Closing the Reading Gap with Virtual Maze Environments

The purpose of the proposed project is to develop and validate a virtual Hebb-Williams (vHW) maze task for use as a low-cost, time-efficient, and easy-to-use assessment for the early detection of children at risk for reading impairment. The vHW maze offers the potential to serve as a reliable, non-language based predictor of reading difficulty, which can improve early identification and intervention efforts. Unlike current screening measures of reading impairment, the vHW maze could be administered in the classroom, with a fully integrated analytical system. With the successful attainment of this project, the vHW maze task will fill important gaps in early identification screeners by examining a broader range of cognitive processes associated with reading and enhancing our understanding of factors underlying reading impairment. This paper comprises the proposed work and significance while highlighting previous findings related to reading impairments and virtual maze environments.