of Educational Studies, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan, Poland
| | - Francesca Tinelli
- Department of Developmental Neuroscience, Stella Maris Scientific Institute, Pisa, Italy
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31
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Parrila R, Dudley D, Song S, Georgiou GK. A meta-analysis of reading-level match dyslexia studies in consistent alphabetic orthographies. ANNALS OF DYSLEXIA 2020; 70:1-26. [PMID: 31664608 DOI: 10.1007/s11881-019-00187-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2018] [Accepted: 10/14/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
We provide a meta-analytic review of all group-comparison studies that used reading-level match design, were conducted in highly consistent European orthographies, included children with dyslexia younger than 13 years of age as participants, and included measures of one or more of the potential causes of dyslexia. We identified 21 studies meeting these criteria that examined one or more of phonological awareness, rapid naming, verbal short-term memory, or auditory temporal processing. A random effects model analysis showed first that the groups were matched imperfectly and they differed significantly in word reading measures not used for matching. Second, there were no significant differences between the individuals with dyslexia and their reading-level-matched controls in rapid naming, phonological memory, and auditory temporal processing. Finally, the analyses for phonological awareness showed a significant effect for comparisons that involved manipulating phonemes but not for tasks that involved manipulating syllables. The results are compatible with phonological deficit theories of dyslexia, but this conclusion is qualified by observed differences in reading skills and sample selection concerns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rauno Parrila
- Department of Educational Studies, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, 2109, Australia.
| | - Dean Dudley
- Department of Educational Studies, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, 2109, Australia
| | - Shuang Song
- College of Teacher Education, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - George K Georgiou
- Department of Educational Psychology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
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Huang Y, He M, Li A, Lin Y, Zhang X, Wu K. Personality, Behavior Characteristics, and Life Quality Impact of Children with Dyslexia. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2020; 17:ijerph17041415. [PMID: 32098297 PMCID: PMC7068303 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17041415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2020] [Revised: 02/19/2020] [Accepted: 02/19/2020] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Dyslexia is one of the most common neurobehavioral disorders. Children with dyslexia usually suffer from negative, behavior personality problems, and impacted life quality. We aimed to identify family environment factors for dyslexia, and to evaluate the personality, behavior characteristics and life quality of children with dyslexia. A total of 60 children diagnosed with dyslexia and 180 normal children that were aged 7-12 who speak Chinese were recruited from four primary schools in Shantou City, China. Self-designed questionnaire, children's edition of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ), Conners' Parent Rating Scale (CPRS), and Quality of Life scale for children and adolescents (QLSCA) were employed for investigation. Multiple logistic regressions show that antenatal training (OR = 0.36), higher household income, higher parents' educational levels, and parents engaging in white-collar jobs were negatively associated with dyslexia; while, family members also suffering from dyslexia (OR = 12.17), lower frequency of communication between parents and children, and worse parent-child relationship were positively associated with dyslexia. Children with dyslexia scored higher in psychoticism and neuroticism (p = 0.040, 0.008), but lower in extroversion and dissimulation than normal children (p = 0.025, 0.007) in the EPQ test. They tended to be more introversion (68.3% vs. 43.0%), psychoticism (25.0% vs. 13.3%), and neuroticism (46.7% vs. 18.8%) than the controls. In addition, children with dyslexia had higher scores in conduct problem, learning problem, hyperactivity, and Conners' index of hyperactivity (CIH) in CPRS test; and, lower scores of psychosocial function, physical and mental health, and satisfaction of living quality in QLSCA test (all p < 0.05). Several family environment and parenting factors were associated with children's dyslexia significantly. Children with dyslexia had the personality of psychoticism, neuroticism, introversion, and more behavioral problems. Dyslexia significantly impacted the children's quality of life. Our findings provide multiple perspectives for early intervention of dyslexia in children, particularly in family factors and the parenting environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanhong Huang
- Mental Health Center, Shantou University Medical College, North Taishan Road, Shantou 515065, China; (Y.H.); (Y.L.); (X.Z.)
| | - Meirong He
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou 515041, China; (M.H.); (A.L.)
| | - Anna Li
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou 515041, China; (M.H.); (A.L.)
| | - Yuhang Lin
- Mental Health Center, Shantou University Medical College, North Taishan Road, Shantou 515065, China; (Y.H.); (Y.L.); (X.Z.)
| | - Xuanzhi Zhang
- Mental Health Center, Shantou University Medical College, North Taishan Road, Shantou 515065, China; (Y.H.); (Y.L.); (X.Z.)
| | - Kusheng Wu
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou 515041, China; (M.H.); (A.L.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +86-754-8890-0445
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Fiveash A, Schön D, Canette LH, Morillon B, Bedoin N, Tillmann B. A stimulus-brain coupling analysis of regular and irregular rhythms in adults with dyslexia and controls. Brain Cogn 2020; 140:105531. [PMID: 31986324 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2020.105531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2020] [Accepted: 01/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
When listening to temporally regular rhythms, most people are able to extract the beat. Evidence suggests that the neural mechanism underlying this ability is the phase alignment of endogenous oscillations to the external stimulus, allowing for the prediction of upcoming events (i.e., dynamic attending). Relatedly, individuals with dyslexia may have deficits in the entrainment of neural oscillations to external stimuli, especially at low frequencies. The current experiment investigated rhythmic processing in adults with dyslexia and matched controls. Regular and irregular rhythms were presented to participants while electroencephalography was recorded. Regular rhythms contained the beat at 2 Hz; while acoustic energy was maximal at 4 Hz and 8 Hz. These stimuli allowed us to investigate whether the brain responds non-linearly to the beat-level of a rhythmic stimulus, and whether beat-based processing differs between dyslexic and control participants. Both groups showed enhanced stimulus-brain coherence for regular compared to irregular rhythms at the frequencies of interest, with an overrepresentation of the beat-level in the brain compared to the acoustic signal. In addition, we found evidence that controls extracted subtle temporal regularities from irregular stimuli, whereas dyslexics did not. Findings are discussed in relation to dynamic attending theory and rhythmic processing deficits in dyslexia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Fiveash
- Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, CRNL, INSERM, U1028, CNRS, UMR5292, Lyon F-69000, France; University of Lyon 1, Lyon F-69000, France.
| | - Daniele Schön
- Institut de Neurosciences des Systèmes, Aix-Marseille University, INSERM, Marseille, France
| | - Laure-Hélène Canette
- Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, CRNL, INSERM, U1028, CNRS, UMR5292, Lyon F-69000, France; University of Lyon 1, Lyon F-69000, France; University of Burgundy, LEAD, CNRS, UMR5022, Dijon, France
| | - Benjamin Morillon
- Institut de Neurosciences des Systèmes, Aix-Marseille University, INSERM, Marseille, France
| | - Nathalie Bedoin
- Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, CRNL, INSERM, U1028, CNRS, UMR5292, Lyon F-69000, France; University of Lyon 1, Lyon F-69000, France; University of Lyon 2, CNRS, UMR5596, Lyon, France
| | - Barbara Tillmann
- Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, CRNL, INSERM, U1028, CNRS, UMR5292, Lyon F-69000, France; University of Lyon 1, Lyon F-69000, France
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Suppanen E, Huotilainen M, Ylinen S. Rhythmic structure facilitates learning from auditory input in newborn infants. Infant Behav Dev 2019; 57:101346. [DOI: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2019.101346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2019] [Revised: 07/31/2019] [Accepted: 08/01/2019] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
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Gokula R, Sharma M, Cupples L, Valderrama JT. Comorbidity of Auditory Processing, Attention, and Memory in Children With Word Reading Difficulties. Front Psychol 2019; 10:2383. [PMID: 31695659 PMCID: PMC6817942 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2019] [Accepted: 10/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To document the auditory processing, visual attention, digit memory, phonological processing, and receptive language abilities of individual children with identified word reading difficulties. DESIGN Twenty-five children with word reading difficulties and 28 control children with good word reading skills participated. All children were aged between 8 and 11 years, with normal hearing sensitivity and typical non-verbal intelligence. Both groups of children completed a test battery designed to assess their auditory processing, visual attention, digit memory, phonological processing, and receptive language. RESULTS When compared to children who were good readers, children with word reading difficulties obtained significantly lower average scores on tests of auditory processing, including the frequency pattern test, gaps in noise, frequency discrimination, Dichotic Digit difference Test, and Listening in Spatialized Noise. The two groups did not differ on the discrimination measures of sinusoidal amplitude modulation or iterated rippled noise. The results from children with word reading difficulties showed that 5 children (20%) had comorbid deficits in auditory processing, visual attention, and backward digit memory; whereas 12 children (48%) had comorbid auditory processing and visual attention deficits only, and 2 children (8%) had comorbid deficits in auditory processing and digit memory; the remaining children had only auditory processing, visual attention, or digit memory deficits. CONCLUSION The current study highlights the general co-existence of auditory processing, memory, and visual attention deficits in children with word reading difficulties. It is also noteworthy, however, that only one fifth of the current cohort had deficits across all measured tasks. Hence, our results also show the significant individual variability inherent in children with word reading difficulties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rakshita Gokula
- Department of Linguistics, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- HEARing Cooperative Research Centre, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Mridula Sharma
- Department of Linguistics, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- HEARing Cooperative Research Centre, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Centre for Language Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Linda Cupples
- Department of Linguistics, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Centre for Language Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Joaquin T. Valderrama
- Department of Linguistics, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- HEARing Cooperative Research Centre, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- National Acoustic Laboratories, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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Liu S, Wang LC, Liu D. Auditory, Visual, and Cross-Modal Temporal Processing Skills Among Chinese Children With Developmental Dyslexia. JOURNAL OF LEARNING DISABILITIES 2019; 52:431-441. [PMID: 31313628 DOI: 10.1177/0022219419863766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The present study examined whether temporal processing (TP) is associated with reading of a non-alphabetic script, that is, Chinese. A total of 126 primary school-aged Chinese children from Taiwan (63 children with dyslexia) completed cross-modal, visual, and auditory temporal order judgment tasks and measures of Chinese reading and literacy-related skills. The results showed that typically developing children and children with dyslexia differed in all TP skills. Structural equation modeling indicated that cross-modal TP contributed independently to character recognition in the entire sample if the significant effects of phonological awareness, orthographic knowledge, and rapid automatized naming were considered. The multi-sample analysis showed that TP did not predict reading in the typical group after controlling for literacy-related skills, but visual and cross-modal TP skills independently contributed to reading in the group with dyslexia in addition to literacy-related skills. Finally, the path analysis indicated that in the typical group, separate TP skills affected reading through literacy-related skills, but visual and cross-modal TP skills had direct effects on character reading in the group with dyslexia. These findings suggest that TP is more important for reading in children with dyslexia than in typically developing children, and the roles of TP in dyslexia require further examination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sisi Liu
- The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Li-Chih Wang
- The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Duo Liu
- The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
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Caccia M, Presti G, Toraldo A, Radaelli A, Ludovico LA, Ogliari A, Lorusso ML. Pitch as the Main Determiner of Italian Lexical Stress Perception Across the Lifespan: Evidence From Typical Development and Dyslexia. Front Psychol 2019; 10:1458. [PMID: 31316427 PMCID: PMC6611421 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2018] [Accepted: 06/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
The study deals with the issue of lexical stress perception in both a developmental (comparing children and adults with typical development) and a clinical perspective (comparing typically developing children and children with dyslexia). The three parameters characterizing the acoustic profiles of words and non-words in a certain language are duration, pitch and intensity of its syllables. Based on (sparse) previous literature on Italian and other European languages, it was expected that syllable duration would be the parameter predominantly determining the perception of stress position. It was furthermore anticipated that children with dyslexia may be found to have an altered perception of lexical stress, due to their impairments in auditory processing of either pitch, duration or (more controversial) intensity. Systematic manipulation of the pitch, duration and intensity profiles of three Italian trisyllabic non-words produced a series of 81 stimuli, that were judged with respect to stress position (perceived on the ultimate, penultimate, or antepenultimate syllable) by the three groups of participants. The results showed, contrarily to expectations, that the pitch component is the most reliable acoustic cue in stress perception for both adults, in whom this dominance is very strong, and typically developing children, who showed a similar but quantitatively less marked pattern. As to children with dyslexia, they did not seem to rely on any parameter for their judgments, and rather gave random responses, which point to a general inability to process the various acoustic modulations that normally contribute to stress perception. Performance on the stress perception task strongly correlates with language (morphosyntactic) measures in the whole sample of children, and with reading abilities in the group with dyslexia, confirming the strict relationship between the two sets of skills. These findings seem to support a language-specific approach, suggesting that the set of acoustic parameters required for the development of stress perception is language-dependent rather than universal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Caccia
- Center for Neurocognition, Epistemology and Theoretical Syntax, University School For Advanced Studies, Pavia, Italy
- Unit of Neuropsychology of Developmental Disorders, Department of Child Psychopathology, Scientific Institute IRCCS “E. Medea”, Bosisio Parini, Italy
| | - Giorgio Presti
- Laboratory of Music Informatics (LIM), Department of Computer Science, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Alessio Toraldo
- Department of Brain and Behavioural Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
- Milan Center for Neuroscience, Milan, Italy
| | - Anthea Radaelli
- Developmental Psychopathology Unit, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
| | - Luca Andrea Ludovico
- Laboratory of Music Informatics (LIM), Department of Computer Science, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Anna Ogliari
- Developmental Psychopathology Unit, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
| | - Maria Luisa Lorusso
- Unit of Neuropsychology of Developmental Disorders, Department of Child Psychopathology, Scientific Institute IRCCS “E. Medea”, Bosisio Parini, Italy
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38
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Goswami U. Speech rhythm and language acquisition: an amplitude modulation phase hierarchy perspective. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2019; 1453:67-78. [DOI: 10.1111/nyas.14137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2019] [Revised: 05/07/2019] [Accepted: 05/16/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Usha Goswami
- Centre for Neuroscience in Education, Department of PsychologyUniversity of Cambridge Cambridge UK
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Kalashnikova M, Goswami U, Burnham D. Delayed development of phonological constancy in toddlers at family risk for dyslexia. Infant Behav Dev 2019; 57:101327. [PMID: 31207365 DOI: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2019.101327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2018] [Revised: 04/26/2019] [Accepted: 04/27/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Phonological constancy refers to infants' ability to disregard variations in the phonetic realisation of speech sounds that do not indicate lexical contrast, e.g., when listening to accented speech. In typically-developing infants, this ability develops between 15- and 19-months of age, coinciding with the consolidation of infants' native phonological competence and vocabulary growth. Here we investigated the developmental time course of phonological constancy in infants at family risk for developmental dyslexia, using a longitudinal design. Developmental dyslexia is a disorder affecting the acquisition of reading and spelling skills, and it also affects early auditory processing, speech perception, and lexical acquisition. Infants at-risk and not at-risk for dyslexia, based on a family history of dyslexia, participated when they were 15-, 19-, and 26-months of age. Phonological constancy was indexed by comparing at-risk and not at-risk infants' ability to recognise familiar words in two preferential looking tasks: (1) a task using words presented in their native accent, and (2) a task using words presented in a non-native accent. We expected a delay in phonological constancy for the at-risk infants. As predicted, in the non-native accent task, not at-risk infants recognised familiar words by 19 months, but at-risk infants did not. The control infants thus exhibited phonological constancy. By 26 months, at-risk toddlers did show successful word recognition in the native accent task. However, for the non-native accent task at 26 months, neither at-risk nor control infants showed familiar word recognition. These findings are discussed in terms of the impact of family risk for dyslexia on toddlers' consolidation of early phonological and lexical skills.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Kalashnikova
- BCBL. Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language, Donostia, Spain; The MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Development, Western Sydney University, Penrith, Australia.
| | - Usha Goswami
- Centre for Neuroscience in Education, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Denis Burnham
- The MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Development, Western Sydney University, Penrith, Australia
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Kalashnikova M, Goswami U, Burnham D. Sensitivity to amplitude envelope rise time in infancy and vocabulary development at 3 years: A significant relationship. Dev Sci 2019; 22:e12836. [PMID: 31004544 DOI: 10.1111/desc.12836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2018] [Revised: 03/17/2019] [Accepted: 04/13/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Here we report, for the first time, a relationship between sensitivity to amplitude envelope rise time in infants and their later vocabulary development. Recent research in auditory neuroscience has revealed that amplitude envelope rise time plays a mechanistic role in speech encoding. Accordingly, individual differences in infant discrimination of amplitude envelope rise times could be expected to relate to individual differences in language acquisition. A group of 50 infants taking part in a longitudinal study contributed rise time discrimination thresholds when aged 7 and 10 months, and their vocabulary development was measured at 3 years. Experimental measures of phonological sensitivity were also administered at 3 years. Linear mixed effect models taking rise time sensitivity as the dependent variable, and controlling for non-verbal IQ, showed significant predictive effects for vocabulary at 3 years, but not for the phonological sensitivity measures. The significant longitudinal relationship between amplitude envelope rise time discrimination and vocabulary development suggests that early rise time discrimination abilities have an impact on speech processing by infants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Kalashnikova
- BCBL, Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language, Donostia, Spain.,The MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Development, Western Sydney University, Penrith, Australia
| | - Usha Goswami
- Centre for Neuroscience in Education, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Denis Burnham
- The MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Development, Western Sydney University, Penrith, Australia
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Zhang L, Jiang W, Shu H, Zhang Y. Congenital blindness enhances perception of musical rhythm more than melody in Mandarin speakers. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2019; 145:EL354. [PMID: 31153300 DOI: 10.1121/1.5100899] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2019] [Accepted: 04/16/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
This study adopted the Musical Ear Test [Wallentin, Nielsen, Friis-Olivarius, Vuust, and Vuust (2010). Learn. Indiv. Diff. 20, 188-196] to compare musical competence of sighted and congenitally blind Mandarin speakers. On the rhythm subtest, the blind participants outperformed the sighted. On the melody subtest, however, the two groups performed equally well. Compared with sighted speakers of non-tonal languages reported in previous studies [Wallentin, Nielsen, Friis-Olivarius, Vuust, and Vuust (2010). Learn. Indiv. Diff. 20, 188-196; Bhatara, Yeung, and Nazzi (2015). J. Exp. Psychol. Hum. Percept. Perform. 41(2), 277-282], sighted Mandarin speakers performed better only on the melody subtest. These results indicate that tonal language experience and congenital blindness exert differential influences on musical aptitudes with rhythm perception reflecting a cross-modal compensation effect and melody perception dominated by a cross-domain language-to-music transfer effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linjun Zhang
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Language Resources and College of Chinese Studies, Beijing Language and Culture University, Beijing 100083, ,
| | - Wenling Jiang
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Language Resources and College of Chinese Studies, Beijing Language and Culture University, Beijing 100083, ,
| | - Hua Shu
- National Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875,
| | - Yang Zhang
- Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences and Center for Neurobehavioral Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455,
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Kachlicka M, Saito K, Tierney A. Successful second language learning is tied to robust domain-general auditory processing and stable neural representation of sound. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2019; 192:15-24. [PMID: 30831377 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2019.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2019] [Revised: 02/20/2019] [Accepted: 02/21/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
There is a great deal of individual variability in outcome in second language learning, the sources of which are still poorly understood. We hypothesized that individual differences in auditory processing may account for some variability in second language learning. We tested this hypothesis by examining psychoacoustic thresholds, auditory-motor temporal integration, and auditory neural encoding in adult native Polish speakers living in the UK. We found that precise English vowel perception and accurate English grammatical judgment were linked to lower psychoacoustic thresholds, better auditory-motor integration, and more consistent frequency-following responses to sound. Psychoacoustic thresholds and neural sound encoding explained independent variance in vowel perception, suggesting that they are dissociable indexes of sound processing. These results suggest that individual differences in second language acquisition success stem at least in part from domain-general difficulties with auditory perception, and that auditory training could help facilitate language learning in some individuals with specific auditory impairments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magdalena Kachlicka
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck, University of London, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HX, United Kingdom; Institute for Environmental Design and Engineering, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
| | - Kazuya Saito
- Institute of Education, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
| | - Adam Tierney
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck, University of London, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HX, United Kingdom.
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43
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Lee CY. Neural Underpinnings of Early Speech Perception and Emergent Literacy. Folia Phoniatr Logop 2019; 71:146-155. [PMID: 31018199 DOI: 10.1159/000497058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2018] [Accepted: 01/17/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Mismatch negativity (MMN) is an event-related potential component used to index automatic auditory change detection. Thus, MMN provides an excellent tool to assess the speech sensitivity of infants and children. Although MMN is well established in adults, the polarity and latency of mismatch responses (MMRs) in infants are highly inconsistent across studies. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive review of MMN studies of speech perception in early infancy. In particular, data from a series of MMN studies of Mandarin lexical tone, vowels, and initial consonants will be presented to demonstrate how phonological saliency, size of deviance, and neural maturation modulate MMRs in early infancy. These data suggest that MMN and positive MMRs index different functional characteristics and may provide information on when and how children's speech perception becomes automatic at different developmental stages. By using MMN to index sensitivity to speech discrimination, dyslexic children usually show reduced or absent MMN, which supports the relationship between phonological sensitivity and literacy. However, children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder showed the typical MMN, but attenuated P3a and enhanced late discriminative negativity. Taken together, the MMR characteristics, including amplitude, peak latency, and the transition of polarity, may be used to index the maturation of speech development and for the early identification of children with atypical language development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chia-Ying Lee
- Institute of Linguistics, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan, .,Institute of Neuroscience, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan, .,Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, National Central University, Taoyuan, Taiwan, .,Research Center for Mind, Brain and Learning, National Chengchi University, Taipei, Taiwan,
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44
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Wass M, Ching TYC, Cupples L, Wang HC, Lyxell B, Martin L, Button L, Gunnourie M, Boisvert I, McMahon C, Castles A. Orthographic Learning in Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing. Lang Speech Hear Serv Sch 2019; 50:99-112. [PMID: 30383206 DOI: 10.1044/2018_lshss-17-0146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose The purpose of the current study was to investigate the relationship between orthographic learning and language, reading, and cognitive skills in 9-year-old children who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) and to compare their performance to age-matched typically hearing (TH) controls. Method Eighteen children diagnosed with moderate-to-profound hearing loss who use hearing aids and/or cochlear implants participated. Their performance was compared with 35 age-matched controls with typical hearing. Orthographic learning was evaluated using a spelling task and a recognition task. The children were assessed on measures of reading ability, language, working memory, and paired-associate learning. Results On average, the DHH group performed more poorly than the TH controls on the spelling measure of orthographic learning, but not on the recognition measure. For both groups of children, there were significant correlations between orthographic learning and phonological decoding and between visual-verbal paired-associate learning and orthographic learning. Conclusions Although the children who are DHH had lower scores in the spelling test of orthographic learning than their TH peers, measures of their reading ability revealed that they acquired orthographic representations successfully. The results are consistent with the self-teaching hypothesis in suggesting that phonological decoding is important for orthographic learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Malin Wass
- Department of Business Administration, Technology and Social Sciences, Luleå University of Technology, Sweden
| | - Teresa Y C Ching
- National Acoustic Laboratories, Sydney, NSW, Australia.,The HEARing Cooperative Research Centre, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Linda Cupples
- Department of Linguistics, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Hua-Chen Wang
- Department of Cognitive Science, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia.,ARC Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Björn Lyxell
- Department of Behavioural Sciences and Learning, Linköping University, Sweden
| | - Louise Martin
- National Acoustic Laboratories, Sydney, NSW, Australia.,The HEARing Cooperative Research Centre, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Laura Button
- National Acoustic Laboratories, Sydney, NSW, Australia.,The HEARing Cooperative Research Centre, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Miriam Gunnourie
- National Acoustic Laboratories, Sydney, NSW, Australia.,The HEARing Cooperative Research Centre, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Isabelle Boisvert
- The HEARing Cooperative Research Centre, Sydney, NSW, Australia.,Centre for Implementation of Hearing Research, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Catherine McMahon
- Department of Linguistics, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia.,ARC Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Anne Castles
- Department of Cognitive Science, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia.,ARC Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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45
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Li H, Booth JR, Bélanger NN, Feng X, Tian M, Xie W, Zhang M, Gao Y, Ang C, Yang X, Liu L, Meng X, Ding G. Structural correlates of literacy difficulties in the second language: Evidence from Mandarin-speaking children learning English. Neuroimage 2018; 179:288-297. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.06.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2018] [Revised: 06/07/2018] [Accepted: 06/11/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
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46
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Early Influence of Musical Abilities and Working Memory on Speech Imitation Abilities: Study with Pre-School Children. Brain Sci 2018; 8:brainsci8090169. [PMID: 30200479 PMCID: PMC6162612 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci8090169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2018] [Revised: 08/27/2018] [Accepted: 08/29/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Musical aptitude and language talent are highly intertwined when it comes to phonetic language ability. Research on pre-school children’s musical abilities and foreign language abilities are rare but give further insights into the relationship between language and musical aptitude. We tested pre-school children’s abilities to imitate unknown languages, to remember strings of digits, to sing, to discriminate musical statements and their intrinsic (spontaneous) singing behavior (“singing-lovers versus singing nerds”). The findings revealed that having an ear for music is linked to phonetic language abilities. The results of this investigation show that a working memory capacity and phonetic aptitude are linked to high musical perception and production ability already at around the age of 5. This suggests that music and (foreign) language learning capacity may be linked from childhood on. Furthermore, the findings put emphasis on the possibility that early developed abilities may be responsible for individual differences in both linguistic and musical performances.
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47
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Cheng D, Xiao Q, Chen Q, Cui J, Zhou X. Dyslexia and dyscalculia are characterized by common visual perception deficits. Dev Neuropsychol 2018; 43:497-507. [PMID: 29975105 DOI: 10.1080/87565641.2018.1481068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
A number of studies have investigated the cognitive deficits underlying dyslexia and dyscalculia. Yet, it remains unclear as to whether dyslexia and dyscalculia are associated with the common visual perception deficits. The current investigation analyzed cognitive performance in children with dyslexia, dyscalculia, comorbidity, and typically developing subjects. The results showed that children with dyslexia, dyscalculia and comorbidity exhibited common deficits in numerosity processing and visual perception. Furthermore, visual perception deficits accounted for deficits in numerosity processing in all three groups. The results suggest that visual perception deficits are a common cognitive deficit underlying both developmental dyslexia and dyscalculia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dazhi Cheng
- a State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, School of Brain and Cognitive Sciences , Beijing Normal University , Beijing , China.,b Advanced Innovation Center for Future Education , Beijing Normal University , Beijing , China.,c Department of Pediatric Neurology , Capital Institute of Pediatrics , Beijing , China.,d Siegler Center for Innovative Learning , Beijing Normal University , Beijing , China
| | - Qing Xiao
- e Department of specialty , Beijing Chinese Language and Culture College , Beijing , China
| | - Qian Chen
- c Department of Pediatric Neurology , Capital Institute of Pediatrics , Beijing , China
| | - Jiaxin Cui
- a State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, School of Brain and Cognitive Sciences , Beijing Normal University , Beijing , China.,b Advanced Innovation Center for Future Education , Beijing Normal University , Beijing , China.,d Siegler Center for Innovative Learning , Beijing Normal University , Beijing , China
| | - Xinlin Zhou
- a State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, School of Brain and Cognitive Sciences , Beijing Normal University , Beijing , China.,b Advanced Innovation Center for Future Education , Beijing Normal University , Beijing , China.,d Siegler Center for Innovative Learning , Beijing Normal University , Beijing , China
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48
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Daikoku T. Neurophysiological Markers of Statistical Learning in Music and Language: Hierarchy, Entropy, and Uncertainty. Brain Sci 2018; 8:E114. [PMID: 29921829 PMCID: PMC6025354 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci8060114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2018] [Revised: 06/14/2018] [Accepted: 06/18/2018] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Statistical learning (SL) is a method of learning based on the transitional probabilities embedded in sequential phenomena such as music and language. It has been considered an implicit and domain-general mechanism that is innate in the human brain and that functions independently of intention to learn and awareness of what has been learned. SL is an interdisciplinary notion that incorporates information technology, artificial intelligence, musicology, and linguistics, as well as psychology and neuroscience. A body of recent study has suggested that SL can be reflected in neurophysiological responses based on the framework of information theory. This paper reviews a range of work on SL in adults and children that suggests overlapping and independent neural correlations in music and language, and that indicates disability of SL. Furthermore, this article discusses the relationships between the order of transitional probabilities (TPs) (i.e., hierarchy of local statistics) and entropy (i.e., global statistics) regarding SL strategies in human's brains; claims importance of information-theoretical approaches to understand domain-general, higher-order, and global SL covering both real-world music and language; and proposes promising approaches for the application of therapy and pedagogy from various perspectives of psychology, neuroscience, computational studies, musicology, and linguistics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatsuya Daikoku
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
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49
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Prevalence of Developmental Dyslexia in Spanish University Students. Brain Sci 2018; 8:brainsci8050082. [PMID: 29738440 PMCID: PMC5977073 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci8050082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2018] [Revised: 04/24/2018] [Accepted: 05/04/2018] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
A recent concern in the field of dyslexia studies is the lack of awareness and attention to university students suffering from this condition. If this problem is serious in countries where the relative opacity of the writing system allows for an early detection and, therefore, effective interventions, it is most critical in countries where transparent spelling makes such detection difficult, except in the most severe cases. In Spain, the diagnosis of dyslexia is rare among university-level adults. The present study pursues three aims: (a) to put forward a screening instrument for the detection of university students at risk of dyslexia, (b) to determine the ratio of university students that could be at risk of dyslexia by means of two different procedures, and (c) to create awareness for a disorder that causes hitherto unrecognized difficulties for an important subgroup of the college population. Six hundred and eighty-six university students in four different fields of study within the general area of Social Sciences from a public University in Madrid completed a Spanish-adapted version of a protocol including stress assignment, spelling words and nonwords, and timed phonological working memory of reading and writing task. Results showed that between 1.6% and 6.4% of this population could be at risk of suffering dyslexia. Such risk is not evenly distributed across the four fields of study. As for gender, the first criterion used yields 1.8 males at risk for every female, but the second criterion has as many males as females at risk. Women were significantly better than men in word spelling. Spelling was best predicted by the timed phonological working memory task of reading and writing.
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50
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Wang Y, Wang P, Yu Y. Decoding English Alphabet Letters Using EEG Phase Information. Front Neurosci 2018; 12:62. [PMID: 29467615 PMCID: PMC5808334 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2018.00062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2017] [Accepted: 01/25/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Increasing evidence indicates that the phase pattern and power of the low frequency oscillations of brain electroencephalograms (EEG) contain significant information during the human cognition of sensory signals such as auditory and visual stimuli. Here, we investigate whether and how the letters of the alphabet can be directly decoded from EEG phase and power data. In addition, we investigate how different band oscillations contribute to the classification and determine the critical time periods. An English letter recognition task was assigned, and statistical analyses were conducted to decode the EEG signal corresponding to each letter visualized on a computer screen. We applied support vector machine (SVM) with gradient descent method to learn the potential features for classification. It was observed that the EEG phase signals have a higher decoding accuracy than the oscillation power information. Low-frequency theta and alpha oscillations have phase information with higher accuracy than do other bands. The decoding performance was best when the analysis period began from 180 to 380 ms after stimulus presentation, especially in the lateral occipital and posterior temporal scalp regions (PO7 and PO8). These results may provide a new approach for brain-computer interface techniques (BCI) and may deepen our understanding of EEG oscillations in cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- YiYan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, School of Life Science and the Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Center for Computational Systems Biology, Institutes of Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.,Institute of Modern Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Pingxiao Wang
- Institute of Modern Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yuguo Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, School of Life Science and the Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Center for Computational Systems Biology, Institutes of Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
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