Research Symposium

BIO

Sophia Bell is a sophomore from Wausau, Wisconsin pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Physiology. She is interested in the human body and the ways that diet and exercise influence overall physiological function, health, and performance. Through her coursework and academic experiences, Bell has developed a strong interest in understanding how lifestyle factors affect the body and how this knowledge can be applied to improve health outcomes.
Sophia previously participated in the Florida State University Introduction to Scientific Diving Research class. During this experience, she learned techniques used to conduct underwater scientific research and gained exposure to field-based data collection methods. She also had the opportunity to assist graduate students with their underwater research projects, allowing her to observe the research process and contribute to scientific investigations. This experience helped her develop an appreciation for hands-on research and collaboration in scientific environments.
In addition to her interests in exercise physiology, Bell is interested in research related to psychology, particularly learning disabilities and cognitive differences. From her own experience being diagnosed with ADHD, she hopes to contribute to research that increases understanding of learning differences and helps develop better strategies for supporting individuals with ADHD and related conditions.
After completing her undergraduate studies, Bell plans to pursue a career as a Physician Assistant to provide compassionate and effective care while continuing to learn about the ways biological and psychological factors influence overall well-being.

Meta - Analysis of Dyslexia Indicators

Abstract

Developmental Dyslexia is a multifaceted neurobiological learning disorder that is characterized by a large array of symptoms that vary in severity from case-to-case. Primarily caused by phonological deficits, which has a significant effect on word level reading and spelling; though secondary deficits are also observed in reading comprehension, vocabulary, and background knowledge that could be traced to the foundational phonological deficit. With this study, our research question is how does the prevalence of the traits of dyslexia correlate with one another? This research is vital to provide an improved common understanding of the disorder, as well as identify deficits that correspond with one another for easier identification of developmental dyslexia in children for early intervention. Utilizing the program Covidence, a model-based meta-analysis will be done using research articles and dissertations sourced by PRISMA. Sorting through approximately 9,000 papers, screening first distinguished appropriate abstracts, then full text review was done. Currently 2155 studies are approved for data extraction to be used for the model-based meta-analysis, but due to how expansive this study is, results have yet to be established. Expected results are the correlations of the prevalence of dyslexia symptoms to one another. This study in the future will provide a clearer understanding of symptom correlation with developmental dyslexia, which in turn can improve the diagnosis of dyslexia, as well as reading intervention programs that aid in improvement in observed deficits.

Keywords: dyslexia, learning disorders, meta-analysis