Understanding Dyslexia through Cognitive Psychology

Understanding Dyslexia through Cognitive Psychology

Dyslexia is a common learning disability that affects one’s ability to read and interpret words, letters, and other symbols. However, it does not affect general intelligence. This paper aims to explore dyslexia through the lens of cognitive psychology, focusing on two theories that support understanding and improving this condition: the Dual Route Model and the Visual Attention Span Theory.

Theories Supporting Dyslexia Understanding

Dual Route Model

The Dual Route Model of reading posits that there are two cognitive pathways for reading: the lexical route and the non-lexical route. The lexical route refers to the ability to read words as intact wholes, where the viewer has prior knowledge of the form of the words. The second is the non-lexical route, where words are processed based on sounds by phonological processing, smaller units such as phonemes (Ziegler et al., 2020). Dyslexia patients have difficulties with the use of the non-lexical route due to a problem with the recognition of unfamiliar words, and, as a result, they tend to read slower and have problems comprehending the information being read.

Visual Attention Span Theory

The Visual Attention Span Theory indicates that dyslexia is associated with weak visual attention abilities. This theory presupposes that people with dyslexia cannot handle the number of visual inputs as efficiently as others do. This deficit undermines their ability to read because reading entails the process of combining individual letters and words over a short time. In addition, Perry and Long (2022) note that it is possible that individuals with dyslexia should be able to perform better than normal individuals in tasks involving wider visual attention, like trying to locate patterns or aberrations in large visual scenes.

Explanation of Concepts and Terminology

To better understand these theories, it is essential to explain some key concepts and terminology used in cognitive psychology and dyslexia research.

Lexical Route

This refers to the process of identifying words as whole units of recognition in accordance with stored images in memory. One of the advantages of using this mode of reading is that it is fast and does not cause any delay as one reads familiar words in the text (Hendrix et al., 2019).

Non-Lexical Route

This includes phonemic decoding, which refers to the ability to read words through sound grouping. That is why it is slower and is used for recognizing familiar as well as unfamiliar or new words (Rojasavastera et al., 2020).

Visual Attention Span

This is the capacity to process multiple visual elements simultaneously. In reading, this means being able to recognize and process several letters or words at once.

Phonemes

These are the smallest units of sound in a certain language that distinguish its meaning from other languages (Snowling et al., 2020). One of the problems with dyslexia can be a problem in phoneme differentiation, which then affects the phonetic decoding of words.

Application of Actionable Steps to Improve Cognition

As a complex learning disability, dyslexia must be managed using a range of educational techniques and cognitive-behavioral procedures. According to the theories discussed in the paper, the following strategies can be employed in order to enhance the ability of dyslexic persons to read effectively:

Phonological Training

By performing phonological exercises that are designed to increase the effectiveness of the non-lexical route, it is possible to strengthen this component. Phoneme awareness exercises like phoneme segmentation, blending of sounds or phonemes combined in words, as well as the manipulation of phonemes, should enhance the capacity to read words phonetically (Srinivas et al., 2021).

Visual Attention Training

As there exists a correlation between visual attention span and dyslexia, training programs that improve visual skills may be helpful. These might include exercises that enhance one’s capacity to attend to several visual facets at a time (Caldani et al., 2020).

Assistive Technology

Self-correcting technologies like text-to-speech and audiobooks can benefit dyslexic learners since the reader can understand information other than phonetics (Krivanek et al., 2021).

Environmental Adjustments

Maintaining a positive learning environment free of noise and offering well-organized material in terms of print format will enhance concentration and reading skills in dyslexic patients.

Conclusion

Both the Dual Route Model and the Visual Attention Span Theory give useful information on the ways in which reading difficulties take place. Thus, based on the targeted and purposeful approach to the development of interventions and support for children with dyslexia, one can enhance their reading fluency as well as global cognition. It not only tries to remediate all the weaknesses that dyslexia brings but also to build on all the strengths of these children, thus making learning a more positive experience.

References

Caldani, S., Gerard, C.-L., Peyre, H., & Bucci, M. P. (2020). Visual attentional training improves reading capabilities in children with dyslexia: An eye tracker study during a reading task. Brain Sciences, 10(8), 558. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci10080558

Hendrix, P., Ramscar, M., & Baayen, H. (2019). NDRA: A single route model of response times in the reading aloud task based on discriminative learning. PLOS ONE, 14(7), e0218802. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0218802

Krivanek, T. J., Gale, S. A., McFeeley, B. M., Nicastri, C. M., & Daffner, K. R. (2021). Promoting successful cognitive aging: A ten-year update. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, 81(3), 1–50. https://doi.org/10.3233/jad-201462

Perry, C., & Long, H. (2022). What is going on with visual attention in reading and dyslexia? A critical review of recent studies. Brain Sciences, 12(1), 87. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci12010087

Rojasavastera, R., Bovonsunthonchai, S., Hiengkaew, V., & Senanarong, V. (2020). Action observation combined with gait training to improve gait and cognition in the elderly with mild cognitive impairment: A randomized controlled trial. Dementia & Neuropsychologia, 14(2), 118–127. https://doi.org/10.1590/1980-57642020dn14-020004

Snowling, M. J., Hulme, C., & Nation, K. (2020). Defining and understanding dyslexia: Past, present and future. Oxford Review of Education, 46(4), 501–513. https://doi.org/10.1080/03054985.2020.1765756

Srinivas, N. S., Vimalan, V., Padmanabhan, P., & Gulyás, B. (2021). An overview of cognitive function enhancement through physical exercises. Brain Sciences, 11(10), 1289. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11101289

Ziegler, J. C., Perry, C., & Zorzi, M. (2020). Learning to read and dyslexia: From theory to intervention through personalized computational models. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 29(3), 096372142091587. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721420915873

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PROMPT: Dyslexia occurs for several reasons and impacts cognition in a few ways. After researching two theories on dyslexia, summarize the major findings in a short paper. Be sure to follow all criteria in the guidelines and rubric.

Understanding Dyslexia

For additional details, please refer to the Short Paper Guidelines and Rubric.

Textbook: Cognitive Psychology Interactive eBook, Chapter 9
This chapter discusses the basic rules and components of language

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