At the 13th International Conference IcETRAN (Silver Lake, June 8–11, 2026), and the LXX ETRAN Conference, the first-phase results of the ReadTREAT project (#17473, Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia and Diaspora Program) were presented in the scientific paper “Multimodal Biomarker Analysis of Reading Difficulties: Eye-Tracking, PRV, and EDA Stress Dynamics”.
Authors: Tamara (Jakovljevic) Papic, PhD (Singidunum University), Katarina Stekić Stojanović (Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade), Ivan Vajs (Innovation Center, School of Electrical Engineering, University of Belgrade (ICEF_etf)), Marija Novičić (University of Belgrade, School of Electrical Engineering), Vanja Kovic (Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade), Milica M. Jankovic (School of Electrical Engineering, University of Belgrade).
Reading difficulties affect approximately 10% of school-age children. Early identification is of critical importance, particularly in the second grade of elementary school (~8.5 years), when children consolidate automaticity in visual word recognition and oculomotor control. Current assessment methods rely on subjective tests and teacher evaluation. The aim of this study is to develop objective, non-invasive biomarkers combining eye tracking (ET—oculomotor movements and visual attention), electrodermal activity (EDA—sympathetic arousal), and pulse rate variability (PRV—autonomic stress).
Three hypotheses were addressed in the paper:
- Do struggling readers and the control group exhibit distinct profiles of eye tracking (ET), pulse rate variability (PRV), and electrodermal activity (EDA) during reading;
- Do gender differences exist in these physiological markers; and
- Are group differences moderated by gender (Group × Gender interactions).
We are grateful to the Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia and the Diaspora Program #17473, the Palace of Science—Miodrag Kostić Endowment, Elementary School “Drinka Pavlović”, all participants, and parents.
