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recorded to assess their performance. Reading skills were evaluated using the
Test of Word Reading Efficiency (TOWRE) and Test of Silent Word Rea-
ding Fluency (TOSWRF). Nonverbal cognitive abilities were measured using
the Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test (KBIT). The findings showed that mu-
sically trained children demonstrated increased brain activity in areas related
to reading and phonological processing compared to musically untrained chil-
dren with and without dyslexia. Children with dyslexia showed lower reading
accuracy, indicating challenges in phonological processing. These results sug-
gest that musical training may promote neuroplasticity in brain regions lin-
ked to reading, potentially supporting compensatory mechanisms in children
with dyslexia. Similar interventions could be used in schools, involving pho-
nological tasks (rhythm and sound processing) to improve auditory discrimi-
nation, and singing activities to reinforce sound-letter associations and enhan-
ce distinguishing similar-sounding words. These activities could be integrated Jovana Blagojević ◆ THE EFFECTS OF MUSICAL STIMULATION ON CHILDREN WITH DYSLEXIA
into the curriculum, providing an engaging and creative way to support stu-
dents with dyslexia.
A study by Flaugnacco et al. (2015) explored whether musical training cou-
ld improve phonological and reading skills in children with dyslexia. Similar
to Chobert et al. (2012), it involved two groups of dyslexic children: one recei-
ving musical training based on Kodaly and Orff methods focused on rhythm
and temporal processing, and a control group receiving painting lessons. The
music group participated in weekly workshops over a period of 7 months, en-
gaging in rhythm-focused activities, using percussion, rhythm syllables (ti, ta,
etc.) and body movement with music as accompaniment. In contrast, the pain-
ting group focused on visual-spatial and fine motor skills, including creativity.
Both groups also practiced daily reading exercises at home. Before and after the
intervention, assessments measured reading speed, phonological awareness,
and memory. While both groups showed improvement in general reading skil-
ls, the music group demonstrated gains in reading accuracy and phonological
skills, with rhythm reproduction identified as the strongest predictor of pho-
nological awareness. The results highlight rhythm’s unique role in supporting
language processing in dyslexic children by enhancing essential temporal and
phonological processing skills, which are crucial for reading.
The study by Bouloukou et al. (2021) focused on measuring improve-
ments in skills related to rhythm perception, memory, attention, and language
processing. The study involved an experimental group (receiving customized
rhythm-based music training) and control group (following the conventional
curriculum). All participants from both groups had previously taken standard
music education but had no private music lessons. This programme was tailo-
red to dyslexic students’ needs, emphasizing multisensory engagement, inclu-
ding kinaesthetic, vocal-acoustic, visual-spatial, and rhythm perception skills,
based on Dalcroze and Orff methods. Researchers applied LAMDA (Protopa-
pas & Skaloumbakas, 2008) testing both before and after the musical training

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