Attention Therapy Improves Reading Comprehension in Adjudicated Teens in a Residential Facility

• NCJ Number: 240511
• Journal: Journal of Correctional Education Volume: 63 Issue: 2 Dated: September 2012 Pages: 49-67
• Author(s): John Shelley-Tremblay; Jennifer Langhinrichsen-Rohling; Joshua Eyer
• Date Published: September 2012
• Length: 19 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study quantified the influence of visual Attention Therapy (AT) on reading skills and Coherent Motion Threshold (CMT) in adjudicated teens with moderate reading disabilities (RD) residing in a residential alternative sentencing program.

Abstract

This study quantified the influence of visual Attention Therapy (AT) on reading skills and Coherent Motion Threshold (CMT) in adjudicated teens with moderate reading disabilities (RD) residing in a residential alternative sentencing program. Forty-two students with below-average reading scores were identified using standardized reading comprehension tests. Nineteen children were placed randomly in the AT group and 23 in the control group. The control group received normal small group classroom instruction in reading, while the AT group received 12 additional one-hour sessions of individually monitored, computer-based AT programs. To stimulate selective and sustained visual attention, AT stresses various aspects of arousal activation and vigilance. AT produced significantly greater increases in reading comprehension than a normal education control. The current study supports the literature suggesting a role for visual attention in reading, and that attention therapy may be an efficient addition to normal education practices in juvenile detention facilities. (Published Abstract)