Abstract
Impairment in spatial thinking has figured prominently as an assumed cause of developmental reading disability. The empirical findings relevant to the idea, with special reference to right-left orientation, visuomotor and visuoconstructive performances, and finger recognition are examined. It is concluded that, although some dyslexic children do show spatial disabilities, there is little evidence to support the existence of a visuospatial type of developmental dyslexia.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Benton, A. L. 1958. Significance of systematic reversal in right-left discrimination.Acta Psychiatrica et Neurologica Scandinavica 33: 129–137.
Benton, A. L. 1959.Right-left Discrimination and Finger Localization. New York: Hoeber-Harper.
Benton, A. L. 1975. Developmental dyslexia: Neurological aspects.In W. J. Friedlander (ed.)Advances in Neurology, Vol. 7. New York: Raven Press.
Benton, A. L. 1979. The neuropsychological significance of finger recognition.In M. Bortner (ed.).Cognitive Growth and Development. New York: Brunner-Mazel.
Benton, A. L. 1982. Child neuropsychology: Retrospect and prospect.In J. deWit and A. L. Benton (eds).Perspectives in Child Study. Lisse (Netherlands): Swets and Zeitlinger.
Benton, A. L., Hamsher, K., Varney, N. R., and Spreen O. 1982.Contributions to Neuropsychological Assessment. New York: Oxford University Press.
Benton, A. L., and Kemble, J. D. 1960. Right-left orientation and reading disability.Psychiatria et Neurologia (Basel) 139: 49–60.
Benton, A. L., and Menefee, F. L. 1957. Handedness and right-left discrimination.Child Development 28: 237–242.
Clawson, A. 1962. Relationship of psychological tests to cerebral disorders in children.Psychological Reports 10: 187–190.
Duane, D. D. 1982. Underachievement in written language: Auditory aspects.In H. F. Myklebust (ed.).Progress in Learning Disabilities, Vol. 7. New York: Grune and Stratton.
Fletcher, J. M., Taylor, H. G., Morris, R., and Satz, P. 1982. Finger recognition skills and reading achievement: A developmental neuropsychological perspective.Developmental Psychology 18: 124–132.
Harris, L. J., and Gitterman, S. R. 1978. University professors’ self-descriptions of left-right confusability: Sex and handedness differences.Perceptual and Motor Skills 47: 819–823.
Hermann, K. 1959.Reading Disability. Copenhagen: Munksgaard.
Hermann, K. 1964. Specific reading disability with special reference to complicated word blindness.Danish Medical Bulletin 11: 34–40.
Hermann, K., and Norrie, E. 1958. Is congenital word-blindness a heredity type of Gerstmann’s syndrome?Psychiatria et Neurologia (Basel) 136: 59–73.
Hermann, K., and Voldby, H. 1946. The morphology of handwriting in congenital word-blindness.Acta Psychiatrica et Neurologica Scandinavica 21: 349–363.
Holroyd, J., and Wright F. 1965. Neurological implications of WISC verbal performance discrepancies in a psychiatric setting.Journal of Consulting Psychology 29: 206–212.
Kinsbourne, M., and Warrington, E. K. 1962. A survey of finger sense among retarded readers.Clinics in Developmental Medicine 10: 65–66.
Kinsbourne, M., and Warrington, E. K. 1963. The developmental Gerstmann syndrome.Archives of Neurology 8: 490–501.
Lefford, A., Birch, H. G., and Green G. 1974. The perceptual and cognitive bases for finger localization and selective finger movement in preschool children.Child Development 45: 335–343.
Lindgren, S. D. 1978. Finger localization and the prediction of reading disability.Cortex 14: 87–101.
Mattis, S., French, J. H., and Rapin, I. 1975. Dyslexia in young adults: Three independent syndromes.Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology 17: 150–173.
McGlone, J. 1980. Sex differences in human brain asymmetry.Behaviorial and Brain Sciences 3: 215–263.
Orton, S. T. 1937.Reading, Writing and Speech Problems in Children. New York: Norton.
Rabinovitch, R. D., Drew, A. L., DeJong, R. N., Ingram W., and Withey, L. A. 1954. A research approach to reading retardation.Proceedings, Association for Research in Nervous and Mental Diseases 34: 363–396.
Rosenberg, M. 1912. Zur Pathologie der Orientierung nach rechts and links.Zeitschrift fuer Psychologie 61: 25–60.
Satz, P., and Friel, J. 1973. Some predictive antecedents of specific reading disability.In P. Satz and J. J. Ross (eds.).The Disabled Learner. Rotterdam University Press.
Satz, P. and Friel, J. 1974. Some predictive antecedents of specific reading disability.Journal of Learning Disabilities 7: 437–444.
Shankweiler, D. 1963. A study of developmental dyslexia.Neuropsychologia 1: 267–286.
Symmes, J., and Rapoport, J. L. 1972a. Unexpected reading failure.American Journal of Orthopsychiatry 42: 82–91.
Symmes, J., and Rapoport, J. L. 1972b Deficit models, spatial visualization and reading disability.Bulletin of the Orton Society 22: 54–68.
Walton, J. N., Ellis, E., and Court S. D. 1962. Clumsy children: developmental apraxia and agnosia.Brain 85: 603–612.
Wolf, S. M. 1973. Difficulties in right-left discrimination in normal population.Archives of Neurology 29: 128–129.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Benton, A.L. Dyslexia and spatial thinking. Annals of Dyslexia 34, 69–85 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02663614
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02663614