The impact of automatic digit naming ability on a clinical test of eye movement functioning

One of the primary reasons for the clinical measurement of eye movements in children is probing the relationship of oculomotor functioning with reading. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between a subjective clinical test of lateral eye movements (KD Saccade Test) using a visual-verbal response format with the ability to name numbers automatically in the absence of eye movements in a first and second grade population. The results support the hypothesis that the eye movement skills measured with subjective visual-verbal formats as described in this study are deficits in automaticity of number knowledge ability and not oculomotor dysfunctions in some children.