Effects of an Interventional Music Program on Linguistic Skills of Primary-School Students with Dyslexia

Abstract

Research has shown that children with dyslexia have difficulties perceiving rhythm, and that musical training can enhance their learning skills. The purpose of this research was to investigate the effectiveness of an interventional music-training program based on rhythm-perception enhancement, within the curriculum of the music course in Greece. For this purpose, this research was conducted on primary school students over a period of 12 weeks. Thirty-two students of the 4th Elementary class, diagnosed with dyslexia, participated in the study. The LAMDA (Learning Skills and Weakness Detection Software) test, a weighted tool for automated detection of learning difficulties in written and oral language, was used to assess the improvement of children. The assessment showed that the interventional music-training program improved students' performance in areas such as word recognition, grammar spelling, visual sequences and rhythm reproduction. The research findings indicate that the incorporation of an appropriately adapted music program into the primary school curriculum, as well as the use of music as a systematic treatment, may have positive effects on students with dyslexia.