Off-campus UMass Amherst users: To download campus access dissertations, please use the following link to log into our proxy server with your UMass Amherst user name and password.
Non-UMass Amherst users: Please talk to your librarian about requesting this dissertation through interlibrary loan.
Dissertations that have an embargo placed on them will not be available to anyone until the embargo expires.
Date of Award
5-2013
Access Type
Campus Access
Document type
dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Degree Program
Communication Disorders
First Advisor
Mary V. Andrianopoulos
Second Advisor
Mary Lynn Boscardin
Third Advisor
Patricia Mercaitis
Subject Categories
Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research | Speech and Hearing Science
Abstract
Developmental dyslexia is a specific impairment of reading ability in the presence of normal intelligence and adequate reading instruction. Current research has linked dyslexia to genetic underpinnings, which are identifiable. Furthermore, there are cognitive processes that are influenced by unique genetically programmed neural networks that determine the manner in which a dyslexic child learns to read. As a result of these breakdowns in cognitive processing, specific breakdowns are noted using measurable assessments. The constellation of measurable symptoms or markers can differentiate the dyslexic child from other children who are typically developing readers or those who are poor readers for reasons not related to genetic pre-programming. Identification of children with dyslexia is critical in providing the appropriate services and remedial models as early intervention in the classroom is of the utmost importance. This study will investigate one aspect, motor function and motor processes that are purported to be one dimension associated with a breakdown in reading acquisition. According to the Cerebellar Deficit Hypothesis, motor function is one valid process and salient feature by which true dyslexia can be identified in children during the second grade year of their education. By the second grade, most typically developing children have acquired the fundamentals of reading. As such, early identification and appropriate intervention for children with dyslexia can be targeted as soon as possible to ensure long-term success and quality of life in these individuals.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.7275/ndvr-vb76
Recommended Citation
Stark, Sandra Kathleen, "A Quasi-Experimental Analysis of Second Graders with Dyslexia Using the Motor Markers in the Cerebellar Deficit Hypothesis" (2013). Doctoral Dissertations 1896 - February 2014. 507.
https://doi.org/10.7275/ndvr-vb76
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations_1/507