Oculomotor training has been associated with improvements in reading fluency, but the physical act of reading is not typically taught in schools. The purpose of this retrospective study was to examine reading fluency outcomes in elementary students following oculomotor training. Methods: Pre- and post-training Scholastic Reading fluency benchmarks were reviewed for nine students (Grade1 through 4) who had undergone 6-week in-school training using King-Devick (K-D) Remediation software. Results: All students demonstrated improvement in reading fluency scores following training and this was statistically significant (p=0.008, Wilcoxon signed-rank). Conclusion: Findings support prior research that oculomotor training results in improved reading fluency.
Summary Points:
- Students, grades 1st through 4th participated in 6 weeks of the King-Devick Reading Acceleration Program and underwent pre- and post- standardized reading fluency testing in this pilot
- All students improved in reading fluency after the course of the training.
- The improvement in reading fluency may be attributed to the rigorous practice of eye movements (saccades) and shifts in visuospatial attention, which are necessary for proficient