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Completed

NCT Number: NCT06557382

Cognitive Skills and Reading Speed

The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between cognitive skills, reading speed and reading comprehension skills in children who will learn to read and who do not have any diagnosis.

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Key information

Conditions

Cognitive Function 1, Social Reading Problem

Age range

72 month–96 month

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Observational

Primary location

Medipol Mega University Hospital

Istanbul, 34214, Turkey (Türkiye)

About this study

Learning to read is a very difficult process for both parents and children. Some children overcome this process more easily, while others have more difficulty. Understanding this process and the factors that affect it is important for developing academic skills. Reading is a complex, multifactorial, and dynamic process. When reading begins, parallel activation of limbic, motor, and cognitive processes occurs in different brain regions, including the cortex, thalamus, and basal ganglia. Orthographic word processes, phonological analysis, mapping between print, sound, and meaning, articulatory registration, and semantic/syntactic processing of written words occur through activation of left ventral occipitotemporal, dorsal temporoparietal, and left inferior frontal brain networks. During this process, the brain mentioned above networks establish connections with many areas of both hemispheres to enable comprehension. Reading skills involve the activation and interaction of cognitive processes such as attention, working memory, and executive control. Their study with 9-year-old children stated that planning skills are important for reading and that good inhibitory control increases phonotic coding skills. Miller and colleagues noted that the executive function subcomponents of working memory, but not inhibition, explained 52% of the variance in literacy and 81% of the variance in mathematics. Gallen and colleagues found that the ability to sustain attention was associated with reading and mathematics skills. McClelland and colleagues suggested that children with a higher standard deviation score in attention span at age 4 were 48.7% more likely to graduate from college by age 25. As can be seen, although reading skills have been linked to cognitive abilities in the literature, complete clarity has not been achieved. It would be appropriate to evaluate reading in general as word recognition/identification and reading comprehension skills. While word recognition involves lower-level cognitive processes, comprehension requires the automatization of lower-level cognitive skills coordinated with the effect of higher-level cognitive skills. In this context, it may be necessary to examine which cognitive skill can predict reading according to subheadings of reading such as reading speed and reading comprehension. If the relationship between cognitive skills and the speed of learning to read and reading comprehension is revealed, the performance of children at risk of falling behind in reading can be increased with additional measures. Since it will be predicted which of the children who have just started school will fall behind in learning to read by using the tests with high prediction coefficients to be determined at the end of the study, developmental measures can be taken for these children. In addition, it will be possible to focus on cognitive exercises to increase the success of these children in their educational lives.

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between cognitive skills in children who will learn to read and who do not have any diagnosis and reading speed and reading comprehension skills.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Being 6 years old and above and starting primary school
  • Not knowing how to read and write
  • Not having received any previous literacy training
  • Knowing Turkish

Exclusion criteria

  • Having dyslexia
  • Being diagnosed with a neurological or psychiatric disease
  • Having an organic disorder such as hearing and vision

Treatment and study plan

Cognitive tests and reading-related evaluations

Behavioral

Tests assessing cognitive status and reading were administered. (Frankfurter; MVPT-3, TILLs; etc.)

Primary outcomes

  1. Frankfurter tests

    Time frame: Baseline and 6 months after initial evaluation

    The reliability and validity studies of the Frankfurter Concentration Test for five-year-old children, developed by Raatz and Möhling (1971). were conducted in Germany.It is a short, simple test that measures attention and concentration skills. It is a performance test that involves marking a target stimulus in a visual.

  2. Cancellation Test

    Time frame: Baseline and 6 months after initial evaluation

    It is a neuropsychological test developed by Weintraub and Mesulam (1985). The IT in the BILNOT Battery has been standardized for both adults and children. In studies conducted in our country, it has been observed that the IT scores are grouped under the factors of visual-spatial scanning, impulsivity and reaction speed regarding the stimulus context.

  3. Executive Functions and Occupational Routines Scale (EFORTS)

    Time frame: Baseline and 6 months after initial evaluation

    It evaluates the mental characteristics of children aged 6-12, such as impulse, verbal and non-verbal memory, self-regulation, problem solving, and planning. It is scored by the family on a 1-5 Likert scale. It has 3 subsections, including morning-evening routines, play-fun, and social routines, and contains a total of 30 questions.

  4. Forward and Backward Digit Span

    Time frame: Baseline and 6 months after initial evaluation

    To assess working memory, the Digit Span Subtest of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for children was used ın forward digit span, the child is told a 2-digit number and asked to repeat it. When the same digit is repeated twice correctly, the number of digits is increased. The number of digits is increased until an error is made. When an error is made twice, the test is finished and the forward digit span is determined. The backward digit span is similar to the forward digit span. The only difference is that the child is asked to repeat the given numbers backwards.

  5. The Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders

    Time frame: Baseline and 6 months after initial evaluation

    It measures children's ability to regulate their behavior. Children are asked to do the opposite of what is said. The task increases in complexity by including 4 body parts (head, toe, knee and shoulder). Answers are scored from 0 to 2 points.

  6. Motor-free Perception Test (MVPT-3).

    Time frame: Baseline and 6 months after initial evaluation

    MVPT-3 includes all visual perception subheadings. The test consists of 9 subfields and 65 shapes, namely visual discrimination (1-8), shape formation (9-13), visual memory-I (14-21), visual proximity-I(22-34), visual discrimination (35-45), position in space (46-50), figure-ground (51-55), visual proximity-II (56-60) and visual memory-II (61-65). Total visual perception score is calculated.

  7. Test of Integrated Language and Literacy Skills (TILLS)

    Time frame: 6 months after initial evaluation

    It was developed by Nelson and his colleagues to assess the oral and written language skills of school-age children (6-18). The test consists of 15 subtests that measure different stages of oral and written language skills.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Istanbul Medipol University Hospital

Other

Registry information

Official study title

The Power of Cognitive Skills to Predict Reading Speed

Important dates

Study start
2023
Primary completion
2023
Study completion
2024
First posted
Aug 16, 2024
Registry last updated
Aug 16, 2024

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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