Purpose: To improve eye movement skills while reading. To pay attention to the foreground figure, and actively suppress/ignore the background.
Material: Reading material to be read for comprehension, so it should be at an appropriate level and not too difficult to begin with. If the child cannot read, you can use any sequence of familiar letters and/or numbers.
Procedure:
Child should:
1. While standing, hold reading material comfortably in both hands.
2. Begin reading and become comfortable with the flow of reading.
3. Start moving the reading material slowly in a clockwise circle for a few revolutions, then switch directions for a few revolutions. Be sure to continue reading. Ideally, the reading should be done aloud but it’s ok to start with silent reading.
4. Continue with this exercise, but have the child move the reading material in other patterns, such as near/far, in diagonals, side to side, up/down.
5. As child masters these skills, load the task by having them continue while standing on a balance board, walking a balance beam, simple walking, and/or with one eye at a time. (A simple balance beam can be made by simply laying a 2×4 on the ground.).
Aspects to emphasize:
1. Ability to keep place and to maintain comprehension of the reading selections.
2. Ability to maintain awareness of the rest of the room.
3. Ability to stand on balance board/beam and to walk while pursuit reading.
