(1) Background: This study explored the effect of short vestibular and cognitive training on the reading speed in dyslexic children. (2) Methods: The reading speed was evaluated by using a reading test (Évaluation de la Lecture en FluencE, ELFE) in a crossover design before (baseline) and after vestibular training (post VT) and no vestibular training (post no VT). Nineteen dyslexic children (9.48 ± 0.15 years) participated in the study. The vestibular and cognitive training (software developed by BeonSolution S.r.l.) consisted in four exercises presented on a Wacom tablet 10″ done for 16 min per session two times per week for four weeks; each exercise was composed of eight levels with increased difficulty. (3) Results: Following vestibular and cognitive training, dyslexic children increased their reading speed; interestingly, such an increase persisted at least one month after training. (4) Conclusions: Vestibular and cognitive training could improve the vestibular network, which is well known for being involved in several cognition functions leading to reading improvement in dyslexic children. Adaptive mechanisms could be responsible for maintaining such improvement for at least one month.
Aim: The aim of this preliminary study was to explore the visual attention in children with ADHD using eye-tracking, and to identify a relevant quantitative proxy of their attentional control. Methods: Twenty-two children diagnosed with ADHD (aged 7 to 12 years) and their 24 sex-, age-matched control participants with typical development performed a visual sustained-fixation task using an eye-tracker. Fixation stability was estimated by calculating the bivariate contour ellipse area (BCEA) as a continuous index of gaze dispersion during the task. Results: Children with ADHD showed a significantly higher BCEA than control participants (p < 0.001), reflecting their increased gaze instability. The impairment in gaze fixation persisted even in the absence of visual distractors, suggesting intrinsic attentional dysregulation in ADHD. Conclusions: Our results provide preliminary evidence that eye-tracking coupled with BCEA analysis, provides a sensitive and non-invasive tool for quantifying visual attentional resources of children with ADHD. If replicated and extended, the increased use of gaze instability as an indicator of visual attention in children could have a major impact in clinical settings to assist clinicians. This analysis focuses on overall gaze dispersion rather than fine eye micro-movements such as microsaccades.