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Non-game like training benefits spoken foreign-language processing in children with dyslexia

Children with dyslexia often face difficulties in learning foreign languages, which is reflected as weaker neural activation. However, digital language-learning applications could support learning-induced plastic changes in the brain. Here we aimed to investigate whether plastic changes occur in chi...

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Autores principales: Junttila, Katja, Smolander, Anna-Riikka, Karhila, Reima, Kurimo, Mikko, Ylinen, Sari
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Frontiers Media S.A. 2023
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10036584/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36968782
http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2023.1122886
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author Junttila, Katja
Smolander, Anna-Riikka
Karhila, Reima
Kurimo, Mikko
Ylinen, Sari
author_facet Junttila, Katja
Smolander, Anna-Riikka
Karhila, Reima
Kurimo, Mikko
Ylinen, Sari
author_sort Junttila, Katja
collection PubMed
description Children with dyslexia often face difficulties in learning foreign languages, which is reflected as weaker neural activation. However, digital language-learning applications could support learning-induced plastic changes in the brain. Here we aimed to investigate whether plastic changes occur in children with dyslexia more readily after targeted training with a digital language-learning game or similar training without game-like elements. We used auditory event-related potentials (ERPs), specifically, the mismatch negativity (MMN), to study learning-induced changes in the brain responses. Participants were 24 school-aged Finnish-speaking children with dyslexia and 24 age-matched typically reading control children. They trained English speech sounds and words with “Say it again, kid!” (SIAK) language-learning game for 5 weeks between ERP measurements. During the game, the players explored game boards and produced English words aloud to score stars as feedback from an automatic speech recognizer. To compare the effectiveness of the training type (game vs. non-game), we embedded in the game some non-game levels stripped of all game-like elements. In the dyslexia group, the non-game training increased the MMN amplitude more than the game training, whereas in the control group the game training increased the MMN response more than the non-game training. In the dyslexia group, the MMN increase with the non-game training correlated with phonological awareness: the children with poorer phonological awareness showed a larger increase in the MMN response. Improved neural processing of foreign speech sounds as indicated by the MMN increase suggests that targeted training with a simple application could alleviate some spoken foreign-language learning difficulties that are related to phonological processing in children with dyslexia.
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spelling pubmed-100365842023-03-25 Non-game like training benefits spoken foreign-language processing in children with dyslexia Junttila, Katja Smolander, Anna-Riikka Karhila, Reima Kurimo, Mikko Ylinen, Sari Front Hum Neurosci Neuroscience Children with dyslexia often face difficulties in learning foreign languages, which is reflected as weaker neural activation. However, digital language-learning applications could support learning-induced plastic changes in the brain. Here we aimed to investigate whether plastic changes occur in children with dyslexia more readily after targeted training with a digital language-learning game or similar training without game-like elements. We used auditory event-related potentials (ERPs), specifically, the mismatch negativity (MMN), to study learning-induced changes in the brain responses. Participants were 24 school-aged Finnish-speaking children with dyslexia and 24 age-matched typically reading control children. They trained English speech sounds and words with “Say it again, kid!” (SIAK) language-learning game for 5 weeks between ERP measurements. During the game, the players explored game boards and produced English words aloud to score stars as feedback from an automatic speech recognizer. To compare the effectiveness of the training type (game vs. non-game), we embedded in the game some non-game levels stripped of all game-like elements. In the dyslexia group, the non-game training increased the MMN amplitude more than the game training, whereas in the control group the game training increased the MMN response more than the non-game training. In the dyslexia group, the MMN increase with the non-game training correlated with phonological awareness: the children with poorer phonological awareness showed a larger increase in the MMN response. Improved neural processing of foreign speech sounds as indicated by the MMN increase suggests that targeted training with a simple application could alleviate some spoken foreign-language learning difficulties that are related to phonological processing in children with dyslexia. Frontiers Media S.A. 2023-03-10 /pmc/articles/PMC10036584/ /pubmed/36968782 http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2023.1122886 Text en Copyright © 2023 Junttila, Smolander, Karhila, Kurimo and Ylinen. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
spellingShingle Neuroscience
Junttila, Katja
Smolander, Anna-Riikka
Karhila, Reima
Kurimo, Mikko
Ylinen, Sari
Non-game like training benefits spoken foreign-language processing in children with dyslexia
title Non-game like training benefits spoken foreign-language processing in children with dyslexia
title_full Non-game like training benefits spoken foreign-language processing in children with dyslexia
title_fullStr Non-game like training benefits spoken foreign-language processing in children with dyslexia
title_full_unstemmed Non-game like training benefits spoken foreign-language processing in children with dyslexia
title_short Non-game like training benefits spoken foreign-language processing in children with dyslexia
title_sort non-game like training benefits spoken foreign-language processing in children with dyslexia
topic Neuroscience
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10036584/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36968782
http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2023.1122886
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