BBC News Online: Health

Birth test for dyslexia

Psychologists in the US measured 36-hour-old infants' brain activity as they listened to sounds and recorded the brainwave patterns formed.

They then monitored the children's IQ every two years until the age of eight.

Several differences in the brainwave patterns of the newborns singled out the future dyslexics from the better readers.

However, some of the better readers also had brainwave differences leading the researchers to call for further studies.

Early detection

The work, led by Dr Dennis Molfese, at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, is reported in New Scientist magazine.

In most cases dyslexia is not detected until school age.

"By this time, children's minds are not so flexible and they find it harder to master new skills," Dr Molfese, told the magazine.

However, he was aware that the test would need to be fine-tuned.

"What is needed now is a prospective study of the same brain patterns in other samples, to see if they are reliable," said Dr Molfese.

Treatment

He is persuaded by studies that suggest that dyslexia partly arises from early hearing problems, and suggested that infants who look likely to develop the disorder following the test could be fitted with a special hearing aid to accentuate the differences between speech sounds.

Rod Nicolson, a dyslexia specialist at Sheffield University, said the unreliability of the test might cause unnecessary anxiety for children and parents, although the approach had potential.

But he disagreed with the idea of special hearing aids, believing that interference with normal hearing could slow down the rate at which children acquired language.

Instead, he suggested checks for hearing difficulties and increasing an infant's exposure to speech.

Relevant Stories

Dyslexia linked to brain abnormality (13 May 99 | Health)
Dyslexia linked to nerve damage (22 Apr 99 | Health)
'I can see clearly now' (28 Jul 98 | Health)

Internet Links

British Dyslexia Association
Dyslexia Institute
New Scientist

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Links to other Health stories