Visuomotor coordination and visuospatial working memory of children with specific reading disabilities: a study using the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure.

The aim of the present study was to examine the visuospatial perception, short-term working memory, and motor skills of children with special reading difficulties, using the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure, which can record visuomotor and memory skills, observe drawing processes, and detect deficiencies in specific skills. 306 right- and left-handed boys and girls, ages 6.6 to 9.6 yr. (102 with special reading difficulties, 102 normal readers, and 102 with general learning difficulties) comprised one experimental and two control groups, respectively. The task was to depict the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure under two conditions, copying and drawing it from memory. Analysis indicated that (a) difficulty of the depiction of the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure, especially from memory, sharply affects children's performance and (b) the experimental group's performance was significantly poorer than that of controls in both conditions. The results are discussed in view of the predictive value of certain motor and cognitive skill deficiencies of children with special reading difficulties.