Verbal working memory and reading abilities among students with visual impairment

Res Dev Disabil. 2017 May:64:87-95. doi: 10.1016/j.ridd.2017.03.010. Epub 2017 Apr 28.

Abstract

Aim: This study investigated the relationship between working memory (WM) and reading abilities among students with visual impairment (VI). Seventy-five students with VI (visually impairment and blindness), aged 10-15 years old participated in the study, of whom 44 were visually impaired and 31 were blind.

Methods: The participants' reading ability was assessed with the standardized reading ability battery Test-A (Padeliadu & Antoniou, 2008) and their verbal working memory ability was assessed with the listening recall task from the Working Memory Test Battery for Children (Pickering et al., 2001).

Results-implications: Data analysis indicated a strong correlation between verbal WM and decoding, reading comprehension and overall reading ability among the participants with VI, while no correlation was found between reading fluency and verbal WM. The present study points out the important role of verbal WM in reading among students who are VI and carries implications for the education of those individuals.

Keywords: Blindness; Comprehension; Decoding; Reading ability; Verbal working memory; Visual impairment.

MeSH terms

  • Acoustic Stimulation / methods
  • Adolescent
  • Auditory Perception
  • Child
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Memory, Short-Term*
  • Neuropsychological Tests
  • Reading*
  • Statistics as Topic
  • Task Performance and Analysis
  • Verbal Behavior / physiology*
  • Vision Disorders* / diagnosis
  • Vision Disorders* / psychology