Texas Center for Learning Disabilities

Andrew Papanicolaou Ph.D. is the Principal Investigator for the brain imaging component of the project.

The objective for brain imaging is to use magnetoencephalography (MEG) to establish neurological correlates for specific subtypes of learning disabled children and establish features of brain activation profiles associated with adequate and poor response to different interventions.

We propose four specific aims in connection with this objective:

1. To establish task-specific features of brain activation profiles that characterize specific subtypes of reading disabled (RD) children. We will examine how activation profiles associated with different reading tasks vary for different dyslexia subtypes. We plan to test non impaired (NI) an RD children in Grades 2 and 6 classified in each of three hypothetical reading disability subtypes (children with predominant word recognition difficulties, children with primarily fluency problems, and children who demonstrate problems primarily with both listening and reading comprehension).

2. To establish task-specific features of brain activation profiles associated with adequate and poor response to class-wide instructional remediation. To achieve this goal, data will be obtained on the same reading tasks used to address the first aim from second and sixth graders who will be classified as “responders” or “non-responders” to classroom-based intervention performed in Grades 1 and 5, respectively. Data for equal numbers of NI readers will also be collected.

3. Examine task-specific changes of brain activation profiles associated with adequate response to small-group or individualized, intensive instructional remediation in children who initially failed to benefit from class-wide intervention. For that purpose responders (who will subsequently receive regular instruction) and non-responders (receiving intensive intervention during Grades 3 and 7, respectively) will be tested at baseline and again in Grades 3 and 7.

4. Establish long-term follow up data for children who benefit from systematic classroom based intervention. For that purpose responders will be tested again after one and a half years of receiving regular classroom instruction.