Do fatty acids help in overcoming reading difficulties? A double-blind, placebo-controlled study of the effects of eicosapentaenoic acid and carnosine supplementation on children with dyslexia.

Background  There are claims that dietary supplementation of unsaturated fatty acids could help children with dyslexia to overcome their reading problems. However, these claims have not yet been empirically tested. Methods  This study was designed to test whether dietary supplementation was superior to placebo in treating reading, spelling or other reading-related skills of children with dyslexia. The experimental group (eicosapentaenoic acid, EPA, n = 30) ate dietary supplements and the control group (placebo, n = 31) placebos during the 90-day treatment period. The supplements contained omega-3 fatty acid (ethyl-EPA, 500 mg/day) and carnosine (400 mg/day). The groups were matched for read…

Literacy programs efficacy for developing children’s early reading skills in familiar language in Zambia

This study investigated the comparative efficacy of a phonics-based reading program and a language experience approach based literacy program to develop reading skills among Zambian early childhood school learners. The learners (n = 1 986; Grade 2 level; females = 50.1%) took either the phonics-based reading program (n = 1 593) or the alternative language experience approach based program (n = 393). They were all assessed for reading skills utilising the Early Grade Reading Assessment test (EGRA) in four languages (Cinyanja, Icibemba, Kiikaonde, and Silozi). Results suggest that learners in phonics-based literacy program were significantly better in letter-sound knowledge in all the four la…

Continuity From Prelinguistic Communication to Later Language Ability: A Follow-Up Study From Infancy to Early School Age.

Purpose This longitudinal study examined the development of prelinguistic skills and the continuity of communication and language from the prelinguistic stage to school age. Method Prelinguistic communication of 427 Finnish children was followed repeatedly from 6 to 18 months of age ( n = 203–322 at ages 6, 9, 12, 15, and 18 months), and its associations with language ability at ages 2;0 ( n = 104), 3;0 ( n = 112), 4;7 ( n = 253), 5;3 ( n = 102), and 7;9 ( n = 236) were examined using latent growth curve modeling. Results Prelinguistic development across several skills emerged as a rather stable intraindividual characteristic during the first 2 years of life. Continuity from prelinguistic …

Yhteisintegroituvuudesta ja sen soveltamisesta empiirisen esimerkin avulla Suomen talouteen

The effect of using a mobile literacy game to improve literacy levels of grade one students in Zambian schools

This intervention study was conducted to document conditions under which a computer based literacy game (GraphoGame™) could enhance literacy skills of first grade students in an African city. The participants were first grade students from Government schools (N = 573). These students were randomly sampled into control (N = 314) and various intervention groups (N = 259). GraphoGame™ was administered on cellphones to students at their schools under supervision. Each student in the study was assessed using a battery of locally developed cognitive tests that measured emergent literacy skills (Orthography test), decoding competence (Spelling test), vocabulary (Picture Vocabulary Test—PVT) and ar…

Audiovisual speech perception in children with developmental language disorder in degraded listening conditions.

Purpose The effect of the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) on the perception of audiovisual speech in children with and without developmental language disorder (DLD) was investigated by varying the noise level and the sound intensity of acoustic speech. The main hypotheses were that the McGurk effect (in which incongruent visual speech alters the auditory speech percept) would be weaker for children with DLD than for controls and that it would get stronger with decreasing SNR in both groups. Method The participants were 8-year-old children with DLD and a sample of children with normal language development. In the McGurk stimuli, the consonant uttered by the voice differed from that articulated …

Edistääkö tavuharjoittelu lukemisen sujuvuutta? : tietokonepohjainen harjoittelukokeilu tois- ja kolmasluokkalaisilla heikoilla lukijoilla

Tämä artikkeli perustuu Heikkilän, Aron, Närhin, Westerholmin ja Ahosen artikkeliin Does the training in syllable recognition improve reading speed? A computer-based trial with poor readers from second and third grade, joka julkaistiin Scientific Studies of Reading -lehden numerossa 17(6) vuonna 2013. Tutkimuksessa selvitettiin, voidaanko tietokonepohjaisella tavujen toistavaan tunnistamiseen perustuvalla menetelmällä vaikuttaa heikkojen lukijoiden lukemissujuvuuteen. Lisäksi selvitettiin, vaikuttavatko lukemisen alkutaso ja nopean nimeämisen taito harjoittelun tehokkuuteen. Tutkimukseen osallistui 150 tois- ja kolmasluokkalaista heikkoa lukijaa, jotka jaettiin satunnaisesti kontrolliryhmää…

Using a phone-based learning tool as an instructional resource for initial literacy learning in rural African families

Background: Despite increased enrolments at primary schools in Zambia, more than half of the children in Grades 1–4 are unable to meet the required minimum standards for literacy. Aim: The study set out to examine the effects of using a phone-based mobile literacy game (Graphogame) to improve literacy skills in children and adults in rural family settings. Setting: The study was conducted in the Katete District, a rural town in the eastern province of Zambia. Methods: Participants were 73 Grade 2 learners (52% boys, mean age 9 years and 48% girls, mean age 10 years) and 37 parents (mean age 36 years). Three literacy tests, measuring letter-sound identification, phonological awareness, spell…

Does training in syllable recognition improve reading speed? A computer-based trial with poor readers from second and third grade.

Repeated reading of infrequent syllables has been shown to increase reading speed at the word level in a transparent orthography. This study confirms these results with a computer-based training method and extends them by comparing the training effects of short syllables and long frequent and infrequent syllables, controlling for rapid automatized naming. Our results, based on a sample of 150 poor readers of Finnish, showed clear gains in reading speed regarding all trained syllables, but a transfer effect to the word level was evident only in the case of long infrequent syllables. Rapid automatized naming was associated with initial reading speed, but not with the training effect. peerRevi…

Reliability and validity of the Finnish version of the motor observation questionnaire for teachers.

Objectives: Observational screening instruments are often used as an effective, economical first step in the identification of children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD). The aim was to investigate the psychometric properties of the Finnish version of the Motor Observation Questionnaire for Teachers (MOQ-T-FI).Methods: The psychometric properties were tested using two separate samples (S1: age range 6-12, M 9y 5mo, females 101, males 92; S2: age range 6-9, M 7y 7mo, females 404, males 446). Teachers completed the MOQ-T-Fl in both samples, and in sample 2 teachers' ratings were compared to student's performance on the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-Second Edition (MABC…

A mobile game as a support tool for children with severe difficulties in reading and spelling

We used a randomized controlled trial to investigate if a mobile game, GraphoLearn (GL), could effectively support the learning of first graders (N = 70), who have severe difficulties in reading and spelling. We studied the effects of two versions of the game: GL Reading, which focused on training letter-sound correspondence and word reading; and GL Spelling, which included additional training in phonological skills and spelling. During the spring of first grade, the children trained with tablet computers which they could carry with them during the six-week intervention. The average exposure time to training was 5 hr 44 min. The results revealed no differences in the development of reading …

Self-regulatory efficacy and sources of efficacy in elementary school pupils: Self-regulatory experiences in a population sample and pupils with attention and executive function difficulties

In this study, we examined self-regulatory efficacy and sources of self-efficacy (mastery experiences, vicarious experiences, social persuasion and physiological/emotional states) and the relationships between self-efficacy and its sources among elementary school pupils. Two groups were compared: a population sample (PS, N = 1284) and pupils with difficulties in attention and executive functions (AED, N = 61). Data gathered from self-report questionnaires indicated that pupils in the PS group had more positive efficacy beliefs and mastery experiences and fewer negative physiological/emotional states than the AED group. Analyses showed strong connections between sources and self-regulatory e…

Motoriikan havainnointilomake (MOQ-T) suomalaisille opettajille - Motor Observation Questionnaire for Teachers -lomakkeen kulttuurinen kääntäminen

Motorisen oppimisen vaikeuksia kuvaava termistö on hyvin kirjavaa. Suomessa ongelmien diagnosoinnissa käytetään käsitteitä kehityksellinen koordinaatiohäiriö ja motoriikan kehityshäiriö. Lapsia, joilla on motorisen oppimisen ongelmia, arvioidaan olevan noin 5–6 prosenttia ikäluokasta; jokaisessa koululuokassa on siis keskimäärin yksi oppilas, joka tarvitsee motoriseen oppimiseensa tukea. Vaikka häiriö on yleinen, liikuntaa opettavilta opettajilta puuttuu työkalut motoriikan oppimisvaikeuden tunnistamiseen kouluympäristössä. Tämän tutkimuksen tarkoituksena oli tehdä kulttuurinen käännös hollantilaisesta opettajille kehitetystä Motor Observation Questionnaire for Teachers (MOQ-T) -lomakkeesta…

The Predictors of Literacy Skills among Monolingual and Bilingual Finnish–Swedish Children During First Grade

The aim of the study was to examine which predictor variables are related to literacy skills among monolingual Swedish (n = 269) and bilingual Finnish–Swedish (n = 229) children at the first grade in the Swedish-speaking schools in Finland. The participants were assessed in phonological awareness, letter knowledge, rapid automatized naming (RAN), word recognition, reading fluency, and spelling. The results showed that RAN was the most significant predictor of reading and spelling skills in both language groups, and monolingual children performed significantly better in RAN. Moreover, letter knowledge predicted reading and spelling skills in both groups. However, no significant differences b…

The Nature of and Factors Related to Reading Difficulties Among Adolescents in a Transparent Orthography

We examined the nature of and factors related to adolescents’ reading difficulties in a highly transparent orthography. We compared word, pseudoword, and text reading speed and accuracy, rapid naming (RAN) and phonological processing between poor readers (n = 80) and normally developing readers (n = 189). Reading problems were manifested in reading speed and in timed pseudoword reading accuracy. RAN predicted speed, and phonological processing predicted accuracy of reading in both groups. Among poor readers, RAN also explained reading accuracy. For the normally developing sample, phonological processing also predicted reading speed.

Continuity of Communication and Language Development (M����tt�� et al., 2016)

Purpose: This longitudinal study examined the development of prelinguistic skills and the continuity of communication and language from the prelinguistic stage to school age. Method: Prelinguistic communication of 427 Finnish children was followed repeatedly from 6 to 18 months of age (n = 203���322 at ages 6, 9, 12, 15, and 18 months), and its associations with language ability at ages 2;0 (n = 104), 3;0 (n = 112), 4;7 (n = 253), 5;3 (n = 102), and 7;9 (n = 236) were examined using latent growth curve modeling. Results: Prelinguistic development across several skills emerged as a rather stable intraindividual characteristic during the first 2 years of life. Continuity from prelinguistic de…

The Role of Family on Pathways to Acquiring Early Reading Skills In Lusaka’s Low-Income Communities

This paper reports findings from the study that examined the role of family in children’s acquisition of early reading skills. We recruited 72 first-grade learners and their parents from low-income Zambian families for the study. In response to a home literacy questionnaire, parents reported on their reading attitudes and family literacy environment. Children’s early reading skills were assessed using two early reading tests (orthographic awareness and decoding competence), both conducted at two different points during the year. Regression analyses of pretest and gain scores revealed that parental reading attitude and family literacy environment significantly predicted early reading skills.…