It has been well-observed that, in
general, girls begin communicating and developing language skills earlier than
boys. By 18 months of age, girls produce around 5 percent more hand and arm
gestures than boys. Girls can produce about 300 different words by 22 months of
age, while boys do not reach that point until around 23 to 24 months. By the
time they are two-and-a-half years old, girls are generally able to thread
together about 8 words at a time, while boys of the same age can only string
together about 6 words at a time. And this gap in language and vocabulary does
not end with early childhood. According to the National Assessment of
Educational Progress (NAEP) for the twelfth grade, about 47 percent more girls
than boys finish high school as proficient readers.
While the gap in language
development may not be so obvious in infancy and early childhood, the
difference in ability between boys and girls seems to become more substantial
with age. It is not surprising then that more boys than girls are diagnosed
with learning disabilities and developmental disorders. Boys are as much as
four times more likely than girls to be diagnosed with autism, ADHD, and
dyslexia. In particular, dyslexia is a learning disability characterized by
specific difficulty in learning to read and processing language. In the United
States, around 10 percent of the population suffers from the condition, usually
diagnosed around the second grade.
Why
is it that dyslexia is more commonly diagnosed in boys? One reason is that
written language and spoken language are closely related phonological skills,
both of which develop from early speech and hearing. Phonological awareness
refers to an individual’s awareness of the sound structure of spoken words,
particularly syllables, rhymes, and phonemes, which are the specific sounds of
human speech. According to a study of children aged four to five years old,
girls are about 12 percent more phonologically aware than boys. A proven method
for improving a child’s language skills is the concept “language in = language
out.” Unfortunately, parents are more likely to talk to and converse with
girls, and more likely to play with and entertain boys, which may contribute to
the gap in language development.
Another
reason that dyslexia is more commonly diagnosed in boys is due to brain
anatomy. According to a study that compared the brain matter of men, women, and
children with dyslexia to those without, differing amounts of gray matter were
found in different parts of the brain of males and females. In the males, less
gray matter was found in those with dyslexia in areas of the brain involved in
processing language, such as the occipital lobe and the superior temporal lobe.
In the females, less gray matter was found in those with dyslexia in areas of
the brain involved in sensory and motor processing, such as the frontal and
parietal lobes.
One
of the fundamental arguments in the developmental process is the debate between
nature and nurture. Because of the prevalence of learning and developmental
disabilities in the United States, it is important to determine which is the
greater factor in such disorders. Are genetics and brain anatomy to blame for a
child’s dyslexia, or does the responsibility lie with a child’s parents, to
ensure that they expose him to as much language as possible? While both are
important factors, any child has a greater likelihood of successful language
development if he is exposed to personal and intentional spoken language as
often and as early as possible.
References
Georgetown
University Medical Center. “Brain anatomy of dyslexia is not the same in men
and women, boys and girls.” ScienceDaily. 8 May 2013. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/05/120509131831.htm>.
Massachusetts
Institute of Technology. “Brain scans may help diagnose dyslexia.”
ScienceDaily. 13 August 2013. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/08/130813201424.htm>.
Elliot, Lise. “Pink
Brain, Blue Brain: How Small Differences Grow Into Troublesome Gaps and What We
Can Do About It.” New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. 2009.
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