Working-memory training improves developmental dyslexia in Chinese children
Yan Luo1, Jing Wang2, Hanrong Wu1
1Department of Child and Women Health Care, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, Hubei Province, China.
Neural Regeneration Research
|September 11, 2014
Summary
Working memory training significantly improved cognitive skills and reading fluency in children with developmental dyslexia. This suggests working memory interventions can enhance reading proficiency for dyslexic children.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Educational Psychology
Background:
- Neural plasticity underpins working memory (WM) capacity.
- WM can be enhanced through targeted training.
- Evidence for WM training benefits in developmental dyslexia was lacking.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the efficacy of working memory training in children with developmental dyslexia.
- To determine if WM improvements correlate with reading skill enhancements.
Main Methods:
- Thirty dyslexic children (8-11 years) participated in a 5-week training program.
- Training included visuospatial, verbal, and central executive tasks, with adaptive difficulty.
- Sessions were 40 minutes daily.
Main Results:
- Significant improvements were observed in non-trained WM tasks (visuospatial, verbal, central executive).
- Reading fluency and visual rhyming tasks also showed significant improvement post-training.
- Working memory gains were positively correlated with reading skill improvements.
Conclusions:
- Working memory is crucial for reading development in dyslexic children.
- Working memory training interventions show promise for improving reading proficiency in this population.
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