Neural correlates of phonological awareness and beginning literacy.

In the Netherlands, almost nine percent of the children following primary
education suffer from a reading disorder. A better scientific understanding of
how the brain learns spoken and written language is essential for gaining
insight into the causes and effects of reading disorders, so that better
programs for diagnosis and treatment can be developed. What are the neural
mechanisms mediating the acquisition of listening and reading skills? In spite
of a growing consistency on the general layout of the cognitive and
neuroanatomical components of the adult language system to date still very
little is known about how the brain learns to understand spoken and written
language. This research project investigates the phonological representations
in the developing brain. We will first identify, and validate neural signatures
of phonological processing in preschool children. Then, we apply these neural
measures to gain insight in the relation between the development of
phonological awareness and reading skills.

To gain insight in the neural mechanisms underlying of the development of
literacy.

We will investigate the neural basis of phonological awareness in three groups
of children; 1) pre-school children who have not received any formal reading
education, 2) first-grade children who have started their reading education,
and 3) second grade children whose reading skill are more developed. By using
different tasks in combination with electrophysiological measures, we will be
able to distinguish between different levels of phonological processing. By
using three groups of children in different stages of reading education we will
determine to what extent the neural measures of phonological awareness obtained
in pre-school children are related of their later progress in learning how to
read. We will use the same experimental paradigm in all sessions. This way, we
will be able to track neural changes in phonological representations following
education and development.

There are no risks associated with the study. The burden for the children is
extremely low. The EEG will be recorded using ActiCap electrode sets. These
caps are easy to apply, and especially suited for testing children. EEG
measurement will take place in a minivan that is especially designed to test
children at the location of their school or home, which minizes the burden even
further. Momentarily the bus and all products are successfully used at the
Behavioral Science Institute for EEG recording in school children and children
suffering from cerebral palsy. Experimental tasks are designed in such a way
that they can be easily carried by the study population to keep the cognitive
burden at a minimum. Children can relax and play during frequent breaks