A new study has found that extra spacing in books can help children learn to read at a faster speed. Children learning how to read is a fundamental skill that all children develop at one point. However, since every child is different, when they learn to read will be completely different as well. Some children learn faster than others, and some require a bit more help to grasp the concept. Some even face neurological challenges that can get in their way as well. This means that studies are always being done to see how to help children who may require just a bit more time.
According to Medical Xpress, a new study has found that extra spacing in books and written words can help boost a child’s reading speed both at home and in school. That it may help them learn to read quicker, and it may help them read through a book quicker. This study was done by Anglia Ruskin University and it can be read in full here.
The study was led by Dr. Steven Stagg and he aimed to look at the benefits of spacing letters in children who were dyslexic and those who were not. This was the first study of its kind that looked at how these changes can help reduce their reading errors.
What they found was that text that had more spacing was beneficial to both groups of children, but at different levels. Children who are dyslexic showed a 13% increase in reading speed. For children who were not dyslexic, they showed a 5% increase in reading speed. While not as big as an increase, it showed that this can help all children. The study involved 59 children who were between the ages of 11 and 15 years old. They also found some other benefits that they were not anticipating.
They found that when there was an increased spacing, children with dyslexia did not miss words when they were reading. They did not skip over words, which is often seen in children with this challenge. They believe that when there is no spacing, it can lead to crowding on a page and it can impair a child’s ability to recognize letters which can make them read at a slower pace. When there is more space, and the letters and words are more spread out, they are able to recognize words and letters much easier which means they read more and quicker. This can help them with their reading skills, and their confidence in reading and understanding.
Sources: Medical Xpress, Research Gate