Blicklabor

BLICKLABOR –
learning to learn

BLICKLABOR is a spin-off company of the OPTOMOTOR working group of University of Freiburg, Germany. The current work is based on numerous scientific studies on eye movement conducted in the 1980s. In 1997, BLICKLABOR was founded as a non-profit company, then transferred into private ownership in 2006.

If abnormalities are found in reading, spelling, or mathematical skills, and/or the ability to concentrate in general is impaired, we will recommend having a BLICKLABOR diagnosis.

The measurement of eye movement allows us to draw conclusions about someones visual attention that is closely linked to reading. Additionally, auditory-phonemic awareness, that is linked to spelling, is assessed. If we detect a difficulty in identifying object quantities, a skill which is fundamental for both number processing and for the ability to read, we will conduct a additional task in which a certain number of elements need to be grasped simultaneously.

Based on the results, we will recommend an individual training plan which can be completed in the comfort of your own home.

Additionally, we offer high quality diagnostics for reading, spelling and mathematical difficulties performed by qualified staff. This includes intelligence quotient testing, as well as the assessment of reading, spelling and mathematical abilities.

With us, you can have your intelligence quotient or that of your child tested. With this examination of the general cognitive level, statements can be made about talents in order to specifically promote.

Reading

Your child dislikes reading, finds it exhausting, gets headaches while reading, reports swimming/dancing/blurry letters, is reading hesitantly, insecurely, or letter-by-letter. Your child reads too quickly, too hastily or cannot stay in the line. He or she skips letters, word endings or short words, guesses letters or words, or confuses or mirrors letters like m-n, b-d, p-q.
Adults often avoid text-based work or have difficulties in understanding written text.

Spelling

Your child makes spelling mistakes, uses different spellings to spell two identicals words in the same text and corrects their mistakes unsystematically, and disregards rules for when separate and compound word formation should be used. They write illegibly and irregularly, to the point that words become indecipherable, or cannot stay on the line when writing.
Adults often overlook spelling mistakes or correct them unsystematically. They may not remember how certain words are spelled correctly, even though they have practiced them.

Arithmetics

Your child is having difficulties in grasping quantities, does calculations by counting with their fingers, has problems transitioning the number 10, cannot estimate simple calculations in their head, takes a long time to solve maths problems and jumbles up their numbers.
Adults often report a long-standing aversion towards handling numbers and mathematics in general. They often have difficulties checking change, and cannot estimate distances or time. They would rather use the calculator than performing a mental calculation, they feel helpless when faced with math tasks and don’t have a solution strategy, they avoid situations with an unpleasant interaction with numbers.

Concentration

Your child has difficulties concentrating on one task, is distracted easily, is getting tired quickly, and performs variably. These difficulties also apply for adults.

Diagnosis

Our core competence is the unique BLICKLABOR diagnostics, inspired by neuroscientific research methods. We are able to conduct standardized measurements with a high temporal resolution using a specially developed eyetracker. The eyetracker is used to check the eye movement and record eye movement patterns. After analyzing these patterns, we can draw conclusions about the subject's visual attention, especially regarding their ability to focus and blank out irrelevant distractors. In addition to the mental aspect of eye movement patterns, we also assess the ability to synchronise the movement of both eyes. It is important that eyesight is unimpaired or corrected prior to the tests.
Several non-linguistc tests examining volume level detection, tone frequency, gap detection, and temporal order, are used to measure the phonemic differentiation ability. The results provide an indication about the sound processing ability. In order for our test to give us clear conclusions, it is important that there is no loss of hearing.
Another procedure is testing the ability of subitizing, the rapid and accurate judgement of numbers. This ability requires visual-spatial attention and the capability to identify quantities and retrieve the relevant labels.

Based on the results of this diagnosis, we can develop a specific, individually recommended training.
In order to provide certification regarding a specific performance deficit, BLICKLABOR offers tests to assess the intelligence quotient as well as the reading, spelling, and mathematical skills.
You can apply for additional support to compensate for your child's disadvantages using either the results of the BLICKLABOR diagnosis or the certified diagnosis of a specific performance deficit.

Training

In collaboration with the working group Brain Science at Freiburg University, we developed training devices for both children and adults who have difficulties in learning. The training devices are easy to understand and use, and are programmed according to the specific training recommended. The user is training visual attention, phonemic differentiation ability, or subitizing on a daily basis using the adaptive programme. After the training period, we will evaluate the data.
The training with our rental devices usually takes a couple of weeks. Only in rare cases does the training period need to be extended.

The training effect is usually long lasting. Critical factors which lead to the deterioration of the effect are concurrent excessive media consumption, irregular training or massive perception problems. It is important that the training only takes place after a thorough diagnosis, and that the recommended training plan is followed correctly. We will explain the device to you and your child after the BLICKLABOR examination. Please do not hesitate to ask any questions on the spot!
Completion of the training is a prerequisite for any further follow-on support measures in reading, spelling, arithmetic, fine motor skills, and concentration.

Consultation

Dr. Trautmann will counsel you individually and thoroughly regarding the causes of the specific disorder condition. You will profit from her extensive expertise in the fields of attention, awareness and cognition in learning disorders. Dr. Trautmann has worked as a neuroscientific researcher for many years and thus has extensive knowledge of the neurobiological foundations of learning across all age groups.

Questionnaire

To enable you to find out anonymously and independently whether eye lab diagnostics are necessary, you can use our questionnaire here, in which various areas of learning are queried:

Reading

You can use this questionnaire to find out whether you or your child are eligible for eye lab diagnostics due to reading difficulties:

questionnaire reading

Writing

You can use one of these questionnaires to find out in which area of writing you or your child has an abnormality and whether eye lab diagnostics would be useful:

questionnaire spelling
questionnaire typeface
questionnaire fine motor skills

Calculating

If there are problems with arithmetics, you can use the following questionnaire to determine whether Blicklabor diagnostics and training could help:

questionnaire calculating

Attention, Memory and Motivation

Answering the following questionnaires will help you decide whether you or your child can benefit from our diagnostics and training:

questionnaire attention
questionnaire memory
questionnaire joy to learn

Eye movements and visual attention

In BLICKLABOR's early years, we used eyetrackers to research the eye movement patterns of children with reading difficulties. The most frequent eye movement is the saccade. A saccade is a motoric reaction which is closely linked with shifting the visual attention. Only if an aimed jump is successful does it become possible to focus on the desired object.
Based on the results from our studies involving over 6 000 children and adults, different parameters of eye tracking can provide an insight into a possible underdevelopment in visual processing.
Literature regarding eye movements and attention

Phones and phonemes

A phone is a sound event caused by a speaker or an abstract sound pattern, for example a hissing or beeping. Phones are part of the universal language, however their level of incidence is not arbitrary.
Phonological awareness, or phonological information processing, means linguistic awareness – the information processing of acoustic signals in linguistic content. In this context, the perception of a hissing sound is linguistic, for example in the word "whisper" or "shadow", and is called a phoneme. Phonological processing is required in order to learn how to read and spell correctly.
Literature regarding phones and phonemes

Subitizing

Subitizing is the ability to quickly perceive or represent a definite quantity. Only if there is a foundation for recording a specific visual stimulus, will this be detected effortlessly.
An essential partial aspect is the visual-spatial awareness, which is important for both mathematics and reading.
Subitizing is developed throughout a person's school education, all the way through to early adulthood. If this ability is impaired, there will often be persistent difficulties in number processing.
Literature regarding subitizing

brochures in different languages

brochure German
brochure English
brochure French
brochure Dutch

Present projects

Development of a reading test with four parallel versions for research purposes
Revision of training effects of fixation training
Evaluation of longitudinal data of measured eye movements
Establishment of a non-profit foundation for research purposes
Introduction of a standardized attention diagnosis for school enrollment

Development of a toolbox for the evaluation of training, learning therapies and other support measures

Completed projects

Numerous cooperation projects with schools
Numerous dissertations and diploma theses regarding the following topics: dynamic vision, binocular stability, phonetic processing, subitizing