RESUMEN
Visual perception in children can be evaluated using the Test of Visual Perceptual Skills-4th edition (TVPS-4) with normative data developed for the U.S. population. It is widely used by healthcare practitioners in Malaysia, despite reports that children in Asia outperform their U.S. peers in visual perception assessment. We compared TVPS-4 scores among 72 Malaysian preschool children (mean age: 5.06 ± 0.11 years) with U.S. norms and investigated the association between socioeconomic factors and TVPS-4 scores. Malaysian preschoolers had significantly higher standard scores (116.60 ± 7.16) than the U.S. norms (100 ± 15; p < 0.001). They also had significantly higher scaled scores (between 12.57 ± 2.10 and 13.89 ± 2.54) than the U.S. norms (10 ± 3, all p < 0.001) for all subtests. Multiple linear regression analyses revealed that socioeconomic variables were not significant predictors for five visual perception subtests and the overall standard score. The visual form constancy score could be predicted by ethnicity (ß = -1.874, p = 0.03). The visual sequential memory score could be predicted by the father's employment status (ß = 2.399, p < 0.001), mother's employment status (ß = 1.303, p = 0.007), and low household income (ß = -1.430, p < 0.037). In conclusion, Malaysian preschoolers outperformed their U.S. peers in all TVPS-4 subtests. Socioeconomic variables were associated with visual form constancy and visual sequential memory, but not with the other five subtests or TVPS-4's overall standard scores.
RESUMEN
Visual processing of complex character configurations is especially challenging for Chinese-speaking children with dyslexia (CSCD). The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of visual occlusion on postural control between dyslexic and non-dyslexic Chinese-speaking children by examining their visual-perceptual capacity and movement coordination with scale measures. Sixteen dyslexic children (10 males and, 6 females, 9.46 ± 1.26 yrs) and sixteen non-dyslexic children (10 males and 6 females, 9.91 ± 1.18 yrs) were recruited from the campus in Taiwan. Motor and visual perceptual performance were assessed with the Movement Assessment Battery for Children, 2nd Edition (MABC-2) and the Test of Visual-Perceptual Skills, 4th Edition (TVPS-4). Root mean square (RMS) and sample entropy (SampEn) of center of pressure (COP) were characterized during a bilateral upright stance with eyes open (EO) and eyes closed (EC). The results showed significant group differences in six of the seven TVPS-4 subscales (P <.001-0.017) and one category of the MABC-2 (P =.006). In the EO condition, the children with dyslexia showed a greater RMS of COP specifically in the anterior-posterior (AP) direction than did the non-dyslexic children (P =.029). However, SampEn of COP in the two directions were not group dependent (P >.05). In the EC condition, RMS and SampEn of COP did not vary with group (P >.05). RMS of COP in the AP direction was negatively correlated with the sub-score of visual figure-ground in the TVPS-4 (r = -0.381, P =.031). In summary, postural control of Chinese-speaking children with dyslexia is more affected with eyes open than with eyes closed, and the effect is related to visual disturbance of the foreground and background.