Exploring the Link between Visual Perception, Visual–Motor Integration, and Reading in Normal Developing and Impaired Children using DTVP‐2

Abstract

Reading is known to be primarily a linguistic task. However, to successfully decode written words, children also need to develop good visual-perception skills. Furthermore, motor skills are implicated in letter recognition and reading acquisition. Three studies have been designed to determine the link between reading, visual perception, and visual-motor integration using the Developmental Test of Visual Perception version 2 (DTVP-2). Study 1 tests how visual perception and visual-motor integration in kindergarten predict reading outcomes in Grade 1, in typical developing children. Study 2 is aimed at finding out if these skills can be seen as clinical markers in dyslexic children (DD). Study 3 determines if visual-motor integration and motor-reduced visual perception can distinguish DD children according to whether they exhibit or not developmental coordination disorder (DCD). Results showed that phonological awareness and visual-motor integration predicted reading outcomes one year later. DTVP-2 demonstrated similarities and differences in visual-motor integration and motor-reduced visual perception between children with DD, DCD, and both of these deficits. DTVP-2 is a suitable tool to investigate links between visual perception, visual-motor integration and reading, and to differentiate cognitive profiles of children with developmental disabilities (i.e. DD, DCD, and comorbid children). Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Relationships between Motor Proficiency and Academic Performance in Mathematics and Reading in School-Aged Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review

“…Total participant sample sizes in studies included in the review varied between 36 [39] and 19,173 [40]. Studies were undertaken in a broad range of developed and developing countries, with 19 (35%) conducted in the USA.…”

“…Standardized assessment tools were used to measure both fine motor proficiency and academic performance in reading for 24 (80%) of the studies. Of the 30 studies that examined these variables, nine (30%) [40,48,54,57,59,66,68,79,80] were categorized as having ‘good’ methodological quality, 14 (47%) [44,52,55,58,60,61,62,69,81,82,83,84,85,86] were categorized as having ‘fair’ methodological quality, and seven (23%) [21,39,53,63,71,87,88] were categorized as having ‘poor’ methodological quality. A summary of the overall levels of evidence from the studies examining the associations between the components of fine motor proficiency and academic performance in reading can be found in Table 2.…”

“…The relationship between fine motor integration skills and academic performance in reading was examined most often, with 17 [39,48,52,53,54,55,58,60,63,69,71,81,83,85,86,87,88] significant positive associations out of the 22 reported. In relation to the strength of correlations between variables reported, 10 studies [48,52,53,55,58,63,81,83,85,87] found very weak to weak correlations (r = 0.163–0.38), six studies [39,58,59,71,81,88] found moderate associations (r = 0.40–0.47), and two studies [60,71] reported a strong correlation (r = 0.60–0.62).…”

“…In relation to the strength of correlations between variables reported, 10 studies [48,52,53,55,58,63,81,83,85,87] found very weak to weak correlations (r = 0.163–0.38), six studies [39,58,59,71,81,88] found moderate associations (r = 0.40–0.47), and two studies [60,71] reported a strong correlation (r = 0.60–0.62). A total of 11 [48,52,54,55,58,60,69,81,83,85,86] of the 17 studies reporting significant associations had fair-to-good methodological quality.…”

The relationship between motor proficiency and reading ability in Year 1 children: a cross-sectional study

“…There is a growing body of evidence demonstrating a relationship between fine motor proficiency and reading ability [10–13]. Additionally, there are positive associations between physical activity and increased academic performance [7–9], however, there is minimal research available on the link between gross motor proficiency, which underpins physical activity participation [14], and reading abilities.…”