Neuron Learning

Using fMRI to Improve Learning Skills

Here is a neat paper from the American Psychological Association that highlights the role of neuroscience in improving the brain proccessing skills of people with dyslexia and autism. fMRI studies are proving to be crucial in determining appropriate and effective interventions

The work shows great promise for people with autism , aspergers, dyslexia and indeed in assisting in building literacy skills on a general basis.

It highlights work by Sally Shaywitz and Paula Tallal and Mike Merzenich clearly shows the ability of the brain to change and build the appropriate skills.

Incidentally there are a lot of other applications demonstrated as well.


fmri-adult.pdf (application/pdf Object).

Brain imaging may help diagnose autism

we work with Asperger's and autistic people. Recent research confirms what we have seen; ASD students have slow processing for sounds in brain studies. http://ow.ly/Vd07

By the way we see this in other students with auditory processing issues also. The issues often overlap between APD and Autism (including Aspergers).

The improvements in processing speeds greatly helps their receptive language and of course their expressive language will see significant improvements resulting in social and communication skills gains


Brain imaging may help diagnose autism.

Dyslexia defined: ‘Uncoupling’ between IQ and reading

Being dyslexic does not mean you are stupid

Sally Shaywitz confirms this in her research.

The researchers found that in typical readers, IQ and reading not only track together, but also influence each other over time. But in children with dyslexia, IQ and reading are not linked over time and do not influence one another. This explains why a dyslexic can be both bright and not read well.
So do I need to say more?


Dyslexia defined: ‘Uncoupling’ between IQ and reading.

mOre dysLeXia conTroVersY

Maybe all dyslexics are poor readers. bUt aRe aLl pOOr rEAadErs dYSlexIc?

MPs believe that the definition of dyslexia is too broad.

A few important questions

What are the reasons that the individual cannot read?
How can we help he or she ovecome the issues?

The point is with proper identification of the issues and the right intervention most people can read effectively. The research is there to show this.

So whether its the dyslexia association or the local education authority lets put all the educational advances we have made into action.






MPs: focus on dyslexia 'obscuring' reading problems - Telegraph.

First evidence of brain rewiring in children: Reading remediation positively alters brain tissue

there is lts of evidence to show that effective interventions shows brain changes for poor readers. This is is from Canegie-Mellon University and published in Neuron maagazine

First evidence of brain rewiring in children: Reading remediation positively alters brain tissue.

"First evidence that intensive instruction to improve reading skills in young children causes the brain to physically rewire itself, creating new white matter that improves communication within the brain......

Learn To Read Through Sound -- Cognitive Neuroscientists Use Sound Training To Help Dyslexic Children Read

Great story and a video well worth watching.

Researchers believe the problem could ... be with how the brain "hears" sounds. "We believe that these children -- from being toddlers or even earlier as infants -- have problems with processing these changes in sounds," Nadine Gaab, Ph.D., an assistant professor of pediatrics at the Children's Hospital in Boston, Mass.USA

Researchers agree that dyslexics have problems manipulating words and sounds – that the primary problem is processing the sounds that make up words.

Dr. Gaab is using "sound training" through computer exercises ( Fast ForWord) to monitor how dyslexics process fast and slow-changing sounds. While children play the game, Dr. Gaab monitors their brain activity using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). But after eight weeks of intensive training, a dyslexic child's fMRI image shows more activity. "The brain is very plastic and so the brain learns and reconnected and built a new network," Dr. Gaab explained.

Learn To Read Through Sound -- Cognitive Neuroscientists Use Sound Training To Help Dyslexic Children Read.

Behavioral Training Improves Connectivity and Function in the Brain, Wednesday, December 9, 2009 News Release - National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Children with poor reading skills who underwent an intensive, six-month training program to improve their reading ability showed increased connectivity in a particular brain region, in addition to making significant gains in reading.

This confirms previous studies in Stanford with children with dyslexia who have had the same beneficial impact using Fast ForWord Click here

See the full article here
Behavioral Training Improves Connectivity and Function in the Brain, Wednesday, December 9, 2009 News Release - National Institutes of Health (NIH).