Reading Interventionists are Brain Engineers by Ruthie Swibel
Louisa Moats is well-known for saying that teaching reading IS “rocket science.” While the human brain is designed to acquire language skills naturally, it is not wired for reading. Teachers must work to build the neural circuitry required for each child’s brain to adapt to the novel tasks of reading and writing. Brain imaging studies from the Stanford Neuroscience Institute provide evidence that certain instructional strategies create more efficient neural wiring for reading than other strategies. The brain responds differently to how words are presented. When words are presented with an emphasis on the correspondence between sounds and letters, neural activity is heightened in the left hemisphere of the brain, which is the main language processing area of the brain. When words are presented as whole units for memorization, the brain becomes activated in the right hemisphere. An established field of brain research shows us that skilled readers rely heavily on the left hemisphere for reading, while struggling readers mostly activate the right hemisphere of the brain, which results in slow, labored reading. In essence, these brain studies show that by teaching children words as whole units, rather than focusing on sound-symbol correspondence, we are training the side of the brain that results in inefficient reading. Cue the synchronous disposal (or responsible repurposing—more on how to use them for orthographic mapping in an upcoming blog!) of all of those word flashcards! All children benefit from instruction that is focused on linguistic features and sound-letter correspondences.
What does this mean for children who are born with brain differences and neural activation patterns that lead to reading difficulties such as dyslexia ? It means that establishing an efficient reading circuit in the brain can be more challenging than it is for a typically developing child. It means that the instructional techniques we use are even more important; remember, instruction has a direct neural impact! Thanks to advances in science, we have a new appreciation for the fact that teachers are, in fact, “brain engineers.” Through employing expert intervention in evidence-based approaches, proper instruction can alter brain connections, build white matter in the brain, and position children to be successful lifelong readers. Evidence-based instruction should always integrate phonology, orthography, and morphology—the study of the sound system of language, the spelling of words, and their meanings.
The brain architecture of a child with dyslexia looks different than a typically developing child when studied with fMRI technology. We often talk about how young children’s brains are “plastic” and malleable. What this means for children with dyslexia is that an inefficient reading circuit can be altered and rewired through evidence-based intervention. Researchers have found that with sustained, intensive intervention, children’s brain circuitry changes, and additional white matter forms, creating new connections and making connections within the brain run more efficiently.
These findings give great hope to dyslexic learners and their parents; targeted, evidence-based reading intervention fundamentally alters the underlying wiring of the brain’s circuitry, leading to a more efficient reading circuit, and strong, successful readers.
If you want to learn more about the Stanford study, you can find it here and for more on white matter plasticity as a result of reading interventions, read here