Reprinted from Wolf, Maryanne & Gotlieb, Rebecca & Kim, Sohyun & Pedroza, Veronica & Rhinehart, Laura & Gorno-Tempini, Maria Luisa & Sears, Sue. (2024). Towards a dynamic, comprehensive conceptualization of dyslexia. Annals of Dyslexia. 74. 1-22. 10.1007/s11881-023-00297-1.
Reading and the Brain
The Science of Reading encompasses research from a number of disciplines, all of which focus on how learners acquire phonemic awareness and language comprehension, including:
- Neuroscience
- Linguistics
- Cognitive and Developmental Psychology
- Communication Sciences
- Education & Special Education
Reading begins in the brain, where information is taken in and processed–starting at the back of the brain and moving to the front of the brain, where comprehension (executive function) takes place.
As this process occurs, neuronal pathways form–that is, the brain develops a connection between different areas. This connection is actually strands of myelin, also known as white matter–the more the better because white matter is a physical response to the link between phonemes and meaning!