Research

Our Research Programme
Dyslexia Action puts a high priority on continuing research into ways of improving its services. Our work is underpinned by the latest research in the field of dyslexia and literacy. Our Research Office is based at the University of York. We are currently researching ways in which developing technology can be used in our work.

Research into the causes of dyslexia

The following article by Dr Barry Johnson, Dyslexia Action Principal Educational Psychologist, summarises the present position.

Most people now agree that dyslexia exists, but disagreement remains as to its origins. Predictably, perhaps, there now appears to be growing evidence that genes play an important role, although exactly how is still not known. A number of researchers across the world appear to be involved in a ‘golden fleece’ hunt to identify the one gene responsible for dyslexia. Although no such single gene has yet been identified reliably, there have been some recent successes in identifying a number of likely genes on approximate positions of various chromosomes. It is highly likely that as the research continues, the role of genetics will eventually be understood to be a very complex one, interacting in many ways with each individual’s unique capacities to develop and learn. Clearly, as research findings accumulate, there are likely to be dilemmas and concerns about how to make use of the research – in particular, how to apply general findings to the individual child’s circumstances. In the short term, however, it is probably a good thing that people are becoming sensitised to the fact that certain children may be disadvantaged in the acquisition of literacy and related skills as a result of their genetic heritage. This will promote early identification and treatment as well as finally convince the stubborn disbelievers that dyslexia really does exist. On the other hand, care will be needed to prevent educationalists from making inappropriate predictions and assumptions on the basis of evidence provided by enthusiastic geneticists.

An equally exciting area of research concerns the way genes impact on literacy and other factors via a child’s neuro-development. Researchers are finding evidence that difficulties in literacy and related skills are associated with impairment in the development of collections of neurones in the brain, such as those for controlling eye movements, distinguishing different sounds, and those primarily responsible for the timing of sensory and motor actions.

There is a growing body of evidence to suggest that there are differences between dyslexic and normal readers with regard to their left hemisphere brain functioning. These impact particularly on speech sound processing. There is also a growing interest in the role that the cerebellum plays in the development of successful literacy and related skills. The cerebellum is a fairly large mass at the back of the brain that appears to be involved in the co-ordinations of limb movements as well as having indirect links with language structures in other parts of the brain. Some research has found that in many dyslexic people, the cerebellum appears not to be functioning normally, and of great interest to educationalists, that it may be relatively ‘plastic’, i.e. susceptible to treatment and recovery. Research into the role of the cerebellum is helping to explain why some people with dyslexia appear to have a surprising number of difficulties in areas other than literacy– such as balance, motor co-ordination, speed of processing and other functions that are heavily influenced by the cerebellum. One implication of this area of neuro-developmental research is the growing conviction of a number of people that dyslexia can be directly treated at the biological/neurological level by, for example, the prescribing of polyunsaturated fatty acids, vitamin supplements, improving children’s balance and co-ordination by applying occupational therapy programmes, etc. The need to monitor very carefully these new types of treatment for dyslexia in order to evaluate their effectiveness, is crucial. Teachers must be reminded of the continued importance of applying appropriate specialised teaching of literacy and related skills. They should also make sure that they take the opportunity to apply and integrate some of these novel treatment approaches across a wide range of subject areas such as PE and drama.

The most favoured model of dyslexia can best be described as the phonological deficit model. In essence, this stresses the understanding of dyslexia at the cognitive-language level, in addition to the neurobiological or genetic levels. It perceives dyslexia as resulting from having an underlying difficulty in attending to, and working on, the sounds that make up words when some form of literacy act – spelling, writing, reading - is required. Sub-areas of need within this model focus on a child’s working memory and ability to process sounds at speed. The main advantage of the phonological deficit model of dyslexia is that it naturally provides close links with teaching implications - after all, literacy is essentially a language-based activity. It is interesting to note that lately, researchers into dyslexia are attempting to co-ordinate the evidence they gain from examining genetic, neurodevelopment, and cognitive aspects of dyslexia. One possible advantage of this trend is the opportunity for an integrated, single model of dyslexia to be established and accepted. This will help the co-ordination of research and teaching programmes, as well as improve assessment approaches.

Over the last 25 years or so, there has been a growing awareness of the importance of identifying children who have special educational needs. Research into dyslexia has played its part in this trend. There are now strong legal obligations on schools and LEAs to ensure that children with significant special educational needs are identified and treated. Recently, the DfES has amended its advice to schools and LEAs by publishing its new Special Educational Needs Code of Practice document. This Code strengthens the rights of parents to be involved in decisions affecting their children. It also encourages the early identification of children with special educational needs. Most importantly, it demands that LEAs and schools become more effective in their teaching approaches: it therefore insists that statements of special educational needs are clearly worded, reviewed and that proper amounts and types of teaching are provided. Dyslexic children should obviously be helped by this Code, provided that all involved adhere to its principles.

Today, teachers and psychologists have available a wide range of assessment materials in order to explore whether a child may have dyslexia. Usually, these tests assess cognitive capabilities in a number of areas such as memory functioning, processing speed, general cognitive ability, language skills, copying, phonological processing skills, and so on. Often, detailed assessment is required from a psychologist in order to confirm the diagnosis of dyslexia. Some of the tests are available for teachers and are very user-friendly, can be performed in a relatively short time, and enable dyslexic children to be identified with a reasonable degree of reliability. Of course, teachers need to be trained in the use of these tests: however, they are all designed to help the busy class teacher to understand better the dyslexic child and make their teaching approaches more effective.

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