This episode explores the neuroscience of reading, unpacking how the brain learns to transform written symbols into meaningful language. We talk about why reading is a taught skill rather than an automatic one, and what brain research reveals about how children and adults develop reading networks over time.

Dr. Donald (DJ) Bolger is an Associate Professor at the University of Maryland in the Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology in the College of Education, where he directs the Laboratory for the Neurodevelopment of Reading and Language. He also co-directs the Maryland Initiative for Literacy and Equity, a joint institute with Morgan State University that bridges research and practice in literacy across PK-12 education and communities. For over 20 years, Dr. Bolger has studied reading and language achievement with typically developing children as well as neurodiverse learners and those with learning disabilities including dyslexia and autism spectrum disorder using behavioral and functional neuroimaging methods. His research also extends to the role of executive functioning and working memory in learning and the intersection of language and math development. Dr. Bolger has a PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience from the University of Pittsburgh’s Learning Research and Development Center.