Reading Performance Is Enhanced by Visual Texture Discrimination Training in Chinese-Speaking Children with Developmental Dyslexia

Abstract

BackgroundHigh order cognitive processing and learning, such as reading, interact with lower-level sensory processing and learning. Previous studies have reported that visual perceptual training enlarges visual span and, consequently, improves reading speed in young and old people with amblyopia. Recently, a visual perceptual training study in Chinese-speaking children with dyslexia found that the visual texture discrimination thresholds of these children in visual perceptual training significantly correlated with their performance in Chinese character recognition, suggesting that deficits in visual perceptual processing/learning might partly underpin the difficulty in reading Chinese.Methodology/Principal FindingsTo further clarify whether visual perceptual training improves the measures of reading performance, eighteen children with dyslexia and eighteen typically developed readers that were age- and IQ-matched completed a series of reading measures before and after visual texture discrimination task (TDT) training. Prior to the TDT training, each group of children was split into two equivalent training and non-training groups in terms of all reading measures, IQ, and TDT. The results revealed that the discrimination threshold SOAs of TDT were significantly higher for the children with dyslexia than for the control children before training. Interestingly, training significantly decreased the discrimination threshold SOAs of TDT for both the typically developed readers and the children with dyslexia. More importantly, the training group with dyslexia exhibited significant enhancement in reading fluency, while the non-training group with dyslexia did not show this improvement. Additional follow-up tests showed that the improvement in reading fluency is a long-lasting effect and could be maintained for up to two months in the training group with dyslexia.Conclusion/SignificanceThese results suggest that basic visual perceptual processing/learning and reading ability in Chinese might at least partially rely on overlapping mechanisms.

Underlying Skills of Oral and Silent Reading Fluency in Chinese: Perspective of Visual Rapid Processing

“…Previous studies have indicated that the visual perceptual processing (e.g., the low-spatial-frequency sensitivity, geometric-figure processing) had an impact on the recognition and encoding processes during Chinese reading in typically developed children and adults (Luo et al, 2013; Yang et al, 2013; Zhao et al, 2013, 2014). Various studies have shown that Chinese individuals with developmental dyslexia exhibit visual deficits (Chung et al, 2008; Wang et al, 2010; Meng et al, 2011; Qian and Bi, 2014), and visual function training for dyslexics can improve their reading-related skills (Meng et al, 2014; Wang et al, 2014; Qian and Bi, 2015). …”

The effect of magnocellular-based visual-motor intervention on Chinese children with developmental dyslexia

“…A recent intervention study found visual perceptual training significantly decreased the discrimination threshold of visual texture discrimination task (TDT) for Chinese DD. Meanwhile, DD who accepted training exhibited significant and long-lasting enhancement in reading fluency ( Meng et al, 2014 ). However, this study focused on training of general visual perception.…”

Generalization of Auditory Sensory and Cognitive Learning in Typically Developing Children

“…Despite these studies involving perceptual (eg. auditory [ 11 , 13 , 22 ], vision [ 42 – 43 ]) or cognitive (eg. memory [ 21 , 30 – 32 ], attention [ 17 , 32 ]) learning in children, direct comparison between perceptual and cognitive training on phonological and literacy skills, or even on untrained auditory and cognitive skills, has not previously been attempted.…”