Research

Our Reading and Dyslexia research takes place at the Maastricht Brain Imaging Center (M-BIC) where we work with children tailored set-ups at the 3 Tesla MRI scanner, and EEG lab, as well as a simulation-scanner for training children. Our main effort is in studying reading development during school age (6-12 years) with a special focus on understanding what it takes to make the transition from effortful to fluent reading. Furthermore, we are interested in how the failure to become a skilled reader (developmental dyslexia) might be explained by functional and structural deviancies in brain development. 

Our research covers different projects that focus on various aspects of reading development and dyslexia ranging from auditory/speech perception to visual letter/word recognition and the linking of letters to speech sounds.

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Projects

Project leeswinst (Reading gain)
In this research project we follow brain (fMRI) and behavioral changes over a 2-year period while children with different reading levels, including dyslexic, average and excellent readers, improve their reading skills. By following individual changes in the brain’s reading network in combination with behavioral reading measures we aim to better understand why some children learn to read easily and fluently while others face enormous challenges. Project Leeswinst is funded by an NWO Vidi grant and performed in close collaboration with the Regional Center of Dyslexia (RID) and primary schools in Limburg.

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