UT Dallas researchers have released findings from their study on dyslexia showing that a gene associated with the disorder could interfere with the processing of speech, leading to reading problems related to dyslexia.
Previous studies on the disorder have shown that the DCDC2 gene is directly linked to dyslexia. Michael Kilgard, a UT Dallas neuroscientist and a co-author of the study, said his research shows that the gene is essential for the normal auditory processing of complex speech.
Kilgard maintains that there are two theories regarding the cause of dyslexia. The first is a visual or memory theory and the second if the auditory theory. His research puts more emphasis on the auditory theory.
“We now have evidence that strongly suggests that people with dyslexia don’t actually hear all of the sounds they need to hear,” Kilgard said. “If you have trouble hearing the sounds in your language, you will have trouble learning to read later. Armed with this information about a genetic link, we may be able to determine who is at risk for reading problems before they have trouble — before they even start learning to read.”
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