Data analysis of 134 twin pairs from the Colorado Reading Project found that approximately 40 percent of the deficit observed in disabled readers is because of genetic factors, 35 percent because of environmental influences shared by twin pairs, and 25 percent because of environmental factors unique to the individual and/or error variance.…

This study investigated the relative importance of semantic, grammatical, phonological, and rapid naming abilities in predicting word identification skills in 200 children (grades 1-6) using correlation, factor analysis, multiple regression, and predictive outcome analysis techniques. Composite measures of these abilities correlated significantly…

This study, involving 54 first-grade children, found that correlations between decoding and phonological awareness were generally much higher than correlations obtained for measures of decoding and verbal and nonverbal intelligence. Several phonological awareness tasks identified good and poor decoders, with approximately 80-90% accuracy. (DB)

The prereading and reading performance of 370 predominantly Hispanic, bilingual school children was followed for 6 years. A 5-test Screening Index misclassified many failing readers but accurately identified children who eventually read well. Predictor tests administered at beginning of first grade showed significant correlations with reading at…

This study examined the development of phonological and reading skills in 171 students from the beginning of first grade (Time 1) to the end of second grade (Time 4). The study found that reader group membership (nondisabled, reading disabled, or poor reading) at Time 4 could be very accurately predicted from students' Time 1 scores. (Author/DB)

This study examined possible early predictors of reading problems in at-risk children (ages 53 to 77 months). Results indicated that early measures of language awareness are good predictors of later reading performance but that different measures are good predictors for different children. (Author/DB)

Twenty-two elementary-aged children with reading difficulties were administered multiple assessments, including the Matching Familiar Figures Test (MFFT), Simple Reaction Time, and Complex Reaction Time. Results did not support a relationship between impulsivity, as measured by the MFFT, and academic progress in a classroom setting. (Author/JDD)

At prekindergarten screening, 84 children were evaluated with the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised (PPVT-R) and the Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration. Two years later, teachers' ratings of the students (now in first grade) on reading performance indicated that students with poor sight-word vocabularies performed lower on the…

The study found that primary grade children with reading impairments (n=24) or learning disabilities (n=8) demonstrated a marked deficit in ability to discriminate patterned pairs of tones on the Seashore Rhythm Test compared to controls (n=26). Results suggest use of the test to detect young children with potential reading problems. (Author/DB)

Linguistic profiles of 7 dyslexic, 7 mildly dyslexic, 30 average, 16 good readers were examined at kindergarten, grade 2, and grade 4. Groups did not differ in language comprehension but did differ in confrontation and rapid automatized naming, three syntactic measures, and verbal memory. Kindergarten ability at giving letter sounds and rapid…

Listening and reading comprehension tests were administered to 180 children in grades 3-8. A regression equation was derived and applied to listening comprehension scores of seven children with reading difficulties. The procedure was determined to be useful in predicting reading comprehension and attributing it to poor decoding, poor…

The predictive validity of SEARCH and of academic achievement tests for identifying children at risk for reading problems was compared, with 668 kindergarten children. The use of various cutoff scores for SEARCH and the application of a 2-factor scoring system resulted in high rates of false negatives and false positives. (Author/JDD)

The accuracy of SEARCH for identifying children at risk for developing learning disabilities was evaluated with 1,107 kindergarten children. Children identified as at risk were of average intelligence. SEARCH scores were significantly correlated with sequential and simultaneous information processing skills. SEARCH predicted adequacy of…

This study examined the early profiles of 270 kindergarten students screened for learning difficulties in kindergarten with SEARCH (an early identification measure) of which 32 had inadequate reading skills at the end of second grade. The SEARCH instrument tended to underidentify children from higher socioeconomic backgrounds and overidentify…

The concurrent validity of three types of reading ability assessments was evaluated with 312 Australian primary-level children. Results suggest that the nature of the skills required for success in reading changes in the primary years, and that both teacher-based and test-based assessments concur more closely as children progress through the…