Brain Scans to Forecast Early Reading Difficulties

In a recent study published in Psychological Science, University of California, San Francisco researchers have used brain scans to predict how young children learn to read, giving clinicians a possible tool to spot children with dyslexia and other reading difficulties before they experience reading challenges. During the study, researchers examined brain scans of 38 kindergarteners as they were learning to read formally at school, and tracked their white matter development until third grade. The brain’s white matter is essential for perceiving, thinking and learning. The results of the study showed that the development course of the children’s white matter volume predicted the kindergarteners’ abilities to read. “Early identification and interventions are extremely important in children with dyslexia as well as most neurodevelopmental disorders,” said the study’s senior author. “Accumulation of research evidence such as ours may one day help us identify kids who might be at risk for dyslexia, rather than waiting for children to become poor readers and experience failure.” To read more about this study, click here.