READING AND THE BRAIN
There is a growing body of research from the field of neuroscience on reading. This research has pointed to the role of executive function in reading (Duke & Cartwright, 2021; Paris & Block, 2015). Executive function is hard to define as it consists of a group of cognitive processes that include:
Attention
Impulse control
Emotional control
Flexible thinking
Working memory
Planning and organizing
Task initiation
Time management
Self-monitoring or self-regulation
According to Reading Rockets,
Executive function issues can be a major factor contributing to reading difficulties. A student who has trouble paying attention in class will have a harder time learning basic skills such as phonemic awareness and decoding. A student with poor impulse control may tend to impulsively guess at an unfamiliar word instead of taking the time to look at the letter patterns and try to sound it out. And even students with strong decoding and comprehension skills may still struggle to become skilled readers as a result of executive function difficulties. For example, a student may be able to make inferences when the information needed to make an inference is in close proximity. But if the necessary information is widely separated, the student may struggle to infer not because of a lack of language comprehension skills but because of inadequate working memory. That is, the student cannot hold the required information in memory while reading. This same student may have difficulties following multi-step directions.
Neuroscience also helps us see how the brain rewires areas that evolved for other functions to use these functions for reading.
Parts of the Brain
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Cartwright, K. (2021). Executive functions-The glue that holds together reading's many processes.
Frey, N. & Fisher, D. (2010). Reading and the Brain: What Early Childhood Educators Need to Know. Early Childhood Education Journal, 38, 103-110.
Parris, S. R., & Block, C. C. (2015). Using Neuroscience to Inform Reading Comprehension Instruction. In Comprehension Instruction: Research-Based Best Practices (pp. 123-126). Guilford.
