title: Age-related improvements in auditory temporal resolution in reading-impaired children.
abstract: Individuals with developmental dyslexia show impairments in processing that require precise timing of sensory events. Here, we show that in a test of auditory temporal acuity (a gap-detection task) children ages 6-9 years with dyslexia exhibited a significant deficit relative to age-matched controls. In contrast, this deficit was not observed in groups of older reading-impaired individuals (ages 10-11 years; 12-13 years) or in adults (ages 23-25 years). It appears, therefore, that early temporal resolution deficits in those with reading impairments may significantly ameliorate over time. However, the occurrence of an early deficit in temporal acuity may be antecedent to other language-related perceptual problems (particularly those related to phonological processing) that persist after the primary deficit has resolved. This result suggests that if remedial interventions targeted at temporal resolution deficits are to be effective, the early detection of the deficit and early application of the remedial programme is especially critical.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology and Research Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, New Zealand. k.waldie@auckland.ac.nz
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Hautus
authors.forename: Gregory J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Setchell
authors.forename: Karen E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Waldie
authors.forename: Ian J
authors.initials: IJ
authors.lastname: Kirk
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001307:Auditory Perception; D002648:Child; D004410:Dyslexia; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010700:Phonetics; D013998:Time Perception