Special Education Report Roundup

Reading Disabilities

By Christina A. Samuels — September 30, 2008 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Children with reading disabilities use more of their brains to comprehend sentences, says one of the first published studies to use functional magnetic resonance imaging to compare brain activity associated with sentence comprehension among children with reading disabilities and typical readers.

The study, published in the June issue of the journal Cerebral Cortex, also noted that increased activation in specific regions of the brain contributed to poorer performance on reading and language measures. The research was led by Laurie Cutting, the director of the Education and Brain Research Program at the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore.

The research is expected to provide the initial foundations for understanding the neurological processes underlying higher-level reading skills.

A version of this article appeared in the October 01, 2008 edition of Education Week

Events

Reading & Literacy K-12 Essentials Forum Supporting Struggling Readers in Middle and High School
Join this free virtual event to learn more about policy, data, research, and experiences around supporting older students who struggle to read.
School & District Management Webinar Squeeze More Learning Time Out of the School Day
Learn how to increase learning time for your students by identifying and minimizing classroom disruptions.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Webinar
Improve Reading Comprehension: Three Tools for Working Memory Challenges
Discover three working memory workarounds to help your students improve reading comprehension and empower them on their reading journey.
Content provided by Solution Tree

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Special Education A Small Change in Special Ed. Rules Could Affect Equity, Accountability, Advocates Warn
The paperwork change could make it harder to track equity in special education, advocates said.
5 min read
A young  student of color struggles to carry a large heavy backpack conceptual
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty
Special Education Spotlight Spotlight on MTSS in Practice: From Life Skills to Learning Strategies
This Spotlight focuses on MTSS, providing a framework to support both students and educators across a range of needs and settings.
Special Education Teachers Are Using AI to Help Write IEPs. Advocates Have Concerns
Experts call for guardrails around the ethical, legal, and instructional concerns.
9 min read
Female student retrieving an IEP document from a giant laptop equipped with artificial intelligence.
iStock/Getty Images + Vanessa Solis/Education Week
Special Education Opinion ‘Educational Exile’: How Trump’s Layoffs Threaten Students With Disabilities
Here’s what’s at stake for millions of students if we lose federal enforcement of IDEA.
Susan Haas
4 min read
Wheelchair user obstacle metaphor. Conquering adversity. Hurdle on way concept. Overcoming obstacle on road. Vector illustration 3d isometric design. Barrier on way to success.
iStock/Getty Images + Vanessa Solis/Education Week