Special exercises could ward off dyslexia in young children, study shows
Fully developed dyslexia can be prevented through the use of special exercises, according to the latest research from Finland's Centre of Excellence in Learning and Motivation Research. Dyslexia loosely refers to reading disabilities; those in the medical community define it as a condition resulting from neurological, maturational, and genetic causes. The Finnish researchers successfully isolated key identifiers of the early onset of dyslexia and prevented it from developing further through the use of special exercises. The exercises are incorporated into a computer programme which is being made freely available on line. The computer game-like environment will assist in the prevention of dyslexia. It was developed on the basis of the results of a research study headed by Professor Heikki Lyytinen at the University of Jyväskylä in Finland. According to Professor Lyytinen, the computer game effectively attracts and maintains the attention of children in a way 'that children find amusing, even if they do have difficulties in learning to read'. The research study involved a comparison between 107 children who had at least one parent with dyslexia and a control group of children without a hereditary disposition. The researchers then followed the development of the children from birth through to school age. 'Half of the children whose parents had difficulties in reading and writing found learning to read more challenging than children in the control group,' explained Professor Lyytinen. 'The atypical characteristics of these children's linguistic development indicated the risk at a very early stage, and we were also able to draw a clearer picture of the typical progression of a development that indicates reading and writing difficulties.' Two key identifiers of early onset dyslexia were identified by the research group. One is the delayed ability to perceive and mentally process the subtleties of a person's voice, while the other is a delayed response in naming familiar, visually presented objects. As the children grow they appear to have more trouble in remembering the names and sounds of letters. 'Acquiring the ability to read demands much more practice from these children than from their peers. The automatisation of reading poses an additional challenge. Also, a fluent ability to read is a prerequisite to be able to understand a demanding piece of text,' said Professor Lyytinen. 'A slow reader isn't able to grasp a given text as a whole, and therefore has a hard time following the storyline. This is why we should pay special attention not only to the accuracy of reading and writing but also to the comprehension of texts even with quite long sentences.' According to the researcher it's never too late to begin using the training programmes developed by the group. However, the earlier training begins, the better. 'The best time to start these exercises is the latter part of the pre-school age, but it's not too late even after the children have started school,' said Professor Lyytinen. 'The learning result, of course, improves with repeated training: more than once a day and in short sessions. The optimal time for a single playing session is however long the children find it enjoyable.'
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