Marta Bogdanowicz

Characteristics of cognitive deficits and writing skills of Polish adults with developmental dyslexia

The present study was aimed at analysing cognitive deficits of dyslexic adults, and examining their written language skills in comparison with their peers. Our results confirm the presence of a certain profile of symptoms in adult dyslexics. We noticed deficits in: phonological (verbal) short-term memory, phonological awareness, rapid automatised naming (speed, self-corrections), visual perception and control, and visual-motor coordination. Moreover, the dyslexic participants, as compared with their nondyslexic peers, produced more word structure errors whilst writing an essay. However, there were no significant differences between the two groups in the length of the essay, the number of linguistic and punctuation errors, the number of adjectives, and stylistic devices.

Evaluation of a neurotherapy program for a child with ADHD with Benign Partial Epilepsy with Rolandic Spikes (BPERS) using event-related potentials

Summary Background We hypothesized that there would be a good response to relative beta training, applied to regulate the dynamics of brain function in a patient with benign partial epilepsy with Rolandic Spikes (BPERS), associated with neuropsychiatric deficits resembling the symptoms of attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Case Report The patient, E.Z., age 9.3, was suffering from neuropsychiatric symptoms, cognitive dysfunction, especially attention deficits, and behavioral changes, rendering him unable to function independently in school and in many situations of everyday life. He was treated for epilepsy, but only slight progress was made. The patient took part in 20 sessions of relative beta training combined with behavioral training. We used standardized neuropsychological testing, as well as ERPs before the experiment and after the completion of the neurotherapy program. Neuropsychological testing at baseline showed multiple cognitive deficits. Over the course of neurotherapy, E.Z.’s verbal and non-verbal IQ increased significantly. His cognitive functions also improved, including immediate and delayed logical and visual recall on the WMS-III, maintaining attention on the WMS-III, and executive functions, but remained below norms. Physiologically, the patient showed substantial changes after neurotherapy, including fewer spikes and an increased P300 NOGO component. Conclusions The cognitive deficits characteristic for ADHD in a child with BPERS may be unresponsive to antiepileptic treatment, but are reversible after a carefully selected neurotherapy program, combined with antiepileptic treatment. Event Related Potentials (ERPs) in the GO/NOGO task can be used to assess functional brain changes induced by neurotherapeutical programs.

Psychological Resources of Adults With Developmental Dyslexia

The aim of our study was to describe specific psychological resources of adults with developmental dyslexia and compare them with psychological resources of adults without developmental dyslexia. Potential differences were analyzed in visual-spatial, creative, and motivational abilities. No evidence was found for either creative, or visuospatial superiority in adults with developmental dyslexia. The results suggest, however, that visual-spatial processing of nonverbal material by adults with developmental dyslexia allows them to efficiently execute tasks that are based on sequential material. Moreover, the participants with specific difficulties in reading and writing exhibited a significantly higher level of aspirations than their peers without such difficulties with a comparable level of educational achievement. These results suggest that succeeding in different fields by highly functioning adult dyslexics may depend on personality and motivational factors, rather than cognitive factors.

MEMORY IMPAIRMENTS IN ADULTS WITH DYSLEXIA

The aim of our study was to analyze the functioning of various aspects of memory in adults with developmental dys lexia, as compared to adults without developmental dyslexia. Our research involved a total of 180 adults, mostly students and university graduates from the Tri-City metropolitan region in north central Poland. The criterion group consisted of 93 adults with developmental dyslexia, while the control group consisted of 87 adults without developmental dyslexia. The results obtained confirm the assumption of a lower level of functioning of individuals with dyslexia in relation to phonemic analysis and phonemic awareness, phonological awareness and verbal working memory, visual working memory and perception in a task requiring the analysis and synthesis of details of a complex pattern, recalling data from the mental lexicon. The two groups did not differ in terms of working visuospatial memory (spatial span). These results are consistent with a majority of scientific reports on memory function ing in adults with developmental dyslexia. Our findings confirm the phonological deficit hypothesis, as the most profound disturbances were observed in phonological processing and verbal working memory. Moreover, our studies do not provide support for the compensation model of dyslexia, as diverse memory deficits persist into adulthood. However, adults with dyslexia were aware of their cognitive limitations in terms of memory.

Modele zasobów psychologicznych osób dorosłych z dysleksją i bez tego zaburzenia

Self-regulation, anxiety, depressiveness, personalisty styles, and work preoccupation in young adults The aim of the study

Diagnosis and Treatment of Children with Reading and Writing Difficulties in Poland.

IN POLAND the problem of specific difficulties in learning to read and write was noticed before the Second World War. Multidisciplinary investigations began in the 1950s. Our concepts of special difficulties of reading and writing are based on Luria, Konorski, Tomaszewski and Spioneks theories. Multidisciplinary examinations in diagnosis are employed and a system of therapeutic care is provided which includes small correction‐compensation groups, special grades, the ward for dyslexic children and individual treatment in outpatient clinics. Current work is focussing on the prevention of special learning difficulties.