REMEDIATION OF READING PROBLEMS IN CHILDREN

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): PDI intends to complete the clinical validation and product development for a software program, MovingToRead (MTR), which has been found to significantly improve reading fluency by practicing a 10-minute computer game. The experimental design will consist of 3 equal-sized groups in the second grade, all of whom have difficulty reading, where children in each group are matched for age, gender, attention, reading and visual skills difficulties. Second grade students will come from two different schools to increase the power of the statistical analyses. This will be a carefully controlled study where improvements in the different aspects of reading will be evaluated by administering appropriate normed standardized reading tests before and after practicing direction discrimination, a control group is included that does not receive the MTR therapy, and the best time schedule for administering the MTR therapy is determined. This study will determine whether the intervention has an effect on reading scores and visual skills when compared to controls, and whether one time schedule is better than another for administering the therapy. If the MTR therapy is shown to significantly improve reading fluency, then it's possible that reading problems will no longer be a major learning impediment for so many children. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS: The MovingToRead therapy will enable millions of children to learn to read quickly and easily by practicing left-right movement when playing a 10-minute computer game. Commercial venues include both private and public schools, learning and therapy centers, and individual homes.