Retraining a Dyslexic Brain.

Dyslexia is the most common cause of reading, writing and spelling difficulties. It is a specific learning disability that is neurological in origin and is characterized by difficulties with accurate and or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities.

These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language. Secondary consequences may include problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede growth of vocabulary and background knowledge.

A different area of the brain

Studies show individuals with dyslexia process information in a different area of the brain than do non-dyslexics.

While dyslexia is considered a learning disorder, many people who are dyslexic are of average to above average intelligence. Dyslexia varies in degrees of severity.

The prognosis depends on the severity of the disability, specific patterns of strengths and weaknesses with the individual, and the appropriateness of the intervention.

It is important to note that dyslexia is not a result of lack of motivation, sensory impairment, inadequate instruction, environmental opportunities, low intelligence or other limiting conditions.

The same process that works for children

"We wondered whether the same process that works for children would also for adults with dyslexia, because we know you don't outgrow dyslexia," Lynn Flowers, assistant professor in the Department of Neurology at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, said. In order to determine this, researchers studied 19 adults with dyslexia and 19 adults without dyslexia.

Half of the adults with dyslexia were required to attend an eight-week intervention program -- three hours a day, five days a week. Researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging, which shows brain activation during a task -- to verify whether adults with dyslexia process language differently from typical readers.

Instruction in phonics

The adults were then tested to see if instruction in phonics would improve reading ability and produce changes in brain activation.

"With about 112 hours of phonics-based instruction, adults with dyslexia had significant improvements in reading and changes in brain activity while reading," Flowers said.

Adults became more accurate when reading

The major change researchers saw was the adult's ability to understand how the language works. Adults in the study also became more accurate when reading simple words and words in text.

"We know that dyslexia is not something children outgrow, and our findings suggest that it's never too late for instruction to overcome this disability," Flowers said.

"I've kept up with most of these people and there are some big changes in their lives."

Participants have started to read entire books for the first time, have gone back to school and graduated.

Original article October 2005.

With many thanks to the highly recommended News8Austin.