Neural correlates of (dys)fluent reading acquisition in typically reading and dyslexic children

Fluent reading requires both fast recognition of written text and an automatic link to the speech sounds that these letters represent. This thesis investigates brain mechanisms underlying both processes in nine year old typically reading and dyslexic children. By measuring electrical brain responses we showed that impairments in the neural coupling of letters and speech sounds relate to the severity of reading dysfluency in dyslexic children. Moreover, results of a dyslexia training study demonstrated that letter-speech sound training leads to a moderate improvement in reading fluency, and that the level of improvement relates to the severity of the underlying deficit.