Identification of neurobiological causes and neuro-cognitive profiles in children with isolated reading deficits and isolated spelling deficits

阅读障碍是最常见的发育障碍之一。在过去的几十年里，大量的研究集中在阅读和拼写障碍背后的认知和神经生物学因素上，提高了我们对识字困难的理解。这些研究中的大多数都是基于这样的假设，即阅读障碍和拼写障碍构成了同一种障碍。然而，最近基于大量代表性样本的研究表明，在没有拼写问题的情况下，阅读(流利性)方面的缺陷可能会发生，反之亦然，构成了双重分离。此外，有证据表明，阅读和拼写缺陷可能与不同的认知特征有关，可能有不同的病因。基于对单词识别过程的详细分析，本研究项目旨在进一步明确阅读和拼写缺陷之间的分离。不同的方法，包括眼球跟踪、事件相关电位和功能磁共振成像，将被用来研究单词识别中涉及的认知和神经生物学关联，这些关联可以解释阅读和拼写障碍单独发生的条件。这一方法有助于进一步明确书面语加工发展的理论模型。该项目的结果与干预措施同样相关，因为调查结果可以为专门针对个别问题的培训方案提供基础。

Dyslexia is one of the most common developmental disorders. During the past decades numerous investigations focusing on the cognitive and neurobiological factors underlying reading and spelling deficits have improved our understanding of literacy difficulties. The majority of these studies were based on the assumption that deficits in reading and deficits in spelling comprise one and the same disorder. However, recent research based on large representative samples provides evidence that deficits in reading (fluency) can occur in the absence of spelling problems and vice versa, constituting a double-dissociation. Furthermore, there is evidence that reading and spelling deficits may be associated with differential cognitive profiles and may have different aetiologies. Based on detailed analyses of word recognition processes, this research project aims to further specify the dissociations between reading and spelling deficits. Different methods, including eye-tracking, ERP, and fMRI will be used to investigate the cognitive and neurobiological correlates involved in word recognition that can explain the conditions under which deficits in reading and deficits in spelling occur in isolation. This approach will help to further specify theoretical models of written language processing development. The results of the project are equally relevant for intervention as findings can provide the basis for training programmes that are specifically tailored towards individual problems.