Spectral Overlays for Reading Difficulties: Oculomotor Function and Reading Efficiency Among Children and Adolescents With Visual Stress

Title
Spectral Overlays for Reading Difficulties: Oculomotor Function and Reading Efficiency Among Children and Adolescents With Visual Stress
Publication Date
2020-04
Author(s)
Guimarães, Márcia Reis
Vilhena, Douglas de Araújo
Loew, Stephen J
Guimarães, Ricardo Queiroz
Type of document
Journal Article
Language
en
Entity Type
Publication
Publisher
Sage Publications, Inc
Place of publication
United States of America
DOI
10.1177/0031512519889772
UNE publication id
une:1959.11/54553
Abstract

This study analyzed the effects of spectral overlays on ocular motility during reading among a clinical group of children and adolescents experiencing visual-perceptual distortions of text. We reviewed the records of 323 eye-hospital patients diagnosed with visual stress and divided this participant sample into two age-based cohorts: children (n = 184; Mean [M] age = 10.1, standard deviation [SD] = 1.3 years) and adolescents (n = 139; M age = 14.6, SD = 1.5 years). We used a Visagraph III Eye-Movement Recording System to record ocular motor efficiency while reading with and without spectral overlays, and we examined the following parameters: (a) Fixations, (b) Regressions, (c) Span of Recognition, (d) Reading Rate, (e) Relative Efficiency, and (f) Comprehension. Our results showed that using one or some combination of 10 participant-selected spectral overlays immediately and significantly (p < .001) reduced the number of Fixations and Regressions per 100 words, while there were significant (p < .001) gains in positive factors such as Span of Recognition, Reading Rate, Relative Efficiency, and Comprehension. Our findings indicate that spectral filtering can be an effective tool for helping many young patients who experience visual-perceptual distortions while reading. Future expanded research employing eye-tracking technology is clearly needed.

Link
Citation
Perceptual and Motor Skills, 127(2), p. 490-509
ISSN
1558-688X
0031-5125
Pubmed ID
31766945
Start page
490
End page
509

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