REVIEWED BY NUMBERDYSLEXIA’S EXPERT PANEL ON FEBRUARY 04, 2023
Reading is a fundamental skill that includes interpreting written or printed symbols (letters, words, and sentences) in order to understand the meaning of the text. The process of learning to read begins with the development of phonological awareness, moving towards the relationship between letters and sounds to form words and finally focusing on fluency and comprehension.
While reading, spacing plays a significant role in comprehending the text and its meaning. It affects the readability and legibility of text. Proper spacing can make the text more visually appealing and easier to read, by making it easier to distinguish between letters, words, and lines. It can also help improve the overall look and feel of the text.
While normal spacing is essential, extra spacing can help to improve reading for people with learning difficulties like dyslexia. This strategy aids in developing reading ability and should be used in conjunction with other reading interventions and accommodations.
Let us understand how a brain works in the area of reading and making reading joyful with minimum errors by making a few modifications in spacing in the text.
How does our brain function while reading?
Reading is a complex process that involves many different areas of the brain and different areas are activated depending on the type of reading (for example, reading for pleasure, reading for information) and the difficulty level of the text.
When we read, our eyes take in visual information from the text and send it to the primary visual cortex in the occipital lobe at the back of the brain. The visual cortex processes this information and sends it to the parietal and temporal lobes, which are responsible for recognizing letters, words, and sentences.
The brain also uses the occipital and temporal lobes to recognize patterns and shapes and to understand the meaning of words and sentences. This process is known as visual word form.
Once the brain has recognized the words and sentences, it sends the information to the frontal and parietal lobes, which are responsible for attention, working memory, and language processing. These areas are responsible for understanding the meaning of the text and making connections between the information in the text and the reader’s prior knowledge.
It’s worth noting that reading difficulties like dyslexia can be related to the problem in some of these areas, and can be helped by reading interventions or therapy.
How does a brain function for people with dyslexia?
For students with dyslexia, the brain may have difficulty interpreting written or printed symbols (letters, words, and sentences) in order to understand the meaning of the text.
Dyslexia is a neurological condition that affects the way the brain processes language. Research suggests that people with dyslexia have difficulty processing the sounds within words, which is known as phonological processing. This difficulty leads to difficulty in recognizing and decoding words, which in turn affects reading fluency and comprehension.
Some studies have found that people with dyslexia have difficulty in the areas of the brain that are responsible for recognizing and processing visual information, particularly in the occipital and temporal lobes. These areas are important for recognizing patterns, shapes, and the meaning of words.
Additionally, research has shown that some people with dyslexia have difficulty in the areas of the brain responsible for attention, working memory, and language processing. These areas are important for understanding and making sense of the text.
It’s worth noting that every person with dyslexia is different and may have different strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, it’s important for each person to be evaluated and diagnosed individually, and for appropriate interventions to be tailored accordingly.
Understanding the core of the problem, symptoms and plan of treatment should be the initial steps before providing support to the students in order to avoid confusion in their minds. One of the ways to improve reading ability is Extra spacing.
How does extra spacing work for better reading?
As children, we all were taught to put one finger space between two words to differentiate between the ending of the word and the beginning of a new word. However, this one-finger space may not be enough for some to read fluently. They tend to make errors while reading like missing sounds, adding sounds, mispronunciation, etc. They find it crowding due to which they juggle between the identification of letters and processing the sounds before reading them aloud.
Increasing the space between words can make the text more legible and easier to read. This is often referred to as “word-spacing” or “letter-spacing”. Letter spacing, word spacing, line spacing, and paragraph spacing are types of spacing.
Letter spacing helps in making the text more legible and easier to read. Word spacing makes it easier to visually separate one word from the next, which can improve reading fluency and comprehension. Line Spacing improves the overall look and feel of the text. Paragraph Spacing enables one to visually separate one paragraph from the next, making it easier to understand the structure of the text, and to locate specific information.
Extra spacing enables the letters to be decluttered in the mind while encoding. Adding to it, it also improves legibility and visibility for the reader. It helps in tracking down the line while reading without breaking the flow.
The result of extra spacing helps the brain to have enough processing time instead of reading with the gushing speed leading to errors. Proper word spacing can also help with reading speed. When text is spaced appropriately, it makes it easier for the eye to track across the page, which can lead to faster reading speed.
Additionally, research has shown that increasing word spacing can lead to a decrease in the number of regressions (backtracking) and fixations (pausing) during reading, which can also help to increase reading speed.
Overall, extra spacing is an important aspect of reading as it can improve legibility, reading fluency, and comprehension, eventually increasing reading speed.
Increasing the space between words makes it easier to visually separate one word from the next, which can improve reading fluency and comprehension. This is especially true for people with dyslexia, as they often have difficulty distinguishing between similar-looking letters and words, which can make reading difficult and tiring. This provides a clear central window or area of focal attention on the word to read.
Crucial Points to consider while implementing the practice of using extra spacing
- It is important to keep in mind that extra spacing should be consistent throughout the text, as uneven spacing can make reading more difficult.
- There are certain fonts that are thought to be more legible and easier to read for people with dyslexia. These fonts are designed to improve the contrast between letters and the background and to make the letters more distinct from one another.
- Font size is usually recommended to be 12-14 points.
- In some digital devices, apps, and software like word processing, design programs, browsers, and e-readers, letter and word spacing can be adjusted via accessibility settings and font settings.
- In digital devices, the appropriate word spacing may be different than in traditional typesetting. Some studies have shown that increasing the word spacing by about ¼ to ½ of an am can improve reading speed and comprehension.
- It is worth noting that the appropriate spacing, font style, and font size can vary depending on the individual’s needs and preferences, and what works best for one person may not work for another. Therefore, it is important for each person to experiment with different settings to find what works best for them.
Conclusion
The way information is processed and encoded affects how well it is comprehended and expressed while reading. Extra spacing will be beneficial for the child to respond well.
Every person with dyslexia is different and may have different preferences and needs. Therefore, it is important for each person to experiment with different settings to find what works best for them.
Enabling children to become proficient readers with the help of extra spacing will boost their confidence and perform better holistically. More spacing between the words provides the readers with a sense of accomplishment in reading appropriately.
References
- Choi, C. Q. (2012, September 20). Dyslexic Brain Hears Fuzzy Sounds. livescience.com. https://www.livescience.com/23343-dyslexia-learning-disorder-sounds.html
- New research into letter-spacing could help improve children’s reading – Binghamton News. (n.d.). News – Binghamton University. https://www.binghamton.edu/news/story/1013/new-research-into-letter-spacing-could-help-improve-childrens-reading
- CNRS (Délégation Paris Michel-Ange). “Wider letter spacing helps dyslexic children.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 7 June 2012. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/06/120607105712.htm>
- Reading and the Brain. (n.d.). Harvard Medical School. https://hms.harvard.edu/news-events/publications-archive/brain/reading-brain
- Burns, M., PhD. (2020, October 7). The Reading Brain: How Your Brain Helps You Read, and Why it Matters. Scientific Learning. https://www.scilearn.com/the-reading-brain/
- Anglia Ruskin University. “Extra spacing can boost children’s reading speed: New study finds significant benefits for both dyslexic and non-dyslexic children.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 29 September 2021. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/09/210929212202.htm>.
Hiteshi Satra is a special educator with more than 6 years of experience, working with various disabilities from mild to severe. She has provided vocational training to the adults with special needs and has succeeded making them earn a minimum living for themselves. She has acquired graduation in Developmental Counselling and certification in Jolly phonics. You can follow her on Linkedin