Vectoelectronystagmography in children with dyslexia and learning disorder

Ana Carla Leite Romero,Letícia Sampaio De Oliveira,Ana Claudia Figueiredo Frizzo,Eloisa Sartori Franco,Mariana Banzato Stenico,Simone Aparecida Capellini

doi:10.1590/1982-0216201820412717

Abstract

ABSTRACT Objective: to describe and compare the results of ocular (saccadic, screening, and optokinetic) tests of vectoelectronystagmography among the groups with dyslexia, learning disorder and control. Methods: 28 male and female students aged 8 to 11 years participated in this study. They were divided into three groups: Group I, 10 students with dyslexia, Group II, 9 students with learning disorders and Group III, 9 students with no learning disorders. In this research, digital vectoelectronystagmography - ocular test - was performed. Results: saccadic movement, optokinetic nystagmus, and pendular tracking tests were found to show subtle differences among the three groups. Comparing the saccadic eye movements and the optokinetic nystagmus tests, it was observed that the movement in the left eye was slower for Group I, and even slower for Group II. It was also observed that GI and GII were slower for the pendular tracking of luminous stimulus in relation to the control group. Conclusion: in general, there are differences among the groups in the vectoelectronystagmography, which indicated slower tracking and vestibulo-ocular reflex in children with dyslexia and learning disorders.

Highlights

Digital vectoelectronystagmography is one of the most used methods reported in the literature to evaluate vestibular function, the exam has greater diagnostic sensitivity as it allows to measure the parameters of the vestibulo-oculomotor function through the comparison between the stimuli and the responses, in addition to identifying the direction of ocular phenomena[1,2,3]
There was no significant difference between Group I (GI) and Group III (GIII) in the comparison of saccadic eye movements and optokinetic nystagmus tests, except for the slower movement velocity of the left eye in the group with dyslexia (Table 3)
If the otoneurological evaluation is not performed, the poor spatial perception may be confused with other disorders, especially in the school phase when the child is asked to perform this type of activity

Summary

Introduction

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V) aims to help in the diagnosis of mental and neurodevelopment disorders by describing the most common characteristics and symptoms of a particular disease. According to the DSM-V, a learning disorder consists of a wide range of specific disorders of hearing, speech, reading, writing and mathematics, and is most prevalent among the diagnoses of learning disabilities[4,5]. Dyslexia is a developmental disorder characterized by significant and specific difficulties in reading and writing, such as difficulties in acquiring basic skills such as reading words and spelling and decoding skills, resulting in phonological deficit, changes in lexical development, and executive functions, in addition to low performance in tasks of sustained visual attention[6,7,8]. According to the literature[9], two factors seem to explain learning disorders: inability with coordination movements and absence of perception of their spatial position. Most of the children are not able to practice physical exercises, have abnormal head positions during writing, distort the size and weight of their own body and objects around them

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Methods

Conclusion