The development of the brain’s white matter is a strong indicator for early reading difficulties in children. Those were the findings of a new study led by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco. Lead author Chelsea Myers focused on white matter because of its important role in communication between brain regions.

"We measured children’s brain development over the course of three years, from five to six, to age eight and nine and what we found was that white matter development significantly predicted reading outcomes at age eight or nine when we assume that children are fully capable of reading. So, we are starting at a time when children haven’t started formal reading instruction to a time when they are fully immersed in reading instruction."

One goal of the study is to detect reading difficulties before disorders such as dyslexia are often diagnosed.

"If we can identify the fact that brain regions important to reading are developing at such a young age, it points to the importance of early intervention and diagnosis."