Effect of Attention Therapy on Reading Comprehension

This study quantified the influence of visual attention therapy on the reading comprehension of Grade 6 children with moderate reading disabilities (RD) in the absence of specific reading remediation. Thirty students with below-average reading scores were identified using standardized reading compre...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of learning disabilities 2003-11, Vol.36 (6), p.556-563
Main Authors: Solan, Harold A., Shelley-Tremblay, John, Ficarra, Anthony, Silverman, Michael, Larson, Steven
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Arousal
Attention
Attention Control
Biological and medical sciences
Child
Children
Children with disabilities
Computer Assisted Instruction
Control groups
Dyslexia
Dyslexia - rehabilitation
Female
Grade 6
Group therapy
Humans
Individual Instruction
Intermediate Grades
Learning disabilities
Male
Medical sciences
Miscellaneous
Outcomes of Treatment
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Reading
Reading Comprehension
Reading Difficulties
Reading disabilities
Reading disabled children
Reading Improvement
Special education
Teaching
Therapeutic approaches
Therapy
Treatment Outcome
Treatments
User-Computer Interface
Vigilance
Visual attention
Visual Perception
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:This study quantified the influence of visual attention therapy on the reading comprehension of Grade 6 children with moderate reading disabilities (RD) in the absence of specific reading remediation. Thirty students with below-average reading scores were identified using standardized reading comprehension tests. Fifteen children were placed randomly in the experimental group and 15 in the control group. The Attention Battery of the Cognitive Assessment System was administered to all participants. The experimental group received 12 one-hour sessions of individually monitored, computer-based attention therapy programs; the control group received no therapy during their 12-week period. Each group was retested on attention and reading comprehension measures. In order to stimulate selective and sustained visual attention, the vision therapy stressed various aspects of arousal, activation, and vigilance. At the completion of attention therapy, the mean standard attention and reading comprehension scores of the experimental group had improved significantly. The control group, however, showed no significant improvement in reading comprehension scores after 12 weeks. Although uncertainties still exist, this investigation supports the notion that visual attention is malleable and that attention therapy has a significant effect on reading comprehension in this often neglected population.
ISSN:0022-2194
1538-4780
DOI:10.1177/00222194030360060601