This study is concerned with children who, when everything seems favorable, do not learn to read as well as expected. Numerous factors have been investigated in relation to reading retardation. They are discussed and include defects in vision, audition, speech, health, and neurological structure. Emotional, environmental, educational, and social problems, as well as electroencephalographic patterns, have also been studied.
In view of the spatial relationships, and directional concepts, involved in learning written language, it was felt that spatial orientation and visuo-motor behavior might be related to reading difficulties in children. The present study was set up to investigate general orientation in space, and electroencephalographic patterns which might be related.
Four hypotheses were formulated: 1. The laterality of retarded readers will not be as strongly established as that of the controls. 2. Retarded readers will show more confusion of spatial orientation than will controls. 3. The visuo-motor behavior of retarded readers will be faulty or unusual in comparison to that of the control group. 4. There will be a greater number of abnormal EEGs among the retarded readers than among the controls. It will also be able to differentiate the groups on the basis of EEG characteristics.
Two groups of children, ten in each, between the ages of eight to eleven inclusive, were selected from the case files of the child Guidance Clinic, and Metropolitan Health Committee. One group was chosen on the basis of a history of reading retardation, the other group, on the absence of any such history.
A number of tests were given to each subject, for the various categories into which the study was divided. A. Oral, silent, and mirror reading tests were used to establish and compare the reading ability of the groups. B. To determine lateral preference, twenty-four preference tests were given. C. To determine the status of spatial orientation U type stylus mazes were used. Subjects were blindfolded while learning them. D. To determine the status of visuo-motor behavior, the performance scale of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for children, the Bender-Gestalt, the Draw-a-Person, mirror writing, and mirror drawing tests were used. / Arts, Faculty of / Psychology, Department of / Graduate
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UBC/oai:circle.library.ubc.ca:2429/41426 |
| Date | January 1954 |
| Creators | Henderson, Ronolee Ione |
| Publisher | University of British Columbia |
| Source Sets | University of British Columbia |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, Thesis/Dissertation |
| Rights | For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use. |
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