Training

Training can correct deficiencies in low-level auditory and visual processing as well as in saccade control and fixation. The reception of visual or auditory information from the eyes or ears to the various processing centres in the brain can be improved by daily practice. The overcoming of developmental deficits may in turn lead to better progress at school. Improvements in auditory and visual functioning will not necessarily cure all aspects of dyslexia and learning difficulties but it will ensure that children struggling at school will not be disadvantaged by undiagnosed visual or auditory deficits throughout their school careers.

Training Programmes

BlickLabor offers assessment and training to diagnose and rectify specific dysfunctions in auditory and visual processing and in eye movement control. These areas of processing are further sub-divided for the precise analysis of deficiencies. For example, several sub-functions of saccade control are assessed and each has its specific individual training programme. The assessment of auditory and visual processing includes reflexive and voluntary saccade control, binocular stability, subitizing, and the discrimination of volume, pitch, gap-detection and time order.

Most people have specific, not generalized, weaknesses. A training recommendation is only given when an assessment shows a significant deviation from the results of an age-matched control group. Each individual who undergoes assessment has a training programme tailored to his or her particular requirements. Generalised training is not given because it may have adverse effects on processes functioning well.

Each training programme:

• Is Specific to individual requirements. Only the functions that require improvement are trained.
• Evaluates the person’s results and success rates.
• Adapts to the level of the individual; if the task is too difficult it changes to an easier mode. As the person improves, the training becomes more demanding.
• Provides Feedback on the course of training. Every key-press response is stored. Once the device is returned the complete course of training is analysed and a detailed written report (protocol) is sent.

Training Devices

The training programmes developed at BlickLabor are integrated within a hand-held training device that can be used at home for daily practice. These devices are hired for a period of between three to eight weeks, depending on the number of training tasks.

The training devices can be ordered, after the assessment, from BlickZentrum, Freiburg, Germany. BlickZentrum is responsible for all aspects of the device. These include packing, sending, programming, maintenance, downloading and analysing the training data, and, the sending of a final report.

Training Schedules

Regular and frequent practice is the most effective way of bringing about improvement. A short daily training period has greater impact than a longer training period only twice a week. We recommend 5 to 10 minutes daily practice over several weeks to make up diagnosed developmental deficits. The success of the training programme depends on the careful completion of the training recommendations. High compliance Is needed.

Training Protocols

The training schedules are individually organized depending on the specific findings from the diagnosis. The way the training should be conducted is predetermined by the methods used in the corresponding studies. The children do the training at home mostly on their own without much of a supervision by the parents. It is therefore important to know, what exactly has been done during the training period. The training devices store all the data and, when returned to the Blicklabor, a training protocol is elaborated and send to the parents.

The training protocols allow (most of the time) to see, what the children have accomplished and whether or not the training was successful or should be followed by more training sessions.

Effects of the Training and Transfer to Learning at School

All 3 training procedures (Auditory, Visual, Saccade) have been evaluated as to their effectiveness. The changes of the variables describing the different tasks were measured before and after the training In each case. The percentage of successful subjects was calculated. Specific studies have then been conducted to see the transfer of the training to learning at school.

Three combinations have been considered so far:

• Auditory to Spelling
• Subitizing and arithmetic
• Saccade Control and Reading

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Auditory Training and Transfer to Spelling

The training of auditory discrimination Is successful In 40 to 75% of the cases depending on the task. Volume, Gap edtection, and Frequency discrimination were much easier to learn, while the time order and the side order were most difficult.

The transfer to phonological awareness was 100%., i.e. all participants reached the range of the controls. The transfer to spelling was smaller, but when the analysis was restricted to those spelling errors, that could be prevented by better listening, the success was much higher. The figure shows the effects in the form of a diagram.

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Training of Subitizing and Transfer to Arithmetic

The training of subitizing and number counting by memory was successful in up to 70% of the cases. Successful training resulted in profits in arithmetic. The figure shows the differences of scores gained by the experimental ans by the waiting group.

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Effects of Saccade Training

The data of 200 subjects, who completed the saccade training was used to compare the pre- and post- training variables. The percentage of misses in the antisaccade task is used as a measure. The figure shows the pre- and post-training age curves. The younger children exhibit the greater profit.

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Transfer to Reading

A group of dyslexic children, who needed a training, because of deficits in the performance of the antisaccade task was recruited. One half of the group was allowed to do the training right away, the other half had to wait. Afterwards, both groups were recombined and received instruction lessons for reading.
The Number of reading errors were measured In both groups before the training and waiting period and after the period of instructions.

The improvements of reading skills were measured by the percentage of the reduction of reading errors. The figure shows the result In the form of a diagram. The green columns represent the mean values of the experimental group, the red columns those of the waiting group. The left pair shows the mean values of the total groups. The size of the effect is significant. It also depends on age. Dropping the younger children from the analysis the differences between the two groups increase.

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