THURSDAY, Nov. 3 (HealthDay News) -- The discrepancy model, which classifies a child as dyslexic based on a difference between reading skills and overall IQ scores, is being called into question as a new study by the National Institutes of Health finds no difference in brain activity between children with dyslexia, regardless of their IQ scores.
Fumiko Hoeft, M.D., Ph.D., of Stanford University in California, and colleagues used functional magnetic resonance imaging to measure brain activity in 131 children aged 7 to 16 years who were classified into three groups based on IQ testing: typical readers, with typical reading and IQ scores; discrepant poor readers, with poor reading scores but typical IQ scores; and poor readers with low IQ scores.
The researchers found that children with dyslexia had the same pattern of brain activity when engaged in tasks involving phonological awareness, regardless of their IQ scores. They determined there was no IQ-based platform for distinguishing between poor readers.
"These findings suggest there is little reason to rely on the discrepancy model in the classroom any longer," Hoeft said in a statement. "Regardless of IQ, all children with dyslexia should be eligible for support in learning to read."
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