Listening Aids May Help Boost Dyslexic Kids' Reading Skills, Northwestern University Study

Devices that amplify the sound of a teacher's voice may help children with dyslexia improve their reading skills, new research suggests. After a year of wearing the devices in the classroom, children with dyslexia had improved scores on tests of phonological awareness and reading. "We saw improvements in reading, and when we measured the brain's response to speech sounds, not only did the kids who wore the device become more consistent to the very soft and rapidly changing elements of sound that help distinguish one consonant from another, but their brains responded more consistently to sounds," said study senior author Nina Kraus, a neuroscientist at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill. "That improved stability was linked with reading improvement."