The effects of Cawthorne-Cooksey exercises on attention and memory in children with dyslexia: a pre-post intervention study

Abstract Background Dyslexia is a neurodevelopmental disorder. Research has shown that dyslexia is associated with language problems as well as motor and balance problems. Studies in the literature show that the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) and balance systems are related to cognitive processes. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of Cawthorne-Cooksey exercises on the attention and memory of children with dyslexia. The study included 13 girls and 13 boys aged 9 to 12. The Cawthorne-Cooksey Exercises were applied for 30 min daily for 4 weeks. Changes in attention skills were assessed using the D2 Attention Test and the Stroop TBAG tests, while changes in memory skills were assessed using the Auditory Verbal Learning Test (AVLT). The Functional Head Impulse Test (f-HIT) was used to evaluate VOR before and after the exercise program. Results Statistical analysis was performed using descriptive statistics and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Statistically significant differences were observed in all f-HIT and AVLT values before and after exercise ( p < 0.05). When the Stroop TBAG values before and after exercise were compared, significant differences were observed in Stroop 1 ( p = 0.006), Stroop 3 ( p = 0.026) and Stroop 5 ( p = 0.032). Significant differences were also observed in the total number of characters marked (TN) ( p = 0.005), the total number of correct characters (CP) ( p = 0.007), test performance (TN-E) ( p = 0.001), and the error percentage (E%) ( p = 0.007) in the D2 attention test before and after exercise. Conclusions It was concluded that Cawthorne-Cooksey exercises applied to children with dyslexia improved their VOR and had positive effects on attention and memory.