Dyslexia improved by increasing space between letters

Abstract

Journal of Paediatrics and Child HealthVolume 49, Issue 8 p. 695-695 Heads UpFree Access Dyslexia improved by increasing space between letters First published: 29 July 2013 https://doi.org/10.1111/jpc.12308 edited by Craig Mellis (craig.mellis@sydney.edu.au) AboutSectionsPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Children with dyslexia have trouble reading. Training programmes tend to concentrate on phonological problems. A study of 34 Italian and 40 French dyslexic children aged 8–14 years (mean 10.4) with reading performance at least 2 standard deviations below age-appropriate norms compared how they read 24 short sentences in normal or widely spaced print (Fig. 1).1 The two languages were used because Italian has what the authors call a transparent (phonetic) writing system, whereas French has a relatively opaque writing system like English. Wider spacing between letters improved reading speed 20% and doubled accuracy. The reading of control children without dyslexia matched for reading age did not improve with wider spacing between letters showing the benefit of wider letter spacing is specific for children with dyslexia. Figure 1Open in figure viewerPowerPoint Normal text (A) and spaced text (B). Reference 1 Zorzi M et al. PNAS 2012; 109: 11455– 11459. CrossrefCASPubMedWeb of Science®Google Scholar Reviewer: David Isaacs, david.isaacs@health.nsw.gov.au Volume49, Issue8August 2013Pages 695-695 FiguresReferencesRelatedInformation