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Technique boosted kids' reading speed by more than 20 percent anddoubled text-reading accuracy, researchers say. By Maureen Salamon HealthDay Reporter MONDAY, June 4 (HealthDay News) -- Simply widening the spacebetween letters in words markedly increases reading speed andaccuracy among children with dyslexia -- an easy fix with e-booksand other forms of technology that readily allow text manipulation,new research suggests. Analyzing 34 Italian and 40 French dyslexic children between theages of 8 and 14, researchers from the University of Padua in Italyfound that extra-wide letter spacing sped up the students' readingby more than 20 percent and doubled the children's text-readingaccuracy. "We were surprised by the magnitude of the spacing benefit," saidstudy author Marco Zorzi, a professor of psychology and artificialintelligence. "The average increase in reading speed is equivalentto that observed across one year of school -- and the halving ofthe number of errors speaks for itself." The study is published June 5 in the journal PNAS. Dyslexia, a language-based disability that causes difficulty inlearning to recognize written words, is thought to affect about 5percent of the school-age population, study authors said, notingthat a typical dyslexic child may read the same number of words inone year as a good reader does in two days. The spacing manipulation is grounded in a phenomenon known as"visual crowding" in which a letter is more difficult to identifywhen it is closely surrounded by other letters. This crowding,which abnormally affects those with dyslexia, hampers the letterrecognition that is the foundation for all reading inalphabet-based languages. "What this is telling us is that spacing clearly plays a role, butwe've already known it plays a role for all readers," saidGuinevere Eden, director of the Center for the Study of Learningand a professor of pediatrics at Georgetown University inWashington, D.C. "It's telling us that, for dyslexic people, theproblem is more critical. There is a sweet spot [of letter spacing]somewhere and everyone's sweet spot is probably different." In the study, children read a text consisting of 24 short,meaningful sentences that were unrelated to each other to preventthe use of contextual clues. The standard spacing between letterswas increased by 2.5 font sizes in the "spaced text" version, andeach child was asked to read the same text two weeks apart to gaugethe differences in speed and accuracy. Zorzi noted that the similar levels of improvement in Italian andFrench dyslexic children meant the results were relevant regardlessof one's native language. He and other experts contend that modern technology -- withe-books, reading tablets and smart phones -- makes changing letterspacing a quick and easy matter. "The fact that textbooks, research documents and novels areavailable digitally for reading on electronic devices [makes it]likely this kind of treatment strategy could quickly and easily beincorporated into e-readers," said Dr. Andrew Adesman, chief ofdevelopmental and behavioral pediatrics at the Steven &Alexandra Cohen Children's Medical Center of New York in New HydePark. "This simple intervention, though not a cure for dyslexia,appears to reduce the extent to which affected youth struggle withreading." Georgetown's Eden, also the past president of the InternationalDyslexia Association, added: "Given the technology we have today toteach children to read, this is important information. Many schoolswith dyslexic students are using handheld devices and technology tochange the print to make it more accommodating to these students." More information The U.S. National Library of Medicine has more about dyslexia . SOURCES: Marco Zorzi, Ph.D., professor, psychology and artificialintelligence, University of Padua, Padova, Italy; Guinevere Eden,D. Phil., director, Center for the Study of Learning, and professorof pediatrics, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C., and pastpresident, International Dyslexia Association; Andrew Adesman,M.D., chief, developmental and behavioral pediatrics, Steven &Alexandra Cohen Children's Medical Center of New York, New HydePark, N.Y.; June 5, 2012, PNAS Copyright © 2012 HealthDay . All rights reserved. The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as China Long Life Laptop Batteries , Iphone Protective Covers, and more. For more , please visit Universal DC Car Adapter today!
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