Binocular coordination of children with dyslexia and typically developing children in linguistic and non-linguistic tasks: evidence from eye movements

Abstract

Given the increased evidence suggesting the presence of binocular coordination deficits in dyslexia, investigations of binocular eye movements are beneficial to clarify the underlying causes of reading difficulties. This systematic review aims to (a) synthesize the literature through the examination of binocular coordination in children with dyslexia by describing the normative development of stable binocular control and (b) outline future directions. Boolean expressions in the PubMed search were used to define papers. Following a literature search and selection process, 25 papers were included. Studies using binocular eye tracking during linguistic and nonlinguistic tasks in children with dyslexia and typical development 5–17 years of age are reviewed. The studies reviewed provided consistent evidence of poor binocular coordination in children with dyslexia, but the results associated with different task characteristics were less consistent. The relation between binocular coordination deficits and reading difficulties needs to be further elucidated in longitudinal studies which may provide future treatments targeting the binocular viewing system in dyslexia.