Reading: linguistic analysis, psychodiagnostic evaluation and intervention

Head: Francesca Santulli

Year 2017

In the study of the processes of reading and understanding, even in the presence of specific difficulties, little space has been dedicated to silent reading, which is also the mode most frequently adopted in adulthood. In particular, research has focused on issues related to the age of development, starting with the acquisition of reading skills in which reading aloud plays a more important role. This project therefore focuses on an area that is not very well investigated, taking into consideration a population of students in late adolescence and adulthood, balanced between normoleptive and dyslexic subjects. The objective is to investigate the complexity of the task of reading and understanding texts used in silent mode, and to assess the effectiveness of a training scheme aimed at acquiring more effective strategies, called SuperReading, which integrates multidisciplinary approaches and different techniques. On the basis of an A-B (baseline/intervention) research design, data were collected on the reading performance of the subjects participating in the SuperReading courses. The results, also reworked with statistical methodologies, reveal an increase in reading skills, from the point of view of speed and understanding, both for subjects with normal readers and those with dyslexia.

In addition, part of the population involved took a series of standardized reading tests, which constitute a battery for the diagnosis of reading disorders in adulthood. Pre/post course results reveal an increase in performance, particularly in the silent reading test included with the battery.