Hidden public health problem contributes to the reading crisis
Many students struggle with reading in school. One often overlooked cause is visual impairment . This is a shame, because modern eye-hand coordination training has such a positive effect on reading ability. During a parliamentary seminar Organized by members of parliament Fredrik Malm (L) and Niels Paarup-Petersen © on November 14, researchers and teachers gathered to discuss how consensus training can help children with reading difficulties in school.
Visual attention is crucial for reading ability because you must be able to focus on the text and filter out other visual stimuli, said Rune Brautaset, optometrist and professor at Karolinska Institute .
Students who struggle with reading often have problems with their visual attention. This in turn can be due to various things, such as problems with concentration, dyslexia or ADHD .
– They may have difficulty maintaining attention on specific words and letters, tracking the text line by line, and moving their gaze effectively between words and sentences. This makes it more difficult to understand and process the text, said Rune Brautaset and continued:
– With congruence training, everyone can train their visual attention and thus become better at reading.
But what exactly are consensus problems?
– When you have problems with convergence in vision, it is difficult for the eyes to align themselves correctly so that both look at the same object. This is usually due to what we call a latent or hidden strabismus. This means that the brain has to make an effort to keep the eyes together to point them in the same direction, said Rune Brautaset.
Many have a hidden strabismus without causing any problems, but some people get symptoms when they read or look closely at something. They can see double , get tired or get headaches.
The positive thing is that Consistency problems can be trained away . Previously, this has been done by, for example, focusing on a pencil that you move back and forth in front of your eyes.
– The problem is that it is difficult to sustain over time because it is so boring. What Imvi has done is that we have taken that training and made it much more fun. You don't have to do more than watch a movie in VR glasses while your visual attention is stimulated and trained, said Rune Brautaset.
The training is most beneficial for those who have visual impairment , dyslexia or ADHD, but everyone can practice their visual acuity and become better at reading.
A growing problem
We already know that approximately 10 percent of the population has vision problems, but that number is increasing, said Therese Westerlund, an optician and optometrist who conducts research in collaboration with Linköping University Hospital. A recent study indicates that 30 percent among children and young people.
– It's because we spend so much time in front of screens and looking up close. Our eyes are not adapted for that, they are adapted to see well from a distance. Straining our eyes and looking up close tires out the visual system. Many people notice this by getting headaches, she said, showing a picture of her son covering one eye.
– He has been sitting like this all school years to avoid seeing double when he reads. Before we got the VR glasses, I had to pester myself to get him to practice his vision. But when he gets to watch movies in the VR glasses, there is no problem, said Therese Westerlund and continued:
– Everyone who has trained with Imvi has improved their reading skills, has an easier time keeping up during lessons and doing their homework.
Permanent results
To get lasting results in reading ability, concentration and reading speed, you should practice for at least 15 minutes, four days a week for at least twelve weeks. Before starting the training, you take a digital consensus test and measure your reading speed in the app.
– The training works so that the screen is divided into two images, but the brain merges the visual impressions so that it feels like you are looking at one image. While the students watch SVT Play, UR, Youtube or Binogi, the visual acuity is trained by the images constantly moving a little sideways, said Peter Carlsson, CEO and founder of Imvi Labs.
Moa Ahrnbom is a teacher and has struggled with consensus issues her entire life.
– My daughter Iris is 10 years old and has dyslexia. We have both trained with Imvi for 24 weeks, and have both increased our reading speed by over 50 percent. We find it easier to focus and don't get lost in the text in the same way, she said.
Johanna Lindgren Chin is a special education teacher. Her daughter Viola has also had great difficulty with reading.
– We tried everything and she really hated reading. But after the training, she has improved her reading speed by 113 percent. Now she suddenly loves reading. There is truly a before and an after Imvi. It has been absolutely crucial for her self-esteem, said Johanna Lindgren Chin.
Both she and Moa Ahrnbom have trained students both at school and at home.
– Afterwards, the children themselves say that they read much faster and understand the text better, says Johanna Lindgren Chin,
– In school, we identify children with reading difficulties very early, often already in the first grade. But it is not always easy to know what is causing it. A reading and writing assessment is only done in the third grade. By then, those students have already fallen behind in school because reading is so important in all subjects. If we did a screening and trained them already in preschool age, they would have the same opportunities as everyone else, said Moa Ahrnbom.
More and more schools are choosing to test Imvis training
This autumn, an entire class of third graders is training at Hästens Friskola in Farsta. After just six weeks, they have improved their reading speed by an average of 73 percent. One of the students who was identified with a problem with reading comprehension has become completely symptom-free. Eight students improved their reading by over 80 percent, of which five exceeded 100 percent and two 250, said Peter Carlsson.
He and the other participants at the seminar suggest that information about vision problems needs to be highlighted in teacher training. In addition, all children should be tested for vision problems at the ages of 4, 6 and 10.
– Today, parents can purchase VR glasses privately, but in order for all children to have equal opportunities to learn to read and keep up with the teaching, the training should be done at school, said Peter Carlsson.
They also suggest a broader study with 1,000 students where follow-up should include reading development, attention, academic performance, absenteeism and optical measurements.
