Development of a Training Program for Japanese Dyslexic Children and Its Short-Term Efficacy

Abstract

  Objective: The purpose of this study is to develop a computer training program of reading for the Japanese dyslexic children and to examine its short-term efficacy on their reading and writing abilities.
  Methods: Fifteen dyslexic children underwent two sets of training programs, one for single-hiragana and non-word reading, and the other for the reading of real words, in which each hiragana was followed by the correctly read sound. Subjects were required to use a given program for five minutes a day for three weeks, switching to the other program after a three-week interval. Four kinds of reading test and one writing test were done at the beginning and end of each program period.
  Results: The averages reading speeds increased, and the single-hiragana reading error average was lower after the training. Hiragana-writing errors also decreased, even though no writing procedure was involved in the programs.
  Conclusions: The results indicate the usefulness of these training programs as an early intervention of reading and writing for the Japanese dyslexic children.