This study analyzes quantitative and qualitative differences in errors made during a nonword repetition task between children with dyslexia (n = 75) and their typically developing (TD) peers (n = 75). Participants were auditorily presented with 16 nonwords based on a CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) pattern; nonwords varied from two to five syllables in length. Verbal responses were recorded, transcribed, and consonant phonemes were analyzed according to the following error types: substitutions, omissions, insertions, and transpositions. Analyses found that children with dyslexia perform more poorly on nonword repetition as compared to their TD peers. Specifically, during this nonword repetition task children with dyslexia differed from their TD peers in overall accuracy and omission errors. Groups did not differ in the quantity and quality of substitution, insertion, or transposition errors. Findings from this study may provide insight into mechanisms underlying phonological processing in children with dyslexia. Implications for future research and clinical work are also discussed.

No description available.

Music reading is an essential yet difficult skill, one with which many students and professionals alike struggle (Sloboda, 1974; Gromko, 2004; Pike & Carter, 2010). It is a complex task requiring the processing of many skills including cognitive as well as perceptual and motor processes through reacting to stimuli (Jensen, 2016). Unsuccessful attainment of music reading proficiency leads to frustration and often results in lesson abandonment in the early years of instruction (Gordon, 2000; Brand, 2001). In the pedagogical community, it has been said that students vary widely in their progress towards fluent reading (Mills and McPherson, 2006). Meanwhile, those at the professional level with music reading difficulties feel like it is an obstacle they regularly face in their careers. While many causes have been suggested for music reading difficulties, over the past few decades, it has been suggested that dysmusia (also known as musical dyslexia) might be a cause of these music reading difficulties (Cuddy & Hébert, 2006; Gordon, 2000). The current dissertation explored dysmusia in musicians, particularly young piano students, in the form of four articles. The first article reviewed accounts of dysmusia in musicians to organize manifestations (clusters of difficulties) and indicators (specific difficulties). Four manifestations found comprised music reading, music writing, sequencing, and skills. Musician accounts suggested dysmusia shares auditory, processing speed, motor, visual, and memory deficits with dyslexia. For the most part, literature surrounded pianists. The second article reviewed tests to quantitatively measure dysmusia, and found a gap in testing for music reading and writing in particular. Writing tests were developed to match the existing music reading tests in our laboratory on 1-note, 2-note, and 3-note stimuli. Auditory skills may be sensitive to music reading expertise according to the literature. Article three sought to generate baseline data for music reading and music writing tests, as well as for audiation, in a population of young piano students with neither dyslexia nor suspected dysmusia. Furthermore, given the relationships between text reading and writing, and text reading and auditory skills, article three compared music reading to writing on paired conditions, and music sight-reading to audiation (for tonal, rhythm, and composite parameters). Results provided baseline data for music reading, writing, and audiation tests in both beginner and intermediate-advanced students. For music reading to writing, tasks are comparably difficult for 1-note conditions, but as the tasks increase, writing performance is superior to reading. While audiation performance is not affected by sight-reading proficiency in a statistically significant way, there are some visual differences that indicate within our participant sample, there was some affect of expertise on tonal performance and not for rhythm. Article four concerns the case of EA, a 10-year-old piano student with dyslexia. While EA demonstrated music reading difficulties early in her musical training, she currently demonstrates average to superior music reading ability according to her parent, piano teacher, and most recent Conservatory Canada exam. Interview findings reveal that EA has significant family involvement in her music learning, and she has a positive attitude towards learning, which may have impacted her test performance. While a test for processing speed confirmed EA’s deficit associated with her dyslexia diagnosis, she neither demonstrated a deficit in motor skills as measured by a pegboard test nor in her music test performance. EA scored slightly lower than matched controls in 1-note identification and 2-note pattern playing, which was less than 1 SD before the mean. Her superior performance in music writing tasks including copying and dictation with 1, 2, and 3 notes is in contrast to her dysgraphia for letter writing. Specific to music sight-reading, EA made more rhythm mistakes than matched controls, though she played most of the pitches correctly. Finally, her audiation percentile ranks were about average, and within the same ranges as matched controls, with a comparatively stronger performance on the rhythm parameter, and weaker performance on the tonal parameter. The four articles of the dissertation combine to explore what dysmusia could be, and how it could be measured, while considering that dysmusia could appear differently depending on the individual. Furthermore, the case study results from article four are evidence that not all individuals with dyslexia have dysmusia, and that dysmusia may be a domain specific condition as posited by Cuddy & Hébert (2006).

Atypical functional organization in the brains of adult male dyslexics was investigated through the divided visual field (DVF) paradigm. By intentional manipulation, equal levels of overall performance between groups were obtained, which made clearer interpretation of the results possible. Both dyslexic and control subjects appeared to have left hemisphere specialization for nonsense words. Dyslexics exhibited no asymmetry for face recognition indicating bilateral representation of this function in their brains, while control subjects exhibited the expected left visual field advantage. The results are considered both as group means and as frequency data. The results provide modest support tor the hypothesis that dyslexics have atypical functional organization. / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA)

<p>Abstract</p><p>The purpose with this essay is to get an insight on how the school has changed over the past years in terms of reading- and writing difficulties/dyslexia. In the literature studies I mention reading- and writing difficulties and the reasons why some people get these problems. Further on in the literature study it is written about what the education act and the curriculum say about the school’s duties towards pupils in need of special support.</p><p>The result contains interviews with one language pedagogue and one special pedagogue who work in two different municipalities. In addition I interviewed two former pupils who went to school 15-20 years ago.</p><p>I came to the conclusion that today’s schools have changed to the better for the pupils with difficulties. During the 1990’s the problems around dyslexia was getting attention in the society. This made the school more aware about reading- and writing difficulties/dyslexia and gave them more knowledge about the difficulties.</p> / <p>Sammandrag</p><p>Syftet med denna uppsats är att få en inblick i hur skolan har förändrats under de senare åren vad gällande elever med läs- och skrisvårigheter/dyslexi. I litteraturgenomgången tas läs- och skrivsvårigheter/dyslexi upp och vad det finns för bakomliggande orsaker till varför vissa personer får dessa svårigheter. Vidare står det om vad skollagen och läroplanen säger om skolans skyldigheter till att hjälpa elever i behov av särskilt stöd.</p><p>Undersökningen som behandlades i resultatet omfattade intervjuer med en språkpedagog och en specialpedagog som är verksamma i två olika kommuner samt intervjuer med två före detta elever med dyslexi som gick i skolan för cirka 15-20 år sedan.</p><p>Resultatet av undersökningen visade på att dagens skola har förändrats till det bättre för elever med dessa svårigheter. Under 1990-talet uppmärksammades dyslexiproblematiken i samhället vilket gjorde att skolan blev mer medveten och fick kunskap om läs- och skrivsvårigheter/dyslexi.</p>

This research identifies, through an extensive series of exploratory and explanatory case studies, the mathematical difficulties that might be encountered by dyslexic engineering students. It details support mechanisms that may be put in place to help these students reach their full potential and makes suggestions for the introduction of measures at institutional level to ensure compliance with current legislation. This is an area, identified from the literature search, that has not, until now, been the focus of any substantial research activity and thus the findings form an original and significant contribution to knowledge in this field. The findings are not only intrinsically interesting but will also be of use to practitioners of mathematics, support staff, staff developers and policy makers in higher education. A literature review gives historical background on the development of education in general, and mathematics in particular, in the UK. The main theories and problems associated with developmental dyslexia are also given. Surveys were undertaken to determine the extent of mathematics learning support in UK universities and also to determine the extent of the provision of mathematics support to dyslexic students. Using case study research and by providing one-to-one mathematics support, the difficulties encountered by dyslexic students were investigated. Related work is an exploratory study into the use of different media combinations in Computer Assisted Assessment. Additionally, an in-depth case study of the Mathematics Learning Support Centre at Loughborough University has been undertaken and is reported in detail with recommendations for changes suggested. The results of this research show that mathematics learning support is widespread and often essential to bridge the gap between school mathematics and university level mathematics but specialist mathematical support for dyslexic students is rarely available. It is determined that dyslexic students can be impeded in their learning and understanding of mathematics as a direct result of their dyslexia. Recommendations for further study in some areas and future lines of inquiry in others are suggested.

This thesis explores the phenomenon of coping with dyslexia based on the perspectives of six Greek dyslexic adults, as expressed by themselves. The research is concerned with exploration of the phenomenon by standing out from linear reductionist approaches - whether pathologising person-focused or exclusively environment-focused - as well as interactionist approaches that are simplistically additive. Instead, the study explores the phenomenon of coping with dyslexia from a transactional perspective which assumes that the factors of coping are strongly interrelated, mutually affected and altered by the transaction, suggesting a more complex and holistic understanding of the phenomenon. More specifically, the study considers the adequacy of Schlossberg’s transitional 4 S System in explaining the experiences of individuals who cope with dyslexia. To pursue the purposes of the study, a multiple case studies design was employed and semi-structured interviews were conducted. Findings suggest that for the participants, coping with dyslexia is not restricted simply to dealing with a set of difficulties, because the dyslexia ‘situation’ is a complex entity with a variety of aspects which relate directly or indirectly to literacy efficiency. Participants reported employing a complex and constantly evolving (across contexts and over time) system of different coping strategies. In fact, findings suggest that coping with dyslexia is not a stable entity but a transactional process which is characterised by fluidity, non-linear evolution and involvement of multiple factors. The 4 S System managed as an analytic tool to adequately identify and explain the complex transactionist relationships between the involved factors and the system of coping as a whole. Finally, in terms of effectiveness, findings suggested that there are no magic recipes. The usefulness of a coping or support activity seems to be an individualistic issue determined by contemporariness and so, a flexible approach towards coping with dyslexia is suggested.

Developmental Dyslexia (DD) refers to a reading disorder affecting individuals that possess otherwise normal intelligence. Having demonstrated by familial and twin studies, genetic factors are found to be of major significance to DD development. A strong dyslexia susceptibility gene KIAA0319 (K), of which crucial role in DD had been revealed by various linkage and association studies, was found to have 40% reduction in expression in the DD risk haplotype. Besides, both up- and down-regulation of K would result in impaired neuronal migration in rat. Despite the undoubtedly strong linkage of K to DD, biological and molecular knowledge of K is still lacking. Consequently, how K plays its role in DD remains unclear. To address this question, investigations of human K protein and its interactions in molecular level were performed. K protein is a large transmembrane protein which consists of four main parts, including the N-terminus of K which has a MANSC domain downstream of the signal peptide, a large cluster of five PKD domains in the middle of the protein sequence, a Cysteine -rich C6 region together with a transmembrane domain which had been demonstrated to be critical for forming K protein homodimer, and the only cytoplasmic C-terminus of K. Having shown that no gross effect on gene expression at both mRNA and protein level was found with overexpressing K by DNA microarray and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, protein interactions involving K were targeted for investigation. Towards this goal, a monoclonal antibody against K was raised, which is capable for recognizing native full-length K proteins in immunoblotting, indirect immunofluorescence staining, as well as in immunoprecipitation. A novel K interaction partner protein KIAA0319-Like (KL), which is a homologous protein of K with high sequence similarity (59%), has been found and confirmed by co-immunoprecipitation. No interaction was shown for truncation mutants of Cysteine-rich C6 region in either K or KL proteins, cuing that the interaction of K and KL at C6 region is a mimic of K homodimer, and led to a hypothesis that the function of K is regulated by KL, which serves as a molecular control of neuronal migration by regulating the formation of K dimer. Another known interaction partner of K protein, the mu---subunit of Adaptor protein 2 complex (AP2M1) which binds to cytoplasmic C-terminus of K (55% similarity to that of KL), was found to have similar binding behaviour towards K as well as KL by co-immunoprecipitation and molecular docking. In addition to AP2M1, two adaptor proteins FEM and SH2 were also confirmed to be interacting with cytoplasmic C-terminus of K, suggested that cytoplasmic region of K is responsible for interactions of downstream cellular pathways. Interaction of K with adaptor proteins also suggested that K might be a membrane receptor that mediates signalling via various adapter proteins. The N-terminus of K protein which has the least sequence similarity to KL (31%) is hence thought to confer to the specificity of the receptor and is critical to the function of K in DD. / Chan, Hoi Ling. / Adviser: Mary M. Y. Waye. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 72-04, Section: B, page: . / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2010. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 164-170). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, MI : ProQuest Information and Learning Company, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstract also in Chinese.

We describe here, briefly, a perceptual non-reading measure which reliably distinguishes between dyslexic persons and ordinary readers. More importantly, we describe a regimen of practice with which dyslexics learn a new perceptual strategy for reading. Two controlled experiment on dyslexics children demonstrate the regimen's efficiency.

Thesis (doctoral)--Universiteit Utrecht, 1995. / Summaries in English and French.