Hand Movement Training in Braille Reading

Abstract

Twenty-one children ages 6 though 13 were taught to use their hands independently when reading braille to determine how this pattern of hand movements affected reading variables, excluding character recognition. Although all the children learned this pattern of hand movements during the 20 days scheduled for training, only nine children exhibited a dramatic decrease in inefficient tracking movements such as pauses and scrubbing motions. Because these children were younger and more intelligent than the others, read braille more slowly, and had received less training in braille at school, the results strongly suggested that skill in tracking and use of an efficient hand movement pattern is closely tied to perceptual ability. Thus when teaching children to read braille, the motor aspects of the task should be combined with the perceptual aspects from the beginning.

The association between tactile, motor and cognitive capacities and braille reading performance: a scoping review of primary evidence to advance research on braille and aging

“…Motor capacity: may include measures of fine or gross motor dexterity [52], as well as studies that examine the use of fingers and hands and the relationship of these patterns to braille reading outcomes [53].…”

“…Several authors have also highlighted that passive acuity measures reveal little about activities that draw on active tactile perception [17], leading to an interest in active acuity measures. Indeed, the focus on passive acuity seems counterintuitive given that braille reading is impaired when the fingers remain static or when ineffective movements (such as vertical scrubbing) are employed [2,53,90]. Braille reading activates the nerve endings of sensory receptors, but also the muscles, joints and tendons of the fingers, hands, wrists, arms and shoulders [2,44,53].…”

“…Indeed, the focus on passive acuity seems counterintuitive given that braille reading is impaired when the fingers remain static or when ineffective movements (such as vertical scrubbing) are employed [2,53,90]. Braille reading activates the nerve endings of sensory receptors, but also the muscles, joints and tendons of the fingers, hands, wrists, arms and shoulders [2,44,53]. Moreover, active tactile perception provides greater control to the participant over the stimulus being perceived and enables the use of strategies to move across symbols more effectively [9,17].…”

“…Despite the appeal of arguments based on cortical asymmetry, these studies result in inconsistent findings and confirmed that there is no universally best hand for braille reading. Instead, multiple parts of the cortex (including the occipital cortex) are recruited during the braille reading process, and two-handed reading is associated with faster reading rates [53].…”

“…While two-handed reading is associated with faster reading rates, Wormsley [53] underscores that even where readers use advanced two-handed reading techniques, reading rates do not necessarily improve where tactile recognition skills are deficient [53]. Indeed, poor tactile perception may adversely affect hand reading strategies [71].…”