Learning To Read Flashcards
When was reading invented?
200 years ago
How long does it take to learn how to read?
10 years
What are the writing systems?
Alphabetic, syllabic and logographic
Examples of alphabetic writing systems
English, Cyrillic and Hebrew
Examples of syllabic writing systems
Consonants and Vowels represented by characters e.g Thai and Burmese
Logographic writing systems
Symbols represent whole words/ parts of words e.g. Chinese and Japanese
Orthographic depth is
How the brain solves the problem of reading
Deep orthographic depth
A lot of exceptionality in the relationship between letters and sounds e.g. English
Shallow orthographic depth
Exactly one phoneme for every grapheme e.g. Cyrillic alphabet
Middle orthographic depth
One phoneme for every grapheme but some exceptions e.g. Placement of stress in Italian
How much percentage of English can neural network learn
80%, rest are exceptions (20%)
Seymour et al (2003) study in Scotland details
- children at end of year 1
- European, Scottish High SES and low SES
- shallow and deep orthography
Seymour et al (2003) findings
Shallow words better and quicker reaction time for shallow and high SES
Limitation with Seymour et al (2003) Scotland and EU children study
Scots aged 4-5 in year 1. European children go to school later so may be better because older
Spencer and Hanley (2004) Welsh and English speaking study details
29 Welsh speaking and 22 English speaking reception age
Tested 3x in November, March and June
Read 30 common words, half irregular spellings e.g of, have
Spencer and Hanley (2004) findings
Welsh at term 2= 40% vs 3% English
End of 1st year- 15% English, 60% Welsh
Strengths of Spencer and Hanley (2004) Welsh study
Children start school at same age and no difference in SES
PISA test
Done every 2 years
Test at age 15
20% 15 year olds in EU lack functional literacy
Implications of PISA test findings (20% 15 y.olds)
More likely unemployed be less likely to vote
Methods of reading instruction
Phonics based approaches and whole word approaches
What is the phonics-based approach of learning to read?
Learn systematic correspondences between letters and sounds
Simple words presented over and over
Limitations of whole word approach
Spoken language is innate, not reading and children need to know relationship between letters and sounds
Review against whole word approach
NRP (2000) phonics produce significant benefits from kindergarten -> year 6
Strengths of phonics
NRP report, 2006- implemented as law from Rose Review (800+ responses)
10 min a day intervention groups
Phonics screen- keep increasing (58% 2012 now 77% 2015)
Becoming a skilled reader
Learning alphabetic principle is critical for reading success
Alphabetic principle
Orthography-> phonology -> semantics
Which meta-analysis showed two pathways in the brain for reading?
Taylor, Rastle and Davis (2012)
What two pathways did Taylor, Rastle and Davis (2012) find for reading?
Dorsal ( print-> sound) and ventral ( print-> meaning)
Visual word form area (Dehaene et al, 2003) BOLD response shows
Neurones subserving object perception in left mid-fusiform gyrus will become more specialised for recognising written words as we develop greater skill
Stanford longitudinal study (Ben-Schachar et al, 2011) details
53 children, 7-12 years FU 4 years
Annual assessments and brain scans
Findings of Stanford longitudinal study (Ben-Scharchar et al, 2011)
Children reach cluster volume in area in VOT at about age 15
What else did Stanford longitudinal study find
Words embedded in noise. Older= more sensitive as they are more experienced readers
Developmental dyslexia DSM-4 diagnosis
- reading achievement substantially below persons age, intelligence and age-appropriate education
- disturbance significantly interferes with academic achievement or activities that require reading skills
Limitations of DSM-4 diagnosis of developmental dyslexia
Criteria not specific to someone with dyslexia-loose language
How is dyslexia measured
Non-standardised tests of word and non-word reading, text reading and comprehension, spelling
Cut of for impairment (dyslexia) varies
1 SD (16% population) 2 SD (3% population)
Problems with assessment of dyslexia
Doesn’t tell us what dyslexia is or how it arises- problematic
ROSE review (2009) dyslexia definition
Learning difficulty that primary affects skills involved in accurate and fluent word reading + spelling
Rose review (2009) findings
Difficulties in phonological awareness, verbal memory and verbal processing speech
What is a good indication of severity and persistence of dyslexia
Examining how well they respond to well-founded intervention
Phonological deficit hypothesis
Specific deficit in the phonological language domain (verbal STM, non-word repetition, tasks requiring phonological skills, reading and spelling)
When are the phonological difficulties notably revealed
Non-word reading performance e.g (gabe, Vib, slint)
Rack et al (1992) tests appreciation between letters and sounds
Not an equal distribution: must have significant problems reading non-words
Plaut et al (1996) where do dyslexics lack mapping?
Orthography-> phonology
Challenge by Castles and Coltheart (1993) to phonological deficit hypothesis
Subset of developmental dyslexics that don’t have difficulty reading non words and therefore no phonological deficit
Manis et al (1996) reply to castle and Coltheart (1993) criticism
If subset exists, it’s rare and seem to have reading DELAY rather than disorder
Most recent meta- analysis regarding dyslexia
Melby- Lervag et al (2012): 235 studies, youngest child= 5.
Dyslexia debate (Elliot et al)
- no accepted way of diagnosis
- ambiguity in use of term
- interventions effect for everyone
- term doesn’t give us anything- children need help with severe problems and aren’t diagnosed (need extra information, not just label)
