The Impact of interrupted schooling on the functional connectivity for reading in resettled refugee children.

Poster Session A - Saturday, April 13, 2024, 2:30 – 4:30 pm EDT, Sheraton Hall ABC

Hassan Abdulrasul¹ (hassan.abdulrasul@utoronto.ca), Angela Capani¹, Henry Brice¹, Kaja K Jasińska^1,2; ¹University of Toronto, ²Haskins Laboratories

Reading, a complex cognitive ability, emerges from dynamic interactions among multiple brain regions, not supported by innate dedicated neural circuits.. A significant gap in our understanding, however, lies in comprehending how the timing of literacy instruction affects the development of reading networks. Current literature predominantly focuses on children who commence reading instruction concurrently with their formal schooling, leaving a gap in understanding about how delayed or interrupted literacy instruction impacts the neural underpinnings of reading. We investigate the impact of educational interruptions on the functional connectivity within the developing reading network, specifically in the context of recently resettled refugee children. This population, often experiencing disrupted schooling and delayed literacy development, presents a unique opportunity to explore the trajectory of reading network development. We examined the resting-state functional connectivity of the reading network using fNIRS in a cohort of 54 resettled Syrian refugee children (age 8-17), who have encountered varying durations of educational interruptions at different ages. The study correlated the observed neural connectivity with standardized reading assessment scores to examine how the age and duration of educational interruptions affect the functional connectivity of the reading network. Our preliminary results suggest that the younger the age at which the interruption occurred and its duration, the more variable the changes are on the reading network. Specifically, some connectivity measures were positively associated with the interruptions, while others showed a negative association, particularly within the dorsal and ventral streams of the reading network and additionally these children performed worse on reading assessments.

Topic Area: LANGUAGE: Development & aging