With hearing aids for dyslexia

Hearing aids help children with reading spelling weaknesses

04/09/2012

Children with literacy skills can benefit significantly from a hearing aid, according to a study by the research team led by Jane Hornickel of Northwestern University's Institute of Communication Science and Disorders in Evanston, Illinois. With the help of the hearing aid, the cause of dyslexia - namely the imprecise perception of certain sounds - has been corrected, the scientists report in the journal „Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences“ (PNAS).

It has long been known that children with reading-spelling weakness compared to their peers „often an increased variability in the sensory and cognitive aspects of hearing“ exhibit, write Hornickel and colleagues. These variations in auditory processing, for example, manifest difficulties in distinguishing certain sounds. Since the children can not clearly differentiate the sounds, they also find it much harder to connect them with certain letters. The US researchers therefore came up with the idea to improve the acoustic perception of the affected children with the help of hearing aids, so as to correct their reading-spelling weakness.

Variations in auditory processing cause of dyslexia?
The variability in the auditory processing has the consequence that dyslexics difficult to distinguish similar sounding consonants or words. In addition, children with reading-spelling weakness in their acoustic perception are increasingly affected by noise such as classroom noise. The researchers therefore tested the use of a specially designed for class teaching hearing aid, which specifically amplifies the voice of the microphone-equipped teacher and makes it more perceptible. „We wanted to know if specially designed hearing aids can help dyslexic children. "For one year, the children, all of whom go to private schools specifically for children with reading-spelling problems, wore their hearing aids The 38 study participants were between the ages of 8 and 14. Before the start of the trial period, the researchers measured the reading ability of the children and the activity in the hearing center of the subjects' brains, and the children showed an increased level, as expected „Variability of subcortical responses“ especially in the processing of consonants, but their fundamental hearing was completely normal, the US scientists report in the journal „PNAS“.

Hearing aids alleviate the reading-spelling weakness
"By wearing the hearing aid, the students were able to hear the teachers despite distracting noise loud and clear, which had a positive effect on their reading spelling weakness, "write Hornickel and colleagues.Also, the fluctuations in auditory processing had decreased, according to the US Researchers continue to have the hearing center after wearing the hearing aid „much more consistent and accurate than a year ago“, write the scientists. The control group - also students of the private schools for dyslexics - showed, according to the researchers, no approaches of a similar development. The team around Jane Hornickel concludes that „Hearing aids improve the neural representation of speech and the impact on reading competences through increased acoustic clarity and attention, as well as reducing variations in auditory processing.“ A positive side effect was also that the children overall were able to follow and learn much better the lessons. (Fp)

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Dyslexia: early test can detect reading weakness
Reading weakness in children early recognizable

Picture: Hans Snoek