Makenna G. Horne
Prof. Nic Helms
Critical Theory
7 May 2024
Reading and Compassion: Neurodivergence as Dyslexia
Does reading aid our empathy? Or do we already have that embedded in our brains before we learn to read? Is there a norm to reading? There is a stream of constant questions when it comes to cognition and learning empathy. There have been studies that point to reading fictional novels having an impact on the amount of empathy a person has. Empathy is “the ability to understand and share the feelings of another” (Oxford Languages).There is a notable link between reading and an increase in empathy within a person; however, social norms, teaching, and neurodivergence can have an effect on whether a person has an increase/decrease of empathy due to reading.
In a college classroom, there was a brief survey of phenomenology, and how students experienced reading. Many of the students reported feeling “transported” or “engulfed” when reading fictional novels, but not as much when reading non-fiction (EN3695.01 Critical Theory Spring 2024). One student noted that they feel they get to “inhabit a perspective”. Is this proof that reading creates empathy? Not particularly. But it does prove that these students are getting there. These students are showing signs of empathetic reading, getting connected with the work or the characters introduced. Reading as if they are the main character is a large portion of developing empathy and compassion because of literature.
There are several ways that people learn to read. Many parents choose to read aloud to their children early on, to develop a positive relationship to language and reading.
“As we will explore here, the study of the brain-basis of reading begins with the fact that, unlike oral language, there is no ready-made genetic program for learning to read. Rather, for human-invented capacities like reading, the brain must create new circuits. It does so by recycling…and connecting some aspects of older parts that are genetically programmed, like vision, language, affect (emotional feeling), and cognition. The circuit for reading emerges slowly in the brain, as each potential component part develops separately in the first five years.” (Gotlieb et al.)
As parents begin to read to their children, and they learn to read at home, or their classrooms it can be noticed that some students are struggling. Neurodivergence, like dyslexia, can have a tremendous impact on learning to read the the comprehension of texts. When undiagnosed, dyslexia can make it nearly impossible to read beyond a low level (North Shore Pediatric Therapy). Because dyslexia can have such an impact on reading ability and comprehension, students can face additional challenges, like discrimination.
“An often neglected area in cognitive neuroscience research and the science of reading in general is attention to the social and emotional ramifications of learning challenges to children and adolescents. Despite many efforts to inform parents, educators, and society at large about the strengths and needs of individuals with dyslexia, many children and youth are subjected to unfair prejudices about their intelligence and work ethic” (Gotlieb et al).
Neurodivergence can cause students to lack social skills demonstrated by their peers like empathy. If it is argued that reading and reading comprehension are essential to developing empathy and similar social skills, where do neurodivergent students fit in? As educators and students, it’s important to acknowledge the wide array of minds there are, and doing fair research to support these skills.
Unsurprisingly, there is a chart to understanding reading fluency norms by age group. These norms are based on timed tests of age groups speaking or recognizing words correctly while reading aloud (Learning A-Z). This method is not perfect.
“First, fluency assessments must have some degree of reliability and validity. Users of the assessments must be assured that the results they obtain are reliable – that the results will provide consistent measures of fluency and will not vary because of imperfections in the assessment itself.” (Rasinski)
This method uses a student’s independent level of reading, instructional level of reading, and the “frustration level” that a student has while they’re reading. Neurodivergent students are more likely to get frustrated during a reading fluency test, especially if they have additional test taking anxiety. This can skew test results when it comes to reading fluency as well as empathy related reading tests. When neurodivergent students are singled out in tests like these, how do we support them to develop necessary social skills, and learn skills to help them through the rest of their lives? This is not to say that neurodivergent students are not capable, but with arbitrary tests using such a subjective term as “frustration levels,” which are more likely to showcase in neurodivergent students, we must create well-rounded solutions to support them. Placing neurodivergent students on the outside of research negates the research entirely; making it impossible to support all students fairly.
In 2017, a study was conducted on college students to determine if reading a fictional story aided in empathy. Females demonstrated significantly more empathy than men during the tests.
“…with females scoring significantly higher than males. Females also scored significantly higher than males in both Emotional Reactivity and Empathic Concern, the difference between males and females in Perspective Taking approached significance. Comparison of scores in one empathy category should not be compared with those of another, because the empathy factors were on different scales.” (McCreary et al.)
In this study it was found that students with a mean GPA of 3.4 were more likely to be more empathetic after reading an undisclosed fictional novel with an average reading age of 14 years old. McCreary and Marchant note that these students had different relationships with reading for pleasure, with biological women reading more fiction than men within the last 12 months.
“In all, females not only read more, but also appreciated reading more…The sample reported reading an average of 30–60 minutes per day, reading more than three times as many fiction books per year than non-fiction, with females reading significantly more fiction than males.” (McCreary)
This study is not perfect though. A majority of the students studied were white, all had access to a computer, read emails, and had the ability to get an undergraduate education. Excluding people of color, people who have less access to internet, education, and reading material presents a problem to determining if reading fiction truly aids in empathy. It is possible for people who were presumably unintentionally excluded from this study to have empathy for others whether they read fiction or not. McCreary notes that
“Given that consideration of social issues can help increase perspective-taking abilities, these findings suggest a promising outcome for future studies exploring interventions targeted at reducing prejudice, intolerance, and discrimination against members of social outgroups.”
These findings are pleasant, and there is possibly a connection between introducing reading fiction earlier in life to aid empathy through adult life. This study is unfortunately fragmented, because it does not have a control that includes people who have never read a fiction novel. All of the students who participated in the study were able to read. However, we cannot be certain that the reading of fictional novels has a direct impact on empathy, despite the way this study is written because of all the imperfections noted above.
It can be unclear what develops empathy, but reading can have an impact on its development. There are standardized norms to reading, using arbitrary expressions of frustration as a marker of a student struggling. There is significant benefit in reading to young children to develop positive relationships with learning, and also for catching early signs of neurodivergence. Recognizing signs of neurodivergence early on and working with professionals to develop tools and skills for a young student can help them develop necessary social skills like empathy. There are studies that show empathy being demonstrated after reading fictional novels like McCreary et al. but they lack in demonstrating an overall trend, or including noted neurodivergent students, whose empathy could be impacted by their reading ability. McCreary noted that many of the students in the study reported being “transported” or “engulfed” in the novel they read. It is possible that being neurodivergent or having a difficult time reading (i.e. dyslexia) can hinder this type of experience. Social norms like empathy based on reading ability can exclude neurodivergent people, not because they lack empathy, but because we aren’t recognizing how they developed it.
Works Cited
EN3695.01 Critical Theory Spring 2024. “PhenomeWHATology?” Padlet, 21 Mar. 2024, padlet.com/nicholashelms1/crit321. Accessed 2 May 2024.
Gotlieb, Rebecca, et al. The “Reading Brain” Is Taught, Not Born: Evidence from the Evolving Neuroscience of Reading for Teachers and Society “W. 2022, http://www.thereadingleague.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/The-Reading-Brain.pdf.
Learning A-Z. “Fluency Standards Table | Reading A-Z | Reading A-Z.” Readinga-Z.com, 2019, http://www.readinga-z.com/fluency/fluency-standards-table/.
McCreary, John J., and Gregory J. Marchant. “Reading and Empathy.” Reading Psychology, vol. 38, no. 2, Feb. 2017, pp. 182–202, doi.org.libproxy.plymouth.edu/10.1080/02702711.2016.1245690. EBSCO.
North Shore Pediatric Therapy. “What Happens When Dyslexia Goes Untreated?” Www.nspt4kids.com, 1 Feb. 2024, http://www.nspt4kids.com/parenting/what-happens-when-dyslexia-goes-untreated. Accessed 1 May 2024.
Oxford Languages. “Oxford Languages.” Oxford Languages, Oxford University Press, 2024, languages.oup.com/google-dictionary-en/.
Rasinski, Timothy. Pacific Resources for Education and Learning Assessing Assessing Reading Reading Fluency Fluency. 2004, files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED483166.pdf.
For Further Reading
Domaradzki, Lexie, and Shelby Skaanes. THE READING BRAIN – UNDERSTANDING the SCIENCE of READING FACILITATOR GUIDE MODULE TIME: 60-90 MINUTES. 2017, idahotc.com/Portals/0/Resources/928/The%20Science%20of%20Reading.Facilitator%20Guide.pdf. Accessed 30 Apr. 2024.
Goldenberg, Claude. “A Fundamentally Wrong Premise and a Disservice to the Profession: Responding to ‘… What We Truly Know about the Teaching of Reading.’” the Reading Teacher/the Reading Teacher, Wiley-Blackwell, Mar. 2024, https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.2295. Accessed 30 Apr. 2024.
Hogan, Patrick Colm. “Literary Brains: Neuroscience, Criticism, and Theory.” Literature Compass, vol. 11, no. 4, Apr. 2014, pp. 293–304, https://doi.org/10.1111/lic3.12144. Accessed 8 Oct. 2019.
Johnson, Dan R. “Transportation into a Story Increases Empathy, Prosocial Behavior, and Perceptual Bias toward Fearful Expressions.” Personality and Individual Differences, vol. 52, no. 2, Jan. 2012, pp. 150–55, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2011.10.005.
Merttens, Ruth. “Literary Practices as Social Acts/Language and Image in the Reading-Writing Classroom/Phonics Exposed (Book).” British Journal of Educational Psychology, vol. 73, no. 1, Mar. 2003, p. 145, web-p-ebscohost-com.libproxy.plymouth.edu/ehost/detail/detail?vid=3&sid=663759be-2c9b-49bf-8320-bf04740d1c6d%40redis&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=9418154&db=aph. EBSCOhost.
Milton, Damian, et al. “The ‘Double Empathy Problem’: Ten Years On.” Autism, vol. 26, no. 8, Oct. 2022, pp. 1901–3, https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613221129123.
Palincsar, Annemarie Sulli, and Nancy Ellen Perry. “Developmental, Cognitive, and Sociocultural Perspectives on Assessing and Instructing Reading.” School Psychology Review, vol. 24, no. 3, Aug. 1995, p. 331, web-p-ebscohost-com.libproxy.plymouth.edu/ehost/detail/detail?vid=5&sid=d152b32b-6635-4a3b-8569-d21dc18acefd%40redis&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=9510272934&db=aph. EBSCOhost.
Sprockets and Springes 