title: Tachistoscopic treatment of dyslexia changes the distribution of visual-spatial attention.
abstract: Twelve children with developmental dyslexia underwent a four-month treatment with tachistoscopic presentation of words, according to Bakker's methodology. One group received standard lateral presentation of words on a PC screen, while the other group received the same stimuli in random lateral position. The spatial distribution of visual attention was measured by means of the Form-Resolving Field (FRF; ), which was administered along with reading tests, before and after treatment. The FRF of children who received random presentation widened at -12.5 degrees on the left side, while the FRF in the group that received standard lateral presentation narrowed at that position. Both groups significantly improved in reading accuracy for both words and nonwords. Some hypotheses are proposed concerning the mechanisms responsible for the changes in the FRF and their correlation with improvements in word and nonword reading. The results of the present study are also compared with data suggesting a left "minineglect" in dyslexia.
authors.affiliation: Unità di Psicologia e Neuropsicologia Cognitiva, IRCCS E. Medea, Bosisio Parini, Lecco, Italy. mluisa@bp.lnf.it
authors.forename: Maria Luisa
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Lorusso
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Facoetti
authors.forename: Alessio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Toraldo
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Molteni
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001288:Attention; D002648:Child; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral; D004410:Dyslexia / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity; D009949:Orientation; D011932:Reading; D012016:Reference Values; D012073:Remedial Teaching; D014794:Visual Fields; D014796:Visual Perception