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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 20, 2025

Training Synesthetic Letter-color Associations by Reading in Color

Training Synesthetic Letter-color Associations by Reading in Color

Published on: February 20, 2014

Synesthesia in children with difficulties in written language learning.

Anahita Basirat¹, Jean-Michel Hupé²

¹Univ. Lille, CNRS, UMR 9193 - SCALab - Sciences Cognitives et Sciences Affectives, F-59000 Lille, France.

Consciousness and Cognition

|May 24, 2020

Summary

This study found no evidence that grapheme-color synesthesia is more common in children with language learning difficulties. The findings question a direct link between synesthesia and challenges in acquiring written language skills.

Keywords:

Development Grapheme-color Synesthesia Written language learning

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Developmental Psychology
Linguistics

Background:

Grapheme-color synesthesia involves experiencing colors associated with letters or numbers.
Previous research has explored potential links between synesthesia and learning differences.
Understanding this relationship is crucial for educational and clinical support.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate if grapheme-color synesthesia is more prevalent in children with speech and language therapy needs.
To examine the hypothesis that synesthesia is associated with difficulties in written language acquisition.

Main Methods:

A cohort of 79 children receiving speech and language therapy was assessed for grapheme-color synesthesia.
Prevalence rates were compared to the general population (1.3%).
Bayesian statistical analysis, including Bayes Factor, was employed to evaluate the evidence.

Main Results:

No instances of grapheme-color synesthesia were identified in the studied group of children.
Bayesian credible intervals indicated a very low probability of synesthesia in this population.
The data strongly supported the null model, suggesting no difference in prevalence compared to the general population.

Conclusions:

The study provides no support for a higher prevalence of grapheme-color synesthesia in children with language learning difficulties.
The findings challenge the proposed association between synesthesia and difficulties in language acquisition.
The challenges in diagnosing synesthesia in children highlight the need for refined diagnostic methods.