A Computerised Test for Assessing the Early Reading Skills

A Computerised Test for Assessing the Early Reading Skills of Children With Mobility Limitations

This study was to develop a computerised test with an adapted peripheral to assess the emerging literacy knowledge of children with mobility difficulties. The software was implemented using a game-like design controllable by a peripheral device without needing fine movements.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Learning Disorders
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: synthetic test; Other: computerised test

Detailed Description

Conventional tests for assessing the early reading skills of preschool children on school entry are not accessible to children with mobility limitations. This paper presents a game-like computerised test featuring an appealing scenario that is accessible to these children. It was developed on a platform that creates 2D vector graphics and contains three phases of interactive content accessible through an adapted peripheral. Conventional tests were also used to validate the effectiveness of the game. The two types of tests had the same degree of predictive power when completed by thirty three preschool children without mobility impairment.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 40
• Phase: Not Applicable

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 4 years to 17 years (Child)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• G1 and G2: preschool children; no motor difficulties and normal school performance.
• G3: with moderate mobility impairment; similar cognitive ages and notions of writing to the participants of groups G1 and G2; children between seven and seventeen years old.

Exclusion Criteria:

• G1 and G2: children who often miss classes; children between four and seven years.
• G3: no moderate mobility impairment

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Diagnostic
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

3

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: synthetic test & computerised test; Seventeen preschool children (G1), with no motor impairments, from a private school. The children in G1 performed the synthetic test before the computerised test.	Other: synthetic test; The children performed the synthetic test with no time restriction.; Other: computerised test; The children performed the computerised test with no time restriction.
Experimental: computerised test & synthetic test; Sixteen preschool children (G2), with no motor impairments, from a private school. The children in G2 performed the computerised test before the synthetic test.	Other: synthetic test; The children performed the synthetic test with no time restriction.; Other: computerised test; The children performed the computerised test with no time restriction.
Experimental: computerised test; Seven volunteers (G3), two males and five females, with moderate mobility impairment, patients from the Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Clinic.	Other: computerised test; The children performed the computerised test with no time restriction.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Reading skills	The tests determine whether children can differentiate between the letters of the alphabet and squiggles, numbers, and mathematical signs (first phase); can realise that the same word can be written using uppercase, lowercase, and cursive letters (second phase); know the correct number of letters required to graphically represent the sounds used in speech (third phase). The numbers of incorrect choices made by children during the three phases of the computerised test (G1, G2 and G3) and the synthetic test (G1 and G2) are quantified.	2 days

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Mogi das Cruzes

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: September 1, 2010
• Primary Completion (Actual): September 1, 2010
• Study Completion (Actual): September 1, 2011

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: June 2, 2016
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 7, 2016
• First Posted (Estimate): June 13, 2016

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): June 13, 2016
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 7, 2016
• Last Verified: June 1, 2016

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: early reading skills
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Nervous System Diseases; Neurologic Manifestations; Neurobehavioral Manifestations; Neurodevelopmental Disorders; Communication Disorders; Learning Disabilities
• Other Study ID Numbers: 0135.0.237.000-10

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO