Visuospatial and Verbal Abilities in Poor Readers: Cognitive Differences and Strategy Use

Developmental dyslexia is characterized by difficulties in reading and impairments in cognitive functions. It has also been linked to dysfunction of the brain regions involved in verbal and visuospatial processing. Although some research suggests individuals with dyslexia may rely on visuospatial strategies to compensate for their verbal difficulties, other studies have reported contradictory findings on visuospatial abilities. This study compared the cognitive performance of 11 poor readers and 15 typical readers across two verbal and four visuospatial tasks. Additionally, the strategies employed by each group to complete these cognitive tasks were explored. While poor readers showed worse performance across all verbal and visuospatial tasks than typical readers, there was no significant group difference in strategy use. Moreover, verbal cognitive inefficiencies were associated with reading difficulties. Poor readers' cognitive challenges, despite no difference in the strategies employed, highlight the importance of addressing both verbal and visuospatial difficulties in dyslexia.