| dc.description.abstract | This study aimed to characterize the performance in reading and body balance of schoolchildren; to
correlate these results; to develop a program of body balance training for children and to apply it in
schoolchildren with inferior results in evaluations of reading and vestibular tests. Forty students from the
third year of public primary school participated, with an average age of eight years and one month. Four
studies were carried out: characterization of reading assessments; characterization of body balance and
correlation with reading assessments, elaboration of a body balance training program for children and
application of it. Anamnesis was performed regarding complaints related to reading and body balance.
The reading evaluation included Reading of Isolated Words (SALLES et al., 2017), Reading Fluency
Test (JUSTI and ROAZZI, 2012) and Reading Comprehension Assessment (SALLES and PARENTE,
2002). The vestibular tests included the oculomotor tests of the computerized
vectoelectronystagmography and Vestibular-Evoked Myogenic Potential. A body balance training
program was developed based on the selection of studies that proposed to rehabilitate the vestibular
function, identifying protocol and/or strategy, target audience, number/time of sessions, number/time of
repetition and duration of the program. Finally, this program was applied to students with inferior
performance in reading and vestibular tests. For statistical analysis, Statistica software 9.1, Mann-
Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis non-parametric tests were used, and the Person and Spearman factors for
correlations. There was a high incidence of reading-related complaints, with a slow reading prevalence.
There was heterogeneity in the reading assessments, with the formation of groups according to the
reading and word comprehension scores that were of important deficit until normality, and variation from
zero to 45 hits in fluency. There was a correlation among all reading skills, with dissociation between
reading of words and comprehension. The prevalent otoneurological complaint was headache; the
oculomotor tests with variation were calibration and vertical saccadic nystagmus, horizontal and vertical
pendular tracing. There were presence of answers for all the students in the Cervical Vestibular-Evoked
Myogenic Potential, as opposed to the ocular, absent in some cases. There was correlation between
some oculomotor tests and Vestibular-Evoked Myogenic Potential, mainly ocular, with reading
evaluations. The body balance training program lasted eight weeks, in thirty-minute sessions twice a
week, totaling 14 training sessions, and was applied to students with lower scores on reading
assessments and vestibular tests. In conclusion, there was correlation between reading skills, with
dissociation between reading of words and comprehension, confirming that they have different
demands; the vertical oculomotor tests were more difficult than the horizontal ones, and were more correlated to the reading evaluations and the Vestibular-Evoked Myogenic Potential, especially the
ocular; the body balance training program demonstrated viability in the application in children, impacting
variably both in the reading assessments and in the vestibular tests of the students. | |
