Dyslexia: prevalence, definition and new prospects for intervention
Digital psychology – (nr. 66) Reading better by playing: how action video games can help children with dyslexia
According to data from the Ministry of Education (2020/2021), pupils with dyslexia they represent 37.8% of the diagnosis of specific learning disorders (DSA). Although these statistics offer a useful overview, the real prevalence can vary on the basis of factors such as the awareness of the disorder, access to diagnosis and territorial differences.
The dyslexia It is part of the specific learning disorders as defined by the DSM-5 (American Psychiatric Association, 2013), which describes them as difficulties limited to specific areas of learning in the presence of an intellectual functioning in the norm. In particular, the dyslexia It concerns the ability to decode the text quickly and accuracy. For a long time, it was mainly explained as a deficit of phonological awareness, that is, of the ability to recognize and manipulate language sounds. This approach has led the interventions based on the teaching of correspondences between sounds and letters for a long time.
Recently, a more articulated vision has been established that also recognizes the importance of attentive and perceptive factors. Among the most accredited hypotheses is that of the visual attention deficit that would bring children with dyslexia to elaborate the letters sequentially instead of simultaneously. These evidence suggests the need for an integrated approach that combines linguistic, attentive, perceptive and motivational aspects. In this direction there is the use of action video game which seem to enhance different cognitive functions involved in reading (Bertoni et al., 2024).
Not only game: the effectiveness of combined approaches
A promising road is represented by the combination of traditional methods with innovative tools. The study of Murray and Birch (2023) explored the effectiveness of the integration between the Repeated Reading (RR) technique and the use of action video game. Repeated reading, which consists in the repeated reading aloud of the same song to reach a good fluidity, is a consolidated technique, especially useful with pre -adolescent and teenage students to strengthen phonological awareness, verbal memory and decoding speed. Alternating the repeered reading e action video gameThe participants showed more marked progress in reading in terms of speed, accuracy and understanding compared to Repeated reading alone, with particularly evident benefits in the most resistant cases to traditional approaches. According to the authors, i action video game They also act on the motivational level, increasing involvement and reducing the anxiety linked to reading. Some students reported positive sensations such as “playing the brain”, or that reading after the game seemed easier. Teachers also observed improvements in the diction, expressiveness, punctuation management and awareness while reading. This confirms that the effectiveness of action video game It is not limited to the cognitive plan but also extends to the motivational and emotional sphere (Murray & Birch, 2023).
How do action video games really work?
The effectiveness of action video game in the treatment of dyslexia It seems to reside in their ability to train cognitive functions involved in reading already before the phonological decoding. A central role is played by the visual-spatial attention: read in fact requires to rapidly guide attention to letters and spelling groups, a process compromised in children with dyslexia. I action video gamethanks to their speed and the need to react to stimuli distributed in space, they enhance the so -called Spotlight of Attention, or the ability to focus and quickly shift visual attention, thus improving attention selectivity (Franceschini et al., 2015). In addition, children with dyslexia They tend to have a more restricted visual field and struggle to distinguish too close to each other, a phenomenon known as crowding. THE action video game They help children better distinguish more visual elements present at the same time. The study also highlights an improvement in temporal attention, or the ability to process rapid stimuli in sequence such as letters in a word. Finally, the videogame training strengthens the transition from the visual to the auditory channel, fundamental for the grapheme-motherma conversion. These effects would be linked to the stimulation of the Magncellular-Doun system, involved in the orientation of attention and in the perception of the movement, altered in the cognitive profiles of children with dyslexia (Franceschini et al. 2015).
Towards a new generation of interventions
I action video gameif well designed and integrated in educational or clinical paths, they are effective and motivating tools to support children with dyslexia (Murray & Birch, 2023; Bertoni et al., 2024). It is not a question of replacing existing methods, as regards enriching them with more engaging strategies, especially for those who have lived reading as a source of frustration and failure. This perspective opens important reflections for those who work in school and clinical contexts. Psychologists, speech therapists and educators can count on tools capable of activating not only cognitive skills such as visual and decoding attention, but also motivational and emotional components, sometimes neglected but fundamental for learning (Khadem et al., 2024). Hybrid interventions, which combine techniques such as Repeated Reading with structured sessions of action video gamerepresent a promising direction for educational and rehabilitation practice (Murray & Birch, 2023). Their value lies in the ability to stimulate executive functions and attention in a playful and motivating way, without generating performance anxiety.
One thing is certain: even to read, sometimes you need a little action. And if the motivation can rekindle with a controller in hand, then it is worth exploring this path with scientific rigor, yes, but also with open -mindedness. Because, sometimes, even to read … you need a little action.
