Verbal fluency in relation to reading ability in students with and without dyslexia

Abstract

Verbal fluency tasks, in which participants generate words during a set time, have been used in research and assessments of neurobiological disorders and impairments. Research on verbal fluency in dyslexia has shown impaired performance in semantic and letter fluency. However, studies report inconsistent results, and action fluency has not been examined in dyslexia. Current research has mainly examined verbal fluency in relation to executive functions, vocabulary, and phonological processing. The present study examined performance on letter, semantic, and action fluency in relation to reading ability in 42 students in higher education, of which 16 had developmental dyslexia and 26 had typical reading development. It was examined if verbal fluency can predict variance in reading ability when group, phonological awareness, and rapid automatized naming are controlled for. Results showed impaired verbal fluency in the developmental dyslexia group. Action fluency and group were significant predictors of reading ability, together explaining 73% of the variance, in a backward elimination regression analysis. The results point to a possible, unique connection between action fluency and reading ability; this connection is discussed based on their neurocognitive underpinnings.

An Online Approach for Dyslexia Screening to Test a Child

“…Verbal fluency is commonly assessed in relation to dyslexia and a recent research study suggests potential links between verbal fluency and reading abilities in dyslexic individuals. 26 Fawcett and Nicolson 7 state that it might be possible for a child to be weak in the 'Verbal Fluency' subtest but moderately good in the 'Semantic Fluency' subtest, which seems to be confirmed with this child. As dyslexic individuals have usually no serious issues with reasoning abilities, it is important to identify the shortcomings, such as further testing.…”

Lived Experiences of Everyday Memory in Adults with Dyslexia: A Thematic Analysis

“…Particular difficulties with the efficient and flexible access of declarative information that had successfully been stored in long-term memory came out in several interviews. These problems in accessing information are very suggestive of the difficulties with verbal fluency that have been documented under experimental conditions in adults with dyslexia (e.g., [30,[88][89][90][91]). The participants in the current study reported slower, more effortful, and reduced access to information in long-term memory, all hallmarks of reduced verbal fluency (e.g., [92][93][94]).…”

Investigation of the Relationships of Verbal Fluency Skills with Short-Term Memory, Working Memory, Phonological Awareness and Listening Comprehension Skills in Preschool Children: Descriptive Research

“…ise 16'sı disleksi tanısı almış 26'sı tipik gelişim gösteren 42 üniversite öğrencisi ile gerçekleştirdiği çalışmada; yönetici işlevler, kelime bilgisi ve fonolojik işleme becerileri ile sözel akıcılık becerileri arasındaki ilişkiyi incelemiştir. 32 Sözel akıcılık becerilerini semantik, akıcılık ve eylem akıcılığı olmak üzere 3 farklı biçimde ele almıştır. Çalışma sonuçları fonolojik farkındalığın semantik akıcılık ve eylem akıcılığı ile önemli ölçüde ilişkili olduğunu göstermiştir.…”