Dyslexia Final Vocab Flashcards
Grain Size
how precise a person can process linguistic elements (phonological skills) that contribute to their ability to read
Heritability
=the amount of difference in a trait (like reading ability, intelligence, or a mental disorder) that is caused by genetic factors rather than environmental ones.
o Heritability does not imply constraints on change; more relevant to how developmental outcomes can be changed
Dimensionality
=the number of different aspects or factors that make up something, such as a trait or concept
-continuous dimension
Phonological Awareness
= the ability to recognize and work with sounds in spoken language
-This includes being able to hear, identify, and manipulate different sounds, like recognizing rhymes, counting syllables, or breaking words into smaller sound parts (like “cat” into “c” “a” “t”)
-It’s an important skill for learning to read and spell.
Behavioral Genetics
= a field in which variation among individuals is separated into genetic vs environmental components.
Monozygotic Twins
genetically identical twins
-develop from a single fertilized egg that splits into two embryos
Dyzygotic Twins
twins genetically similar to any other siblings (50% shared genetic material)
-develop from two separate fertilized eggs.
Achievement Gap
= the difference in academic performance between students with dyslexia and those without it.
-Students with dyslexia may struggle more with reading and writing, leading to lower grades or test scores compared to their peers, even if they have similar intelligence or potential.
Orthographic Transparency
the degree to which the spelling of words corresponds directly to their pronunciation
-shallow vs deep orthographies
Shallow orthographies
languages that are more orthographically transparent because spelling and pronunciation rules are more consistent.
-Spanish or Italian
Deep orthography
= languages with many irregular spelling patterns
-English
Phonics
= a method of teaching reading and spelling by correlating sounds (phonemes) with letters or groups of letters
-helps learners decode words by sounding them out
Phonemes
= when a sound is correlated to letter
are the smallest units of sound in a language.
-For example, the word “cat” has three phonemes: /k/, /a/, and /t/
Graphemes
= written symbols or letters that represent those sounds
African American English (AAE)
= a variety of English spoken primarily by African Americans with its own grammatical rules, phonological patterns, and vocabulary; often distinguished from Standard American English (SAE).
o For child who speak AAE or are bilingual, differences in language and dialect can complicate dyslexia assessments, as standard diagnostic tools
Multisensory Instruction
= a teaching method that uses more than one sense (like sight, sound, and touch) to help students learn
Ex: a teacher might have students see letters, say them out loud, and trace them with their fingers to help reinforce learning. This approach can make it easier for students with dyslexia to understand and remember what they’re learning.
-3 key elements
-6 areas
What are the elements of multisensory instruction?
Systematic Cumulative, Explicit, Diagnostic
What are the 6 areas of the multisensory approach?
-Phonology
-Sound symbol correspondence
-Syllables
-Morphology
-Syntax
-Semantics
Mainstream American English
= the version of English that is widely accepted as the standard in formal settings, including education, business, and media
-the variety of English typically taught in schools.
Broca’s Area
= the region in the frontal lobe of the left hemisphere of the brain that is associated with speech production and language comprehension.
Non-contrastive words
= words that don’t change meaning based on pronunciation or context. -Ex: “read” (present tense) and “read” (past tense) are non-contrastive because they are the same word, just pronounced the same way but used differently in sentences.
-Non-contrastive words, which are pronounced with the same phonemes in both dialects (e.g. plate)
-For someone with dyslexia, non-contrastive words may be confusing due to their multiple uses or forms
Contrastive words
= words that sound or look similar but have different meanings or uses
-Ex: “bat” (the flying mammal) and “bat” (the sports equipment) are contrastive because they are spelled the same but have different meanings depending on the context
-For someone with dyslexia, contrastive words can be challenging because they might look or sound alike but have different meanings
Wernicke’s Area
= a region in the left temporal lobe of the brain that is responsible for language comprehension.
-Damage can result in Wernicke’s aphasia, where individuals may speak fluently but produce nonsensical or jumbled language.
What are the main problems faced by beginner readers?
-Availability
-Consistency
-Granularity
Availability problem
o One of the main problems faced by beginning readers
o Not all phonological units are consciously accessible prior to reading, being the large units (words) the most accessible
o Full access to phonemes only develops once children are taught to read and write
Consistency problem
o One of the main problems faced by beginning readers
o Reflects the fact that some orthographic units have multiple pronunciations (reading) and that some phonological units have multiple spellings (spelling)
Granularity problem
o One of the main problems faced by beginning readers
o Reflects the fact that there are many more orthographic units to learn when the access to the phonological system is based on bigger grain sizes
Self-Teaching Hypothesis
= proposes that children learn to read by independently mapping spoken sounds (phonemes) to written symbols (graphemes) through repeated exposure to written words
-This process allows them to “teach themselves” how to decode unfamiliar words
Phonological Consistency
= the stability of sound-to-letter correspondences in a language. In languages with high phonological consistency (like Spanish), letters almost always correspond to the same sounds. In languages with low phonological consistency (like English), the same letter combinations may represent different sounds.
Neurodiversity
= concept that neurological differences, such as autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and other conditions, are part of human diversity and should be respected and valued, rather than viewed as disorders or deficiencies
Grey Matter
= the part of the brain that is controlled by the nerve cell bodies and the majority of the true dendrites (numerous, short, branching filaments that carry impulses towards the cell body)
o No myelin blanket
o The real processing is concluded in
White Matter
= a neuron that is made up of extending, myelinated nerve fibers, or axons
o Allows communication to and from grey matter areas, and between grey matter and the other parts of the body
o Funtions by transmitting the information from the different parts of the body towards the cerebral cortex
BOLD (blood-oxygen-level dependent contrast imaging) Response
= a method used in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to observe different areas off the brain or other organs, which are found to be active at any given time
Diffusion Tensor Imaging
= a type of MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) that maps the movement of water molecules in the brain.
-It specifically looks at the direction in which water flows, which helps to visualize the brain’s white matter (the pathways that connect different brain regions)
-useful for studying brain structure and detecting abnormalities, such as those seen in conditions like multiple sclerosis or brain injuries, and it can also be used to understand how brain connections may be affected in disorders like dyslexia.
Structured Literacy
= a primer on effective reading instruction
-explicitly teaches systematic word identification/decoding strategies
-benefit most students and vital for those with dyslexia, not in every classroom
Phonological Availability
refers to the ease with which phonological representations (sounds) are accessible in the mind.
It plays a critical role in reading and spelling, particularly for individuals with dyslexia or other reading difficulties
