USA: The predictive value of neuroimaging for reading intervention

Researchers at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) have initiated a study designed to explore the predictive value of neuroimaging for reading intervention with early elementary students.

Principal Investigator Dr. John Gabrieli is the director of the Athinoula A. Martinos Imaging Center at the McGovern Institute in addition to holding a faculty appointment at MIT. Dr. Gabrieli says of the study, "This is an exciting opportunity to deliver intensive reading instruction to children at the young ages when such instruction is thought to be most beneficial, and to use the neuroimaging to better understand which children most benefit from this instruction."

The Summer Time Adventures in Reading and Teaching project will include selection of beginning readers at-risk for reading difficulties. The students will receive six weeks of intensive instruction using the Seeing Stars® program to improve their reading skills. Seeing Stars is designed to stimulate symbol imagery and to develop reading skills including phonemic awareness, word recognition, and fluency.

Participating students will receive fMRI brain scans to measure brain activity, in addition to completing standardized measures of reading, before and after instruction. The intervention will be provided by Lindamood-Bell® staff and will be closely monitored by MIT investigators.

Investigations using brain scans and their relation to reading will potentially help to predict which students may develop reading difficulties and which interventions can help develop and increase brain function and reading performance.