Effects of oculomotor rehabilitation on the cognitive performance of dyslexic children with concurrent eye movement abnormalities

Introduction:Oculomotor disorders have been reported in some of the dyslexic children. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effects of oculomotor rehabilitation on the cognitive performance of dyslexic children. Methods:Subjects were 50 dyslexic children between 8 and 12 years old. Those with oculomotor abnormalities (n = 30) were randomly assigned to two groups (case and control) matched for age. The case group received oculomotor rehabilitation. Children in the control group received no intervention. The oculomotor rehabilitation was performed twice weekly for 8 weeks in case group. Three cognitive subtests of CANTAB were performed pre and post-intervention stage to determine the effects of intervention on the cognitive function of study population. ANCOVA and T-test were used for comparison of results between two groups. Results:The correct scores of cognitive tests in the case group posttest increased significantly compared to the control group (p = 0.028). Conclusion:The study indicated the positive effects of oculomotor rehabilitation on the cognitive performance of dyslexic children.