Abstract

Objective. The purpose of the study is to assess the quantitative and qualitative changes of errors during reading and writing of dyslexic subjects after a rehabilitation program based on lexical and sub-lexical recognition of words. Method. The reading and writing direct test (TDLS) is self-paced and composed of 12 lists, each of 20 words with increasing complexity that appear on a screen for 250ms, «flash presentation », and for 10s, «sustained presentation», when the words were not read correctly. The treatment was divided in 3 periods of 3 months each, spaced with a rest of 3 months. 73 dyslexics subjects, from 6 to 13 years of age, diagnosed according to the DSMV criteria participated in the study. Wilcoxon for paired data and multiple linear regression tests have been used to estimate the outcomes of the treatment. Results. The sub-lexical method shows a significant improvement in reading level, reading age, reading quotient and in the number of words correctly read in flash presentation. The reading time during flash presentation was reduced by 20 ms and 69 ms during sustained presentation; Dysphonetic errors significantly decreased in both reading modalities, while the dyseidetic ones decreased significantly during sustained presentation. The writing test shows a significant improvement of both known and unknown correct written words. Conclusions. These results show that the method of lexical and sub-lexical recognition with perceptual masking changes the connectivity of brain networks related to reading processes, by increasing the speed of visual and phonological processing.