M.Sc. in the Psychology of Child Development Module Description for PS4205 Reading Development & Disability

This module focuses on topics which lie at the heart of current debates about reading development and disability.    A general overview of each area is provided through initial meetings, after which students are asked to select one area for detailed consideration.  Guided reading, mostly of advanced journal articles, provides students with in depth, up-to-date knowledge of theoretical, methodological and practical issues in the key area of their choice.  Whilst the emphasis is placed upon cognitive aspects of reading, students will also be required to consider the issues from a broader perspective encompassing social, emotional, educational and physiological views where relevant.    Possible issues of focus include: Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome The use of exercise to remediate dyslexia Reading Development and implications for classroom practice For example: The use of tinted lenses and coloured overlays as a method to improve the reading skills of children experiencing reading difficulties has become a controversial issue in recent years.  The method was developed by Helen Irlen (1991).  Irlen argues that about 50% of developmental dyslexic children suffer from what she has termed Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome (SSS) which results in a variety of visual distortions and which in turn cause problems with reading text.  When the remedy of tinted lenses was first reported in the media, it was hailed a s the ‘cure’ for dyslexia.  However, the method of remediation and the theory underlying the therapy have come under severe attack from the scientific community.  Clearly, if the simple use of tinted lenses or coloured overlays has the potential to ‘cure’ or at least alleviate the difficulties of developmental dyslexia, then this is an issue which deserves a close and critical examination.