Dyslexia and the brain: what research tells us

What happens in the brain of a child with dysorthographia? Thanks to brain imaging, researchers have learnt a great deal about how we learn to read and write. Without going into technical detail, here is what you need to know, and why these discoveries are rather encouraging for your child. Nothing complicated: just the essentials to understand and reassure.

The brain is not designed for reading and writing

Writing is a recent invention on the scale of humanity, only a few thousand years old. Our brain therefore has no area set aside from birth for reading and writing. On the timescale of evolution, that is extremely short.

When a child learns to read and write, their brain repurposes areas that were used for other things, such as the visual recognition of objects or the processing of speech sounds. It creates new connections between these areas. This is what some researchers call neuronal recycling.

This recycling takes time and practice. In most children, it happens without any major difficulty. In children with dys- disorders, it happens differently and less efficiently. This is not a defect; it is simply another way of processing written information.

The areas involved in writing

Several regions of the brain work together to read and write, mainly in the left hemisphere. Some process the sounds of language, others recognise the shape of written words, and still others link the two. These regions form a genuine network, which develops over the course of learning.

Researchers have in particular identified an area specialised in recognising written words, sometimes called the visual word form area. It develops as the child learns to read. In an expert reader, it responds very quickly as soon as a word appears.

To write, the areas for language, memory and movement must also be engaged. It is genuine teamwork between several regions, which must communicate rapidly. The slightest weakness in this chain can slow down or disrupt the whole process.

What differs in children with dys- disorders

Imaging studies have shown that, in children with a written language disorder, some of these areas are less active or activate differently during reading and writing. These differences have been observed in children as well as in adults.

The connections between the areas that process sounds and those that process written words also appear to be less efficient. The move from sounds to letters, and the memorising of words, are weakened as a result. The brain sometimes compensates by recruiting other areas, which requires more effort.

This is not a lesion, nor a brain that is “damaged”. It is a different organisation, present before any learning takes place, and partly of genetic origin. It has no link with the child’s general intelligence. See the causes of dysorthographia.

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Working memory

Writing requires holding a great deal of information in mind at the same time: the sentence to be written, the sounds of the word, the letters chosen, the rules of agreement. This is the role of working memory. It can be compared to a small workbench on which we place the useful information.

In many children with dysorthographia, this working memory is more limited or becomes overloaded more quickly. When writing a word requires a great deal of effort, there are not enough resources left to think about grammar. Their errors then increase markedly in longer texts or when they have to work quickly.

This explains why the child knows their rules but does not apply them when writing. Targeted proofreading strategies can help compensate for this limitation. See grammatical dysorthographia.

A brain that can change

The good news is that the brain is plastic, meaning it is capable of changing through learning. This is especially true in children, but it remains possible throughout life. Every new skill leaves a trace in the brain, by strengthening certain connections.

Studies have shown that intensive remedial work can change the activity of the areas involved in reading and writing in children with dys- disorders. Their functioning then comes closer to that of other children. These results are very encouraging for families.

This is one more reason to start remedial work early, when the brain is at its most malleable. But it is never too late to make progress, even in adolescence or adulthood. See speech and language therapy remediation.

Why some methods work better

Research also helps us understand why certain methods are more effective. Approaches that strengthen the link between sounds and letters, in an explicit and gradual way, produce good results. They are now at the heart of recommendations for remediating dys- disorders.

Multisensory methods, which combine sight, hearing and movement, help create stronger memory traces. This is what many speech and language therapists use. Linking a gesture or an image to a sound, for example, helps the child remember it.

Conversely, solutions that promise quick results without working on writing, such as certain eye exercises, have not proven their worth. Be wary of promises of rapid cures, which are often expensive and have no proven effect. See learning spelling in a different way.

What these discoveries change

Knowing that dysorthographia has a basis in the brain changes how we view the child. Their difficulties do not come from a lack of willpower, but from a different way their brain functions. It becomes easier to be patient in the face of repeated errors.

For the child, it is often a relief to understand that their brain works differently, and that they can make progress with the right methods. It helps them stop believing they are useless. They can then approach their difficulties with greater calm.

Research is still advancing, and new avenues of remedial work are being studied every year. Children today benefit from knowledge that their parents did not have. These advances also make it possible to better train teachers and professionals. See common misconceptions.

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Questions that keep coming up

Is a child's dysorthographic brain damaged? ?

No. It functions differently, with a particular organisation of the areas involved in writing. It is neither a lesion nor an illness, and it does not affect intelligence. It simply learns to read and write by taking slightly different paths.

Can an MRI diagnose dysorthographia? ?

No. Brain imaging is a research tool, not a diagnostic one. Diagnosis is based on the speech and language assessment, which evaluates the child’s written skills. The assessment is carried out by a speech and language therapist (orthophoniste), on medical prescription.

Can remedial work change the brain? ?

Yes, studies have shown that intensive remedial work can change the activity of the areas involved in reading and writing. This is known as brain plasticity, which is particularly strong in children. This is one more reason not to wait before starting support.