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AMERICAN MORNING

New Hope for Kids With Dyslexia

Aired July 22, 2003 - 06:51   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: More on health news this morning. It is the number one learning disability among school aged children. But this morning there is new hope for kids with dyslexia.
Dr. Sandy Fryhofer is here with more on that.

I didn't realize so many children had dyslexia.

DR. SANDRA FRYHOFER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's pretty common, Carol, and this is great news. A new study in the medical journal "Neurology" finds that just three weeks of intense reading instruction can help improve brain function in children with dyslexia. Not only that, the brain scans of dyslexic children in this study after instruction show brain activity patterns that match those of normal readers.

Dyslexia is a common reading disorder that affects as many as one in five school aged children. It tends to run in families so there is often a parent, a grandparent, an aunt or uncle with it. Boys and girls are equally affected. And typically what you see is a child with average or above average I.Q. and below average reading level.

People with dyslexia have problems processing language, difficulty understanding language sounds, difficulty recognizing the meaning of words and they also have a hard time spelling.

COSTELLO: So they this special reading instruction. But why does it work? How does it work?

FRYHOFER: Well, it's been a little controversial. But recent studies, including this one, suggest that in most cases the wiring in the brain is there, but it's not being used efficiently. In other words, the reading instruction strengthens normal circuits that are already in use rather than rewiring the dyslexic brain. And it was exciting that this study documented changes in the brain after only three weeks.

You can sort of think of it like the heart, like a computer. The hardware is there. You just have to reprogram the software.

COSTELLO: So how early, though, can you diagnose a kid who may have dyslexia?

FRYHOFER: Well, that's a great question because the earlier it's recognized, the better so these kids can go ahead and get the proper instruction. And children that start in kindergarten and first grade seem to do better and are more likely to read at their grade level. The warning signs of dyslexia can show up as early as age four or five, which is before the child learns to read. For example, trouble with rhyming words, trouble naming objects or colors and difficulty learning the sounds that go with letters can be a tip off.

But being dyslexic doesn't mean you're not intelligent. Some of the most creative thinkers of our time have been dyslexic, including Winston Churchill, Walt Disney, Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, not to mention George Washington and Jay Leno and Tom Cruise.

COSTELLO: We know George Washington was dyslexic?

FRYHOFER: They, that's what they say.

COSTELLO: Really? Interesting.

FRYHOFER: That's kind of what I thought. You know, those historians, they figure out everything.

COSTELLO: They do, somehow, some way.

Dr. Sandy Fryhofer, many thanks for stopping by on DAYBREAK.

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