The normative measures for Chinese Reading Acuity Test (CRAT) in Cantonese-speaking children

The Chinese Reading Acuity Test (CRAT), a version of the MNRead Acuity Chart adapted for traditional Chinese, has previously been developed. This study aimed to establish normative values of the CRAT among Cantonese-speaking Hong Kong primary school children. We recruited 188 Cantonese-speaking Chinese children from Grades 1 to 6 without developmental delays or reading difficulties. The CRAT includes three charts, each with 17 sentences in Chinese characters sized from 1.3 to - 0.3 logMAR. After a practice session with Chart 1, participants read Charts 2 and 3 aloud as fast as possible at 40 cm under normal room lighting, continuing until the print size was too small to be resolved. We recorded reading time and errors and calculated maximum reading speed (CMRS), critical print size (CCPS), and reading acuity (CRA) using a non-linear mixed-effects model. Average values from the results in Charts 2 and 3 were used. The study found significant associations between age and grade level with CMRS (r = 0.72, p ≤ 0.001) and CRA (r = -0.47, p < 0.001), indicating improvements in reading speed and acuity with increasing age and grade. Additionally, Chinese near visual acuity (CNVA) showed significant correlations with CMRS (r = -0.24, p = 0.001), CRA (r = 0.41, p < 0.001), and CCPS (r = 0.35, p < 0.001). Normative data were established for each grade level and age group. The findings revealed that as children grow and advance through school grades, their ability to read faster and discern smaller print sizes improves. The CRAT is a valuable tool for clinicians and educators to assess reading performance and identify potential reading difficulties among Cantonese-speaking children. The normative data from this study will serve as a benchmark for evaluating and supporting the enhancement of reading skills in Cantonese-speaking children.