Neuroscience Behind

Reading
 Introduction
Think of a student you currently
teach or previously taught with
whom you’ve had difficulties
identifying the cause of their
struggles in reading. What indicators
of a reading difficulties did you see?

Take a minutes to think and write

your answers on paper.
 Overview of Presentation

01 02 03
Four-Part The Reading Brain Usage of fMRI
Processor Model Identify where each Develop an
Identify and explain processor is located. understanding of how
each processor. fMRIs advance reading
research.

04 05
Deficits Interventions
Identify some indicators Identify reading
that could result in a interventions that are
reading deficit. effective.
 What is the Four-Part Processor?
Phonological Processor - understanding and
retention of spoken language

Orthographic Processor - recognition and

retention of written language
*Words are stored in letter chucks/patterns.

Meaning Processor - organizes words into

categories based on their similar meanings or
meanings of word parts(affixes/morphemes)

Context Processor - supports by interpreting

words using sentence language,
experiences, and background knowledge

Moats, L. C., & Tolman, C. A. (2019). Letrs: Language essentials for teachers of
reading and spelling. Sopris West Educational Services.
 The Reading Brain

Phonological Processor(frontal lobe); Orthographic Processor(occipital lobe);

Meaning and Context Processors(temporal lobe)

Moats, L. C., & Tolman, C. A. (2019). Letrs: Language essentials for teachers of reading and spelling. Sopris West Educational Services.
 fMRI while reading example
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2vWNGv9W3E

Blood flow is used to identify what areas of the brain

are being utilized while completing a task.

Yasmin Anwar, M. R. A. 19, & Anwar, Y. (2019, September 4). A map of the brain can tell what you're
reading about. Berkeley News. Retrieved April 15, 2023, from
https://news.berkeley.edu/2019/08/19/readingbrainmap/

YouTube. (2014, March 12). Reading and the Brain. YouTube. Retrieved April 15, 2023, from
 Phonological Processor Deficit
Identified Deficit: Neural response to rapid auditory processing

Method used to evaluate: Using a fMRI, participants listen to nonlinguistic acoustic that resembles the
structure of vowels-consonants speech syllables, with either rapid or slow transitions.
● Typical readers exhibited activation in the left prefrontal cortex, the phonological processor,
with rapid and slow transitions.
● Struggling readers showed no differentiated response within this brain region.

Intervention provided: Fast ForWord Language Program - “interactive, adaptive, computer-based

training program with 7 modules which focus on rapid auditory processing and oral language skills,
including phoneme discrimination and sentence comprehension”.
● Struggling readers were evaluated again eight weeks later. fMRI showed activate response in
phonological processing with rapid and slow transitions.

Possible outcome if not identified: Speech production errors and further difficulties with other
processors.

Gaab, N., Gabrieli, J. D. E., Deutsch, G. K., Tallal, P., & Temple, E. (2007). Neural correlates of rapid auditory processing are disrupted in children
with developmental dyslexia and ameliorated with training: An fMRI study. Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience IOS Press, 25, 295–310.
 Effective Interventions

Self-guided online Teacher guided:

program:

Fast ForWord Heggerty

Resources. Heggerty. (n.d.). Retrieved April 15, 2023, from
https://heggerty.org/resources/?resource-type=product-sample
 Limitations
Minimum research studies on the meaning
and context processors

Minimum research studies of connections

between processors

Not an exhaustive list reading deficits,

indicators, or effective interventions
Back to Opening
Statements
Refer back to the student whose
name you wrote down earlier, do
you think their reading difficulties
could have been caused by a
deficit in rapid auditory processing?
Do you think these interventions
would have been beneficial?
References
Gaab, N., Gabrieli, J. D. E., Deutsch, G. K., Tallal, P., & Temple, E. (2007). Neural correlates of rapid auditory processing are disrupted in
children with developmental dyslexia and ameliorated with training: An fMRI study. Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience IOS Press,
25, 295–310.

Moats, L. C., & Tolman, C. A. (2019). Letrs: Language essentials for teachers of reading and spelling. Sopris West Educational Services.

Resources. Heggerty. (n.d.). Retrieved April 15, 2023, from https://heggerty.org/resources/?resource-type=product-sample

Yasmin Anwar, M. R. A. 19, & Anwar, Y. (2019, September 4). A map of the brain can tell what you're reading about. Berkeley News.
Retrieved April 15, 2023, from https://news.berkeley.edu/2019/08/19/readingbrainmap/

YouTube. (2014, March 12). Reading and the Brain. YouTube. Retrieved April 15, 2023, from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2vWNGv9W3E
 Thanks!
Do you have any questions?

samantha.hatcher@live.longwood.edu