Special equipment was used to record the eye movement patterns of 60 children enrolled in a reading clinic. There were 20 children in each of three groups: good readers, slow readers, and non-readers. The children were shown printed material on a screen accompanied by action sequences and voice recordings similar to what they might see on television. Experimental findings showed that good readers looked quickly at and accurately processed reading material presented on a screen. They were not negatively affected by action or distraction. Slow readers were often distracted and frequently failed to read past the first two or three letters. They looked more often at the speaker and needed more time to fixate on the material. Non-readers displayed random looking behavior at printed material, and they were strongly drawn by action on the screen. Orienting to new stimuli was slower for non-readers, particularly if the message of the words was not carried in the action. The results of this research were incorporated into eight suggestions for children's television programing. (CH)