Davis-Barquero-2011
Authors: Nicole Davis , Laura Barquero, Donald L Compton, Lynn S Fuchs, Douglas Fuchs, John C Gore, Adam W Anderson.
Article: Functional correlates of children's responsiveness to intervention. Developmental neuropsychology.
Publication: Developmental Neuropsychology (Taylor and Francis). Volume 36- Issue 3, Pages 288-301 2011 | DOI: 10.1080/87565641.2010.549875
Abstract
Functional imaging research has yielded evidence of changes in poor readers after instructional intervention. Although it is well established that within the group of children with poor reading there are differences in behavioral response to intervention, little is known about the functional correlates of responsiveness. Therefore, we acquired functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data from children identified as “at risk for reading disability” who responded differently to a reading intervention (5 responders; 5 nonresponders; 4 controls). Groups differed in activation level of the left hemisphere posterior superior temporal and the middle temporal gyri, suggesting that future imaging studies should consider responders and nonresponders separately.
Davis, N., Barquero, L., Compton, D. L., Fuchs, L. S., Fuchs, D., Gore, J. C., & Anderson, A. W. (2011). Functional correlates of children’s responsiveness to intervention. Developmental neuropsychology, 36(3), 288–301. https://doi.org/10.1080/87565641.2010.549875
Although differences in functional activation were seen between the control group and the two treatment groups, the comparison of most interest was the treatment nonresponders versus the treatment responders. These children received the same quantity and quality of treatment at the same point in time. From these contrasts, we found that children who had limited reading growth relative to their peers, those within the NR group, exhibited a functional profile typical for individuals with RD. That is, they had relative under activation in their left hemisphere cortices during a letter–sound matching task. As expected, compared to the NR group the R group exhibited greater left hemisphere activation in the STG (Aylward et al., 2003; Shaywitz et al., 2004; Simos et al., 2002; 2005; 2006). Our largest group difference was found in a posterior region of the STG (BA 22). This region of the ST lobe is involved in processes related to speech perception and speech production (Hickock & Poeppel 2000; Indefrey & Levelt, 2000). In particular, this region is believed to be involved in constructing the phonological representations of speech sounds, which are critical for word reading. Collectively, the functional evidence in our study suggests a relationship between responsiveness to treatment and the ability to construct sound based representations of speech.
