Title of lecture: ‘On plastic brains and the sound of letters’

Although all children in the Netherlands learn to read through standardised curricula, there are large differences in the reading level they reach and ~10% of the children struggle with reading problems. Because we are not born with a brain system for reading, learning to read requires a reorganisation (‘plasticity’) of brain functions for visual perception (letters) and spoken language (sounds). Why do some children face challenges in making these changes? How can knowledge on brain plasticity help us understand individual differences? And how can we move developmental neuroscience out of the lab and create individually-tailored reading strategies and dyslexia intervention?