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Visual function and execution of microsaccades related to reading skills, in cerebral palsied children
Nikos Kozeis1, Antonia Anogeianaki, Daniela Tosheva Mitova
1Department of Ophthalmology, Hippokrateion Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece. nkozeis@med.auth.gr
Insights
Children with cerebral palsy (CP) exhibit significantly impaired microsaccadic skills, impacting visual perception and reading abilities. These visual disturbances are present even without severe intellectual disability.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Pediatrics
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Cerebral palsy (CP) can affect various motor and sensory functions.
- Microsaccades are crucial for visual processing and reading.
- The impact of CP on microsaccadic skills in children is not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the microsaccadic abilities of school-aged children with cerebral palsy.
- To compare the microsaccadic performance of CP children with a control group.
- To identify the relationship between microsaccadic dysfunction, oculomotor, and visual-perceptual problems in CP.
Main Methods:
- One hundred and five school-aged children with congenital cerebral palsy (ages 6-15) were evaluated.
- Participants were classified into spastic quadriplegic, diplegic, and hemiplegic groups.
- Microsaccadic skills were assessed using the Developmental Eye Movement (DEM) test, alongside IQ estimation and patient history.
Main Results:
- Only 19% of CP children demonstrated normal microsaccadic function.
- Significant oculomotor and/or visual-perceptual deficits were identified in 81% of CP children.
- Specific issues included pure oculomotor problems (20.9%), visual-perceptual problems (32.4%), and combined issues (27.7%).
Conclusions:
- Cerebral palsied children, even without severe intellectual disability, exhibit disturbed visual skills and perception.
- These visual impairments contribute to reading difficulties in children with CP.
- Microsaccadic skill deficits are a significant factor exacerbating reading challenges in CP, potentially compounding effects of intellectual disability.
Abstract:
This article investigates the ability of cerebral palsied (CP) children to execute microsaccades. One-hundred and five congenitally CP school aged children (6 to 15 years old), without severe mental retardation, were classified into three groups: those with spastic quadriplegi, spastic diplegics, and spastic hemiplegics on the basis of: (1) patient anamnesis, (2) IQ estimation, (3) evaluation of the microsaccadic skills with the Developmental Eye Movement test (DEM). Their performance in these tests was compared with a control group from the general pediatric population. IQ of the CP children ranged between 70 and 100; the microsaccadic skills were severely affected: only 19% of the CP children had normal function, 20.9% of the CP children appeared with a pure oculomotor problem, 32.4% of the CP children had a visual-perceptual problem, and 27.7% of the CP children had a combined oculomotor and visual perceptual problem. CP children, in the absence of severe mental retardation, have disturbed visual skills and visual perception that usually leads to reading difficulties. It is also suggested that microsaccadic skills of CP children is an identifiable factor compounding the adverse effects of mental retardation on reading skills.
