Dr Karen Froud & Dr Lisa Levinson - The Neuroscience of Reading &Dyslexia

How does the brain reorganize to accomplish something as significant as the ability to read? In this seminar, we aim to equip teachers with neuroscientific evidence to inform more effective approaches for students with dyslexia.

We will review reading from a neuroscientific perspective, identifying underlying neural mechanisms and their impacts on reading acquisition. We will discuss the neurocognitive processes involved in reading, address challenges and potential barriers that arise when literacy acquisition goes wrong, and introduce evidence for brain differences associated with dyslexia, including structural and functional alterations in key brain regions implicated in reading and language processing.

Traditionally, students have had to fail at reading before receiving systematic and intensive instruction to ameliorate the challenges associated with reading disability. We will present evidence-based strategies for assessment and instruction in reading. Emphasising early intervention, we will also consider students who are resistant to remediation or who remain unidentified until middle or high school level.