The Cellfield Intervention is an intense 10-hour computer based program which aims to strengthen auditory and visual skills associated with reading. It is a language-based intervention which uses visual exercises to stimulate visual attention, visual processing and working memory, as well as acoustically modified sound to assist auditory perception.
This intervention addresses reading difficulties and mastery of skills which assist with decoding of written text by combining auditory and visual exercises. In doing so, it develops neurological connections and activation of parts of the brain which should be involved in reading. While this program is mostly aimed at children with reading difficulties, it is also useful for children and adults with visual processing and/or visual attention difficulties.
The Cellfield Intervention is presented as a 10-session intensive at the Listen And Learn Centre over 2 weeks. Each session takes 1 to 1.5 hours and is accompanied by one of our staff. Children are also provided with homework booklets to make sure they are familiar with the words they will be presented with on the program.
In some cases, this program is followed by Cellfield’s Reading Fluency intervention. This 10- week course aims to consolidate the skills gained during the previous phase and address poor phonological awareness as well as spelling, grammar and comprehension difficulties.
In the last ten years, brain imaging technology has made it possible to see how the reading brain works.
Accumulated research indicates that persistent reading difficulties are associated with poor connections between key brain areas rather than being due to a lack of function in these areas themselves. These inadequate connections result in under-activation of these key brain areas and over-activation in other areas. In other words, fluent readers use the left hemisphere of the brain in an efficient way to decode words and make sense of what they read. Poorer readers use both sides of the brain in a less connected and less efficient way.
We also know that the early reader uses the front of their brain and part of the rear left-side of their brain (parieto-temporal area) to work out the sound that each letter makes and to then blend these sounds together (“sounding out”). This limits reading speed to about 55 words per minute. Fluent readers read at more than twice this speed because they have developed a more direct path from what their eyes see to meaning (occipito-temporal area). This is possible because the letter-sound associations have become automatic.
Recent research has also found that individuals with reading difficulties have often been identified as having visual processing deficits. One such deficit is the operation of the magnocellular pathways (M pathways). M pathways translate visual information about edge boundaries and motion to the brain. These pathways are implicated in fluent reading. Fluent reading requires that the reader’s eyes can see words in peripheral vision before they actually look at them; then letter-sound associations follow almost instantaneously. By the time words come into central vision, fluent readers already understand what they are reading and use high speed scanning for checking rather than reading.
Other specific visual processing difficulties relate to the motor control of the eye itself. Some readers have subtle problems with eye stability as well as with centering the visual image in the middle of their eye (the fovea).
Unlike conventional reading programs, the Cellfield intervention is designed to work on the visual, auditory and phonological processing aspects of reading difficulties simultaneously. Various components aim to simultaneously address auditory processing speed, visual processing speed, bonding of auditory and visual functions, increasing working memory capacity, improving attention, motivation and eye movement control.
Some of the Cellfield exercises target phonological processing, which requires the concurrent activation of visual and auditory processing. Letters, words and sentences are presented on the computer screen with corresponding tasks presented through headphones. At times, the aural information is electronically stretched to increase the time available for the participant to process the letter or word sound and to assist with phonological awareness.
Other exercises involve decoding and encoding activities of increasing length. These target phonological awareness as well as short-term memory skills and visual attention skills.
The program also contains a number of motion graphics which are designed to stimulate the M pathways and achieve enhancements in eye movement control, working memory, sequencing, peripheral vision and visual persistence. The motion graphics match the excitation characteristics of the various receptive cell types in the M pathways and the motion centres of the visual cortex.
Other visual exercises targeting eye/hand coordination are also incorporated into each session.
Post-program assessment
At the conclusion of the 10-day computer program, a post-program assessment is undertaken to assess any differences since completing the Cellfield program. This involves reading and spelling tests and a review by the optometrist of visual tracking and eccentricity.
Literacy and Reading Fluency Phase
Depending on their particular needs, some participants may then go on to complete the reading fluency component of the Cellfield program. This involves 10 weeks of literacy follow-up to consolidate skills.
Having stimulated various parts of the brain associated with reading during the computerized phase, this Reading Fluency Phase aims to consolidate and further develop the new reading skills so that there is a transition into reading fluency. When a person can recognize words in their peripheral vision, they develop spare processing capacity in their working memory to think about the meaning of what they are reading. It is this increased processing capacity that makes it possible for Cellfield clients to make the transition into fluent reading.
Research supports the view that repetitive reading leads to improved reading rates and that higher reading rates with accuracy can lead to increased comprehension. The Reading Fluency Phase emphasizes timed reading to encourage greater fluency, alongside corrections for accuracy and reviewing letter-sound rules.
The Reading Fluency Phase is made up of weekly 1 hour group / individual session over 10 weeks. Children are invited to choose from novel and interesting reading materials to practise their reading and comprehension skills in a positive and supportive environment. They are also provided with some homework activities to support ongoing skill development.
How effective is Cellfield?
Research conducted at Griffith University and published in the Australian Journal of Learning Disabilities (Volume 2, number 2, 2005) indicates that the Cellfield program has a positive impact on reading related skills, oral reading proficiency and ocular measures. Professionals using Cellfield in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa have reported average comprehension gains of a year and decoding gains of almost two years. Further research is anticipated to consolidate the evidence for Cellfield’s effectiveness.
Cellfield is making an impression on students with an Autism Spectrum Disorder at the Listen And Learn Centre
A number of children with Aspergers Syndrome, aged between 7 ½ and 17, have been
through the program at the Centre, all with positive results.
Generally the children were able to comprehend the exercises, and attend
successfully; and most of the children’s reading skills improved from pre to
post testing. However, it has been the anecdotal feedback from the families
around behavioural and motivational changes in the children that is truly worth
noting. Without exception, parents offered positive feedback. This included
aspects of improved executive function such as visual memory, attention and
processing speed and sequencing of tasks, leading to better focus at school and
with homework; more motivation and being better organised to complete tasks;
better awareness of expectations; and, improved confidence and self esteem. It
is great to see Cellfield making an impact on so many levels!
Further reading on Cellfield
Read on at the Cellfield website.
Cellfield in Melbourne
Find out more by attending an information session at the Listen And Learn Centre
in Melbourne Victoria.
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