Alragam, Sharifa M Y B A; (2018) Arabic reading: normal behaviour and treatment in patients with hemianopic alexia. Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).

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Abstract

In reading research, reading speed (single-word reading and text-reading) and eye movement efficiency is used to investigate cognitive processes during reading. Specifically, I am interested in reading speed and eye movement behaviour in Arabic-reading normal adults and patients with Hemianopic Alexia (HA) while reading Arabic text. Following a hemianopia (most commonly caused by stroke), a patient’s reading ability may be affected, and this may be exacerbated depending on the visual and orthographic complexity of the language. Research on Arabic reading is scarce, and no empirical studies on Arabic readers with HA have been conducted; thus, little is known about the performance of Arabic readers with HA. Almost all of the world literature on acquired alexia (of any form) is on left-toright-reading patients. There are 234 million Arabic readers in the Arab states (UNESCO Institute of Statistics, 2014). So, if a stroke occurs, approximately 20% of these readers with a stroke may develop HA (Isaeff, Wallar, Duncan, 1974). HA has a negative impact on reading and related activities of daily living. If work heavily depends on reading, then their job may be at risk. The primary aim of my thesis was to help these patients. By developing a novel online assessment and treatment package (an app) for Arabic readers with HA called Arabic-Read Right (http://www.ucl.ac.uk/aphasialab/apps/arabic_rr.html) I hoped to 1) develop suitable materials to aid in the clinical diagnosis of HA and 2) provide effective and empirically supported reading treatment for HA Arabic readers. I did this in a series of experiments designed to (i) contribute to our overall understanding of Arabic reader’s reading speed and eye movements, (ii) expand on our understanding of oculomotor processing in Arabic, and (iii) investigate text reading and eye movements in Arabic-reading patients with HA, both before and after treatment with a developed online rehabilitation assessment and treatment package: Arabic-Read Right.

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