M-Cell deficit and reading disability: a preliminary study of the effects of temporal vision-processing therapy

Auditory and Visual Processing in Children With Dyslexia

“…Consistently reduced sensitivity to global motion was also found for the dyslexia group at Phase 1 and Phase 2, replicating previous results in children that have used the same global motion task (Solan et al, 2004(Solan et al, , 2007Talcott et al, 2003). In addition, sensitivity to global motion accounted for significant variance on both phonological and orthographic processing tasks after vigilance, age, and ability were controlled at both phases of the study.…”

“…For example, one study that failed to obtain evidence of visual deficits in children with dyslexia classified dyslexia on the basis of poor reading fluency and poor spelling (Kronblicher et al, 2001). In that study the dyslexia and control groups did not differ in sensitivity on a global motion task found in other studies to show evidence of reduced sensitivity in groups with dyslexia (e.g., Hansen et al, 2001;Solan, Shelley-Tremblay, Hansen, & Larson, 2004Talcott et al, 2003) The temporal stability of the sensory processing measures may also contribute. Correlations of between .70 and .75 have been reported between threshold estimates within testing sessions on measures of global motion processing (Conlon et al, 2004;Cornelissen et al, 1995;Talcott et al, 1999).…”

Is There a Common Linkage Among Reading Comprehension, Visual Attention, and Magnocellular Processing?

“…The diagnostic regimen uses a neurocognitive approach to quantify a visual functional disorder. Our previous research has demonstrated that visual attention skills are malleable, and improvement with therapy appears to have a salutary effect on reading comprehension (Solan, Shelley-Tremblay, et al, 2003;Solan et al, 2004); but the linkage between M-cell processing and visual attention requires further verification. The primary purpose of this study has been to quantify the sensitivity of visual attention and magnocellular visual processing as concomitants of poor reading comprehension in the absence of either vision therapy or cognitive intervention.…”

“…Sixteen of the 20 below-average readers participated and received 15 weekly sessions of temporal vision processing therapy. Although there was no mean improvement in reading during the 7-month hiatus, the temporal vision therapy resulted in significant improvements in reading comprehension and M-cell sensitivity, as measured with the Gates-MacGinitie Reading Tests (GMRT ® ) Reading Comprehension test (MacGinitie & MacGinitie, 1989) and the Coherent Motion Threshold Test, respectively (Solan et al, 2004).…”

“…Oculomotor readiness depends on this shift in attention to drive the saccade. Fortunately, in some children with RD who have M-cell deficits, this condition may be ameliorated with temporal (Solan et al, 2004) and spatial vision therapy (Faceotti, Paganoni, Turatto, Marzola, & Mascetti, 2000). A prior controlled study quantified the influence of visual attention therapy on the reading comprehension of 30 Grade 6 children with moderate reading disabilities (RD) in the absence of specific reading remediation.…”