Monthly Archives: November 2010
Dyslexic children show deficits in implicit sequence learning, but not in explicit sequence learning or contextual cueing
Dyslexia is a specific learning disability characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling abilities. The absence of other high level cognitive deficits in the dyslexic population has led some authors to propose that non-strategical processes like implicit learning could be impaired in this population. Most studies have addressed this issue by using sequence learning tasks, but so far the results have not been conclusive. We test this hypothesis by comparing the performance of dyslexic children and good readers in both implicit and explicit versions of the sequence learning task, as well as in another implicit learning task not involving sequential information. The results showed that dyslexic children failed to learn the sequence when they were not informed about its presence (implicit condition). In contrast, they learned without significant differences in relation to the good readers group when they were encouraged to discover the sequence and to use it in order to improve their performance (explicit condition). Moreover, we observed that this implicit learning deficit was not extended to other forms of non-sequential, implicit learning such as contextual cueing. In this case, both groups showed similar implicit learning about the information provided by the visual context. These results help to clarify previous contradictory data, and they are discussed in relation to how the implicit sequence learning deficit could contribute to the understanding of dyslexia.
from the Annals of Dyslexia
The Nation’s Report Card: Grade 12 Reading and Mathematics 2009 National and Pilot State Results
This report presents results of the 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in reading and mathematics at grade 12. Results for students in the nation and, for the first time, in the 11 states that volunteered to participate in the 2009 state pilot program are reported as average scores and as percentages of students performing at or above three achievement levels: Basic, Proficient, and Advanced. Results for student demographic groups (e.g., race/ethnicity, gender, and highest level of parental education) are included, as well as sample assessment questions with examples of student responses. The Technical Notes and appendix tables provide information on NAEP samples, school and student participation rates, the exclusion and accommodation rates of students with disabilities and English language learners, and additional state-level results. Highlights of the national results in 2009 show that the overall average reading score for twelfth-graders was 2 points higher than in 2005, but 4 points lower than in 1992. There were no significant changes from 1992 to 2009 in the reading score gaps between White and Black students or between White and Hispanic students. In mathematics, the overall average score was 3 points higher in 2009 than in 2005. There was no significant change from 2005 in the mathematics score
gaps between White and Black students or between White and Hispanic students. In the 11 participating states, average reading scores in seven states were higher than the score for the nation, and scores for three states were lower. In mathematics, the average scores for six states were higher than the nation, and scores for three states were lower.
from the U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences
Selenium secures NIH grant to apply patented antimicrobial technology for ear infections
Selenium, Ltd., a biopharmaceutical company focused on unique solutions to meet antimicrobial coating and therapeutic needs, has been awarded a research grant from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, one of the National Institutes of Health. With the $155,387 NIH grant the company will apply its proprietary antimicrobial technology to researching the inhibition of biofilms on tympanostomy tubes
from News-Medical.net
Speech monitoring could track Parkinson’s: study
The severity of Parkinson’s disease symptoms could be monitored remotely by analyzing speech patterns, saving health authorities time and money and easing the burden on patients, scientists said Wednesday.
from MedlinePlus
People Who Stutter Show Abnormal Brain Activity When Reading and Listening
A new imaging study finds that people who stutter show abnormal brain activity even when reading or listening. The results suggest that individuals who stutter have impaired speech due to irregular brain circuits that affect several language processing areas — not just the ones for speech production.
from ScienceDaily.com
Systematic review: Diagnosis, microbial epidemiology, and antibiotic treatment of acute otitis media in children
The Journal of the American Medical Association has featured a systematic review on the diagnosis, microbial epidemiology, and antibiotic treatment of acute otitis media (AOM) in children. The systematic review also investigated the association between the use of heptavalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) use with AOM microbiology.
IQ Scores Fail to Predict Academic Performance in Children With Autism
New data show that many children with autism spectrum disorders have greater academic abilities than previously thought. In a study by researchers at the University of Washington, 90 percent of high-functioning children with autism spectrum disorders showed a discrepancy between their IQ score and their performance on reading, spelling and math tests
from ScienceDaily.com
New insight into the cause of common dementia found by researchers at Mayo Clinic
Researchers at the Mayo Clinic campus in Florida have found a clue as to how some people develop a form of dementia that affects the brain areas associated with personality, behavior, and language.
from EurekAlert.org
New Way to Communicate for Nonverbal Dysphagia Patients
Though many people suffering from neurological conditions such as cerebral palsy and Lou Gehrig’s disease have lost their ability to speak, they can communicate using augmentative and alternative communications (AAC) devices such as keyboards, head sticks, and other hands-free options. Nonverbal people, however, are also susceptible to feeding and swallowing problems (dysphagia). In late 2006 Ithaca College faculty member and speech pathologist Mary Pitti and her colleague Liz Begley (an AAC specialist now on staff at College Station Medical Center in Texas) made an eye-opening discovery: AAC devices offering icons and software applications for dysphagia sufferers were nearly nonexistent.
from Newswise.com
Secondhand Smoke Risks Hearing Loss
People who don’t use cigarettes but who regularly breathe in other people’s tobacco smoke are at increased risk of some degree of hearing loss, a new study finds.
from MedicineNet.com
Newly Identified Brain Pathways Vital to Understanding Language
A complex network of brain connections necessary for language comprehension has been mapped in new detail, according to recent research. These newly charted pathways will help scientists understand how language is processed in the brain, and how brain injuries disrupt the system.
from ScienceDaily.com
Women Who Stutter Have Different Brain Connections Than Men Who Stutter; Findings May Help Explain Why More Men Than Women Stutter
According to new research, women who stutter show brain patterns that are distinct from men who stutter. Finding diagnostic brain markers that are unique to people who stutter could help scientists develop treatments that target those areas in the future.
from ScienceDaily.com
PocketSLP Speech Therapy App Now Available for Android
The developers of PocketSLP have released their popular speech therapy application for the Android operating system. After fielding the application for the iPhone earlier this year, Synapse Apps, LLC has had a consistent demand for the product on the Android platform. This release provides accessibility to a much broader audience on a wide variety of mobile devices.
from PRWeb.com
Hearing Loss Common Following Radiation Therapy for Head and Neck Cancer
Patients who undergo radiation therapy for head and neck cancer appear more likely to experience hearing loss and to be more disabled by its effects than those who do not receive such treatment, according to a report in the November issue of Archives of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
from ScienceDaily.com
