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Memory span in children with reading disabilities

University of British Columbia

Short term memory span for sounds and symbols and the acquisition of symbol-sound associations were investigated in dyslexic, compensated dyslexic, and normal readers. Tests of memory were administered to the two groups of children with a history of dyslexia and to age matched and reading level matched comparison groups. The memory tests included phonological pre- and posttests, visual iconic memory pre- and posttests, visual span pre- and posttests, and a sound-symbol training procedure. The dyslexic children showed deficits in phonological rehearsal and immediate phonological memory relative to both age and reading level matched comparison groups. They also had deficits in iconic memory relative to the age matched group, and iconic memory as well as visual memory span relative to the reading level matched group when age was used as a covariate. This suggests that both types of deficit may represent a developmental difference rather than a developmental lag. Training scores were significantly lower for dyslexic children than for either comparison group. They were unrelated to visual and phonological memory, but strongly related to reading scores. Following the sound-symbol training, the phonological and visual posttests were administered using only the name-associated sounds and symbols. Scores on phonological memory span increased significantly for all groups, though the increase was significantly smaller for the dyslexic group than either comparison group. Dyslexics are assumed to show a smaller phonological score increase because they do not develop familiarity with the sounds as easily, and do not benefit from the multiple codes. Visual memory scores decreased following the sound symbol training, more for normal than dyslexic readers. This is interpreted as interference of verbal coding with a predominantly visual task. Dyslexic readers may be less inclined than normal readers to attempt to use the phonological strategy for this task. In most respects, the compensated dyslexic group's scores were equivalent to those of the comparison groups. Compensated dyslexics demonstrated superior phonological rehearsal, iconic memory and associative memory to those who were still dyslexic. This may represent gains in phonological rehearsal, development of stronger visual memory, and/or greater ability to form associations between sounds and symbols.

Thesis/Dissertation

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2009-06-16

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http://hdl.handle.net/2429/9298

Special Education

University of British Columbia

UBCV

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