Researchers played sleeping newborns a series of sounds varying in pitch while recording their brain responses. The subjects were divided into two groups: one with a familial risk for developing dyslexia and a control group.

The study showed that babies whose brains clearly reacted to different tones became fluent readers by the second grade. Meanwhile, those who did not differentiate between the tones as newborns were found to struggle with reading in elementary school. These findings suggest that the ability to recognise pitch can predict reading development.

Scientists, however, point out that broad generalisations shouldn't be drawn from the results. Atypical auditory processing is unlikely to suffice as a sole explanation for dyslexia but rather as one risk factor, dependent on the genetic profile of the child, according to the study.

The study was recently published in the scientific journal Cortex.