Systematic review of current approaches to cognitive skills in children with dyslexia

Children with dyslexia have difficulties in reading skills due to some neurodevelopmental problems, and which may cause them to be disadvantaged academically. Various therapy methods are used to reduce the disadvantages of these children. This systematic review examined cognitive interventions applied to children with dyslexia aged 6–18 years. The literature search was carried out with 11 keywords in Cochrane, Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed databases, and 105 references were examined. After being eliminated by criteria, 12 studies were included in the systematic review. The interventions examined were grouped under two general headings: intervention methods for academic skills (reading and writing) and cognitive skills (attention, memory, phonological awareness, auditory perception, visual perceptual skills, and executive functions). The intervention methods applied were heterogeneous but most of them used computer technology. This review states that the academic skills and cognitive functions of children with dyslexia can improve with cognitive therapy and sheds light on future applications in the clinical setting.