Correlation between body balance exams and schoolchildren reading assessments

This study aimed to correlate the results in the body balance exams with the reading assessments of 27 students, 16 girls and 11 boys, students of the third year of public elementary school, whose average age was 8.21 years.

Children with auditory, visual, language and nonverbal intelligence deficits were discarded. Body balance was evaluated with oculomotor tests of vectoelectronystagmography (VENG) and cervical and ocular Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potential. Reading of Isolated words, reading fluency and textual comprehension were evaluated.

The results obtained uniformly in most findings of the oculomotor tests showed no statistical difference between the right and left ear in the cervical and ocular VEMP, the reading of regular stimuli were statistically higher than the reading of irregular stimuli and pseudowords, there were no differences between the literal and inferential questions. Finally, a positive and significant correlation was found between vertical saccadic and irregular stimuli, and between horizontal pendular tracking and most reading evaluations. Ocular VEMP correlated with reading, except for inferential questions.

The main correlation between reading and VENG oculomotor tests was with horizontal pendular tracking, which evaluates the slow movement of the eyes in the horizontal direction, the same performed during reading. Correlation between ocular VEMP and reading was evidenced, indicating that the students with the best developed vestibular-ocular reflex presented better reading results.