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Impaired balancing ability in dyslexic children.

Catherine J Stoodley1, Angela J Fawcett, Roderick I Nicolson

  • 1University Laboratory of Physiology, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3PT, UK. cjs@physiol.ox.ac.uk

Experimental Brain Research
|July 27, 2005
PubMed
Summary

Children with developmental dyslexia may exhibit impaired motor skills, specifically in balancing. This study found dyslexic children were less stable, suggesting a link between motor function and literacy development.

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Motor Control

Background:

  • Developmental dyslexia is characterized by reading and spelling difficulties.
  • Neurobiological underpinnings of dyslexia are under investigation.
  • Previous research suggests potential sensory, motor, and cerebellar deficits in dyslexia.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between motor control, specifically balancing abilities, and developmental dyslexia.
  • To explore potential cerebellar involvement in dyslexia through motor tasks.

Main Methods:

  • 19 normal readers and 16 children with developmental dyslexia performed cognitive, literacy, and balancing tasks.
  • Balancing was assessed on one foot, eyes open/closed, for 10 seconds using motion tracking.

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  • Incidence analysis and correlation with literacy scores were performed.

    • Main Results:

    • Dyslexic children demonstrated significantly poorer balance with eyes open on both left and right feet.
    • While no differences were found with eyes closed, dyslexic children more frequently dropped a foot to correct balance.
    • 50% of dyslexic children fell into an 'impaired' balancing category, with strong correlations between balance scores and reading/spelling performance.

    Conclusions:

    • Low-level motor dysfunction, particularly in balancing, may be associated with impaired literacy development in children with dyslexia.
    • Cerebellar dysfunction, magnocellular system involvement, or general developmental immaturity could underlie these motor deficits.
    • While not universal, impaired balancing is a notable characteristic in a significant portion of the dyslexic population studied.