When do speech difficulties in children matter for literacy?
- Date:
- November 7, 2016
- Source:
- Wiley
- Summary:
- Speech difficulties are linked with difficulties in learning to read when children first start school, but these effects are no longer apparent at 8 years of age, new research suggests.
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A new study found that speech difficulties are linked with difficulties in learning to read when children first start school, but these effects are no longer apparent at 8 years of age.
Researchers confirmed that early language impairment that co-occurs with speech difficulties predicts poor literacy skills at both 5½ and 8 years of age. Having a family history of dyslexia had a small but significant effect on literacy at both ages, above and beyond the effects of speech and language.
"Speech difficulties can be a warning sign, but it is only when a child also has weak language skills that they are likely to lead to significant reading problems, especially if there is a family history of dyslexia," said Dr.. Marianna Hayiou-Thomas, lead author of the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry study.
Journal Reference:
- Marianna E. Hayiou-Thomas, Julia M. Carroll, Ruth Leavett, Charles Hulme, Margaret J. Snowling. When does speech sound disorder matter for literacy? The role of disordered speech errors, co-occurring language impairment and family risk of dyslexia. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 2016; DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.12648
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