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Dyslexia is primarily a neurobiological disorder and much research has been conducted on this (see for example Coltheart 1996; Shaywitz and Shaywitz 2000 and 2004). However, little has been done which investigates the social construction of dyslexia. Because dyslexia affects reading, writing and spelling to varying degrees, although it may originate from genetic inheritance, it manifests itself in social spheres. Brown and Levinson‟s (1987) Face Theory states that people use strategies to minimise the damage to the positive face of others. My research focuses on how dyslexic individuals use linguistic strategies to minimise potential face-threatening acts or FTAs against themselves and in so doing preserve their own positive face. Using elements of Face Theory and APPRAISAL I constructed a typology reflecting these linguistic face management devices of adults with dyslexia. With this research I hope to contribute to the field in an innovative and meaningful manner through an exploration of the linguistic face management strategies used in the management of positive face.

It has been acknowledged for some time that personal experience, relationship and emotional factors are important aspects of difficulties in learning to read and write; however there is still little research carried out in this area. This thesis explores the way in which eight adults make sense of their difficulties with reading and writing and identification of dyslexia; and their process of developing more positive self-perceptions and coping strategies. The study is guided by standpoint theory, with priority given to participants’ perceptions about difficulties in reading and writing rather than to academic and/or practitioner perspectives. Analysis of interviews is carried out through a life history methodology that identifies discourses of dyslexia in order to situate the way difficulties are understood and addressed. The discourses include four identified by Pollak (2005) and identification of six additional discourses of dyslexia that were present in both the literature review and at least half of the participant interviews. In the analysis, use of these discourses is mapped alongside the life story of each participant using the Model of Vocational Success (MVS) (Gerber et al. 1992) as a framework for classifying the development of positive self-perceptions and coping mechanisms. The participants’ life histories reveal that, without identification of dyslexia, difficulties with reading and writing are most often attributed by others such as teachers, peers and/or parents to low intelligence and/or lack of effort. Some participants rejected this understanding and others internalised it. Experience of ‘niche’ where the participant found themselves to be successful in a specific context best supported the development of positive self-perceptions and coping strategies before identification of dyslexia. Identification of dyslexia provided a means of making sense of difficulties, bolstered self-belief in intelligence, and initiated changes in support and personal motivation which, for the majority of participants, were notably beneficial. This PhD makes a number of unique contributions to knowledge about dyslexia, particularly through its prioritization of the voice of dyslexic people over professional voices. The identification of six additional discourses of dyslexia contributes to knowledge about the way difficulties with reading and writing can be understood and talked about, and exploration of how these discourses link to the MVS contributes knowledge about the advantages and disadvantages of these discourses to dyslexic people. The discourse ‘Hemispherist’ (Pollak 2005) was found to offer the most opportunity for dyslexic adults to develop positive self-perceptions and take constructive action to compensate for difficulties.

The reading network is only partially understood and even less is known regarding how the network functions when reading is impaired. Dyslexia is characterized by poor phonological processing and affects roughly 5-12% of the population. The Dorsal-Ventral and Cerebellar-Deficit models propose distinct behavioral and structural differences in young adults with dyslexia. Behavioral assessments were used to determine if deficits for young adults with dyslexia were restricted to the literacy domain or dispersed among reading and associated behavioral domains. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) was used determine the extent to which white matter pathways and gray matter regions differ structurally in young adults with dyslexia. The present study also investigated whether brain-behavior relationships exist and are consistent with the theoretical models of reading in this population. Findings show that young adults with dyslexia exhibited deficits in both literacy and associated behavioral domains, including verbal working memory and motor function. Structural findings showed increased fractional anisotropy in the left anterior region (the aslant) and decreased fractional anisotropy in left posterior regions (inferior occipital fasciculus and vertical occipital fasciculus) of the reading network for young adults with dyslexia. Brain-behavior associations were found between the right inferior frontal gyrus and decoding for those with dyslexia. These findings provide support for the use of an altered reading network by young adults with dyslexia, as outlined by the Dorsal-Ventral model of reading. Limited structural and behavior findings support of the Cerebellar-Deficit model of reading, findings that warrant additional investigation.

The remedial effects of specific techniques outlined by the Frostig Developmental Test of Visual Perception were studied in two groups of children diagnosed as dyslexic: a treatment group of thirty, and a control group of thirty who were not available for immediate treatment. Initial testing indicated that all children utilized in the study were dyslexic, and after a treatment period of three months, post-testing was administered to both groups.

The study set out to explore whether teaching methods can improve the wellbeing of students with SpLDs. This study addresses a gap in the literature, identifying wellbeing differences between different types of educational environment and SEN provisions. It explores whether there are benefits from inclusive education to student wellbeing, considering constructs of wellbeing relevant to the impact of SpLDs, synthesising pedagogic, psychotherapeutic and developmental perspectives. 74 student participants were recruited through the SEN departments of 4 UK schools - each with differing approaches to SEN support. Student participants completed two psychometric wellbeing questionnaires. They also engaged in photographic exercise, capturing scenes of importance to them, which contributed to semi-structured interviews. 8 teacher participants engaged in semi-structured interviews. These teacher participants also had their classroom practice observed. Parallel interpretative phenomenological analyses (IPA) were used to interpret the findings. Several themes from both student and teacher IPA analyses revealed a differences between 2 pairs of schools, which was supported by the same difference in psychometric scores and classroom observations. Schools environments were found to have common features of inclusion either absent or present which were recognised by both students and teachers within their own social world perspectives, which were predictive of wellbeing. This study identified that school aged students with SpLDs could articulate the relationship between inclusive teaching and their wellbeing.

Learning to read is essential, yet many children do not receive a diagnosis of developmental dyslexia (DD) until second or third grade. The aim of this dissertation is to identify brain and behavioral predictors of DD so that diagnosis and intervention can begin sooner. Experiment 1 examines infants with familial risk of DD longitudinally. Infants completed non-sedated diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) between 4- and 18-months of age and cognitive-linguistic assessment at four years. Infants at- risk of DD displayed reduced fractional anisotropy (FA) and increased radial diffusivity (RD) in the left arcuate fasciculus (AF) and reduced FA and axial diffusivity (AD) of the splenium of the corpus callosum (CC) compared to peers without a familial risk. Both the left AF and CC are implicated in reading and reading-related tasks, and atypicalities have been observed in children and adults with DD. RD may reflect myelination and AD is thought to indicate pathway complexity suggesting infants at-risk of DD exhibit reduced myelination of the left AF and reduced pathway complexity of the CC at or shortly after birth. The left AF assessed in infancy predicted four-year-old vocabulary skills while the CC predicted four-year-old print knowledge. Experiment 2 explores the association between white matter microstructure of the left AF and CC and neural activity during phonological processing assessed via functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Preschoolers with and without a familial risk of DD completed DWI and an fMRI alliteration task where children indicated via button-press whether two words started with the same initial sound. Positive correlations were observed between FA of the left AF and CC and neural activity in the left medial temporal gyrus and the left lingual gyrus, two regions implicated in phonological processing. Experiment 3 examines whether white matter microstructure of the CC assessed in preschool is associated with school-age reading fluency in children with and without a familial risk of DD. Similar to children and adults with DD, preschoolers with a familial risk of DD displayed greater FA and AD of the CC compared to controls. Furthermore, AD of the CC predicted school-age reading fluency. / 2018-12-03T00:00:00Z

The aim of this research was to investigate stakeholder attitudes towards people, with dyslexia, training to be primary classroom practitioners. The study examined stakeholder awareness and understanding of the term dyslexia; their perceived strengths and challenges, of those training to be teachers, with dyslexia. The study explored the impact of attitudes on disclosure of dyslexia and the potential of their employability as primary teachers in light of inclusive legislation and whether attitudes, held by a range of stakeholders, were on a neutral to positive or neutral to negative spectrum. The research entailed the implementation of an online questionnaire completed by 214 current stakeholders (including Initial teacher Education lecturers, school staff, Initial Teacher Education students and parents) and 11 semi-structured interviews. Findings suggest that there is uncertainty and confusion about the term dyslexia, its associated characteristics and its causes. Many stakeholders perceive dyslexia negatively with key characteristics being linked, predominantly, to deficits in reading, writing and spelling. This research has found that stakeholders identify a number of strengths that those with dyslexia bring to the teaching profession. These key strengths include empathy, inclusive practice and ease of identification of children with dyslexia. The main challenges/concerns identified by stakeholders, of those entering the profession, with dyslexia, were - the demands of the profession; the inability to teach particular age groups/subjects and the level of support needed to ensure success and retention following qualification. This latter concern constitutes a key finding of this research, as the level of support afforded by universities is perceived as being unrealistic in the workplace. The ethical responsibility that universities have, in preparing students for the demands and reality of the workplace, has emerged. The notion of what constitutes ‘reasonable adjustments’ is questioned by many stakeholders. This research concludes that a number of ‘reasonable adjustments’ are perceived as being unreasonable within the teaching profession due to the professional roles, responsibilities and requirements of being a teaching professional. Furthermore, uncertainty about legislation exists with regard to reasonable adjustments, whose responsibility it is to enforce reasonable adjustments and how schools can actually support those with dyslexia, in light of professional standards. Overall, this research has found that 16.1% more stakeholders display attitudes on the neutral to positive spectrum than neutral to negative with regard to those with dyslexia training to be primary classroom teachers. However, this masks major differences between stakeholders and between responses to particular statements/questions. A significant majority of stakeholders demonstrated a negative attitude towards the notion of people with dyslexia entering the teaching profession, believing that parents should be concerned if their child is being taught by someone with dyslexia. Both of these findings could have serious implications on the future disclosure of those with dyslexia. This research has found that a fear of stigmatisation and potential discrimination, which deter those with dyslexia from disclosing on course and job applications are justified and real. This research concludes that employability chances are lessened upon disclosure of dyslexia.

Orientador: Simone Aparecida Capellini / Banca: Patrícia A. Pinheiro-Crenitte / Banca: Tânia Moron Saes Braga / Resumo: Dislexia do desenvolvimento é um distúrbio específico de aprendizagem, de origem neurológica, caracterizado pela dificuldade na fluência correta na leitura e dificuldade na habilidade de decodificação e soletração, resultantes de um déficit no componente fonológico da linguagem. O objetivo geral deste estudo é verificar a eficácia de um programa de remediação fonológica em escolares com dislexia do desenvolvimento. Os objetivos específicos incluem a comparação do desempenho auditivo e cognitivo-lingüístico de alunos com dislexia do desenvolvimento, com discentes sem dificuldade de aprendizagem, comparar os achados dos procedimentos de avaliação utilizados na pré e póstestagem em crianças com dislexia do desenvolvimento submetidas e não submetidas ao programa de remediação fonológica, e comparar os achados do programa de remediação em ambos os escolares remediados. Participam deste estudo 20 estudantes da 2 ª. à 4 ª. séries do Ensino Fundamental, sendo o GI subdividido em: GIe (5 escolares com dislexia do desenvolvimento, que foram submetidos ao programa de remediação fonológica) e GIc (5 discentes com dislexia do desenvolvimento não submetidos ao programa de remediação). O GII subdividido em: GIIe (5 indivíduos com bom desempenho escolar submetidos ao programa de remediação fonológica) e GIIc (5 pessoas com bom desempenho escolar submetidas e não submetidas ao programa de remediação). Os escolares são submetidos à aplicação de pré-testagem, programa de remediação e pós-testagem. Os resultados indicam que o GI apresentou desempenho inferior ao GII em habilidades fonológicas e que GIe apresentou melhor desempenho em habilidades auditiva e cognitivolingüísticas após ser submetido ao programa de remediação fonológica, quando comparados os achados de pré e pós-testagem. / Abstract: Development dyslexia is a specific learning impairment, of neurological origin, characterized by difficulty in correct fluency in reading and difficulty in decoding and spelling, resultant of a deficit in the phonological component of the language. The general objective of this project was to verify the effectiveness of a program of phonological remediation in students with development dyslexia. The specific objectives included the comparison of auditory and cognitivelinguistic performance of students with development dyslexia and students without learning difficulties, who read according to their age and school grade; the comparison of the findings from the evaluation procedures of pre-test and post-test in students with development dyslexia submitted and not submitted to the remediation program; and the comparison of the findings of the program of remediation in both submitted groups. Twenty students participated in this study, from 2nd and 4th grades, divided into Group I (GI) subdivided into: GIe (5 students with development dyslexia submitted to the remediation program) and GIc (5 students with development dyslexia not submitted to the remediation program). Group II (GII) subdivided into: GIIe (5 students without learning difficulties submitted to the remediation program) and GIIc (5 students without learning difficulties not submitted to the remediation program. The students were submitted to the application of a pre-test, a remediation program and a pos-test. The results indicated that GI presented inferior performance in relation to GII in phonological abilities and GIe improved its performance in auditory skills and cognitive-linguistic skills after having been submitted to the remediation program, when compared in the pre and pos-test. / Mestre

The first part of this report consists of a theoretical survey of the metalinguistic domain, the main focus being upon metaphonological abilities. Metaphonological tasks are analyzed in terms of cognitive demands and degree of automaticity. The importance of metaphonological abilities for reading, spelling, and dyslexia is discussed on the basis of this theoretical analysis. It is assumed that metaphonological abilities are a prerequisite for learning to read and spell.In the second part results from three empirical studies are reported. In the first one 46 dyslexies and their matched control group were studied during their first three years at school. The development of metaphonological skills (segmentation, sound blending, sound position analysis, and segment deletion), language skills, cognitive abilities, reading, and spelling skills was studied on several occasions. The main purpose of this longitudinal study was to gain a better understanding of the causal relationship between metaphonological abilities and reading and spelling. Several causal structural equation models were tested by the LISREL method. The results supported the hypothesis that metaphonological abilities have a causal influence on reading and spelling while no support was found for a reverse causal influence.The purpose of Study II was to investigate the development of metaphonological skills. Two randomly selected classes were given four different metaphonological tests (segmentation, sound blending, sound position analysis and segment deletion) in grade 1 and grade 2. The results showed that metaphonological abilities undergo a substantial increase during the first years at school. The performance on metaphonological tasks was also very sensitive to small variations in task demands.In Study III the effects of metaphonological training on segmentation, blending and spelling were experimentally investigated in grade 1. There was a significant effect of training in the segmentaion and blending tasks. However, the effect of metaphonological training on spelling was significant only for the children with the lowest segmentation and blending pretest performance.The main conclusions to be drawn from the three studies were that metaphonological abilities are of critical importance for learning to read and spell. Furthermore, metaphonological abilities develop during a rather long period and some children might profit from carefully designed metaphonological training tasks in order to prevent reading and spelling disorders. / digitalisering@umu