Do Brain Deficiencies Determine Learning Disabilities? 

An Insight Into Theory’s of Dyslexia  

Scott Fisher

Chesapeake College

Psychology 101

The Brain

Psychological Importance • Psychology involves the mental processes of the of the

organism and how they are affected by the physical state, mental state and external environment.

• As for as the physical state you would be able to function or move without the involvement of the brain. With dyslexia the functioning of the muscle condition known as the fovea it reacts in the same way as a spastic muscle.

• Mental state - The brain controls major functions of the body. If there are any problems with the signals to the brain then the brain is unable to give a proper response.

• Some argue that external environment could cause conditions such as dyslexia. Examples would be passing down a defective back brain region and increased overproduction of a part of the frontal brain from the parent to child.

Edevelopmental Dyslexia • Often known as low literacy or the low intelligence quotient

(IQ) • Symptoms are left and right confusions, coordination and poor

sequencing characterized as a neurological syndrome. • John Stein – Magnocellular Theory

Evidence of Dyslexia• 5-10% of children usually boys are dyslexic.• Reading requires good orthographic skills to recognize visual

form of words. This allows one to access meanings directly as well as good phonetical skills to sound out words using knowledge of conversional rules.

• John Stein – Magnocellular Theory

The brain and dyslexia• Temporoparietal language areas on two sides are symmetrical

without left side advantage. • Brain ewarts (Ectopias) are clustered around the left

temporoparietal language areas.• The Magnocellular region is responsible for timing when

reading.• Any visual motion leads to images off the fovea (Eretinal slip)

to bring eyes back on topic.• John Stein – Magnocellular Theory

Visual magnocellular system impairment• This exists in layers • The Lateral Geniculate Nucleus (LGN) is abnormal and motion

sensitivity is reduced and many show binocular fixation on the left side of the brain (Left Neglect).

• John Stein – Magnocellular Theory

A Fix?• Using one eye excluding the other (Monocular Occlusion) to

improve reading.• John Stein – Magnocellular Theory

Dyslexic Problems• Auditory – Distinguishing letter sounds depends on

understanding changes in sound frequency and amplitude high frequency (FM) and amplitude modulation (AM) sensitivity helps good phonological skill, low sensitivity impedes skills.

• In dyslexia AM , FM sensitivity is lower • John Stein – Magnocellular Theory

Back to the Brain• The cerebellum – the head ganglion of Magnocellular systems,

contributes to binocular fixation and inner speech for sounding out words.

• John Stein – Magnocellular Theory

Impaired Devleopment• The linkage Major Histocompatabillity Complex (MHC) or class

1 on the chromosome 6 that helps to control production of antibodies is also involved in magnocells affecting the developing brain.

• Magnocells need a large amount of polysaturated fatty acids for membrane flexibility that permits rapid conformational changes of proteins that underlie transient sensitivity.

• John Stein – Magnocellular Theory

Genes• Genes that underlie magnocellular weakness would not be

common unless there were advantages to dyslexia.• Developmental dyslexics could have a heightened

development of parocellular systems of holistic artistic talents and abilities of seeing the whole picture.

• John Stein – Magnocellular Theory

The debate • YES• Reading disabilities come from what Sally and Bennett termed

as “Brain Glitches”.• NO• Learning disabilities come from Myrad sources, Gerald Coles.• Taking Sides (2010)

Summary Yes• fMRI scans can identify brain deficiencies during reading. • Reading requires phonetically learned skills and awareness.• Dyslexia has its beginning in the brain.• Different areas are responsible for brain tracking and reading

functions. • Taking Sides (2010)

Back brain VS Front Brain Functioning

• There are two areas of the back brain the word analysis (Pariento-Temperal region) and the fluent reading (Occipito- Temperal region)

• Dyslexic readers have an under activation of the two systems in the back of the brain.

• Usually Dyslexic readers will turn to the frontal portion of the brain including a particular overworking portion called the Broca’s area. This area is responsible for architecting spoken words to compensate for the back of the brain.

• Taking Sides (2010)

Summary No• fMRI scans blood flowing to the brain and its engagement

there not its malfunctions.• Some readers don’t use phonics.• Stress can hinder early reading development.• Neurological functions of the brain work though a network of

many different parts. • Taking Sides (2010)

Letters / Numbers• Letters like, B = 8 = S = E can be similarly construed!• U = 2. Not construed the same!• BGE8SEAX3K, JLIT1Y/()|\, FPRYT• U2O>79C)^<VZ/&• Up, Down flips, word misplaced or completely rewritten.

Beyond phonetics; objects morph

• Hard to find fixed locations (eye moving / skip)• Walls move, patterns annoy (crossed lines)

----------------------------------------------------------------Normal striate line

• Can not move in diagonally.

Can you tell the colors from the letters?

• Red Green Yellow Orange Black Pink Purple• Blue Brown Maroon turquoise Red Blue Tan• Black Orange Pink Green Yellow Purple Brown

• How about numbers?• 335459568095850353959585048585502504524502950950259540

9658406460958698604549506495659609653405645069364965049604906596969094309304934039435478554544

Artistic Talent is shown• Observed in Leonardo di Vinci and Albert Einstein• A developmental delay in the dominant hemispheres that

most likely disinhibits a non-dominant parental lobe that unmasks talents, artistic or otherwise.

• The hypothesis follows paradoxical functional facilitation that children with leaning disabilities are encouraged to develop their talents to full capacity.

• Artistic Talent in Dyslexia

Drawing disabilities• Poor drawing may be a problem for students with dyslexia. • Study 1 - 277 art students were questioned to asses self -

perceived drawing ability, demography, education a history of dyslexia, a spelling test and personality and educational variables

• Study 2 detailed drawing tests sample 38 art students by self rated drawling ability and 30 control patients

Continued Drawing Disabilities• Students perceiving themselves as good drawers did draw

better than self perceived poor drawers.• Neither study 1 or 2 related skill at drawing to dyslexia or

spelling ability.• However study 2 showed drawling ability related to both

copying simple angles and proportions and visual recall poor drawers being less good at both delayed and immediate recall.

• McManus - Art Students Who Cannot Draw

Things I have noticed

Seeing in Layers

Seeing in Layers of 3D

Some things that can help -• Magnification Bar Ruler• Natural Reader (Text Reader)• Portable Scanner

Scientific analysis on dyslexia • Timing of visual events when reading is hard• visual motion that occurs is inhibited• fovea (‘retinal slip’)

Advantages to dyslexia• Many dyslexics also have auditory/phonological problems• delay in dominant hemisphere V.S. non-dominant parietal lobe = talents.• Developmental Delay

• More affective connection of parvocells in dyslexics than in ordinary brains.

• Sequential order in time / logic don’t work for dyslexics.

How I use it• Photography, computer artwork, Painting,

Drawing, Product Developing, Web Design, and general creative thinking – (seeing in layers)

• 3D views and holistic artistic qualities

Web Design

file:///C:/Users/TurtlteBrown/Desktop/FisherWebsite/FBLA_Career_Services/Career_Services_FBLA.html

Photography

Graphic Art /Photography

Dyslexia can be hard!• To read and decisively determine things around you • Medically and scientifically I see things • Creating a more artistic 3D type view

Conclusion• The understanding that dyslexia and brain deficiencies

determine learning disabilities, may be debated upon. • I believe from the research I have gathered that dyslexia is a

condition that though proper training can be overcome but may still have problems based on scientific study.

• Do Brain Deficiencies Determine Learning Disabilities?Yes, in the case of dyslexia it is shown in the Taking Sides book, a brain problem in the back of the brain in the part specifically designed for learning words and recognition that people with this had significant learning disabilities.

Source Load• John Stein, March 27, 2001 – 2011, The magnocellular theory

of developmental dyslexia, retrieved 10, 21, 11, Dyslexia Volume 7, Issue 1, pages 12–36, January/March 2001 Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Issue http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10

.1002/dys.186/abstract

• Ambar Chakravarty, October 2009 – 2011, Artistic talent in dyslexia – A hypothesis, retrieved 10,21,11,Medical Hypotheses Volume 73, Issue 4, October 2009, Pages 569 – 571http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306987709004058 Tel.: +91 33 24843283 Copyright © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

• Magnification Reading Bar From Staples• All art, photography, web design, and creativity

produced by Scott Fisher

• Slife, Brent(2010) Taking Sides: Clashing views on Psychological Issues, NY, McGraw – Hill Companies, Contemporary Learning Series.

• McManus, I. C., Chamberlain, R., Loo, P., Rankin, Q., Riley, H., & Brunswick, N. (2010). Art students who cannot draw: Exploring the relations between drawing ability, visual memory, accuracy of copying, and dyslexia. Psychology Of Aesthetics, Creativity And The Art, 4(1), 18-30. doi 10. 1037/a0017335