In the updated third edition of this unique book, Catherine McBride looks at reading and writing development and impairment across a range of languages, scripts, and contexts. This new edition highlights multiliteracy and multilingualism and broadly explores the science of reading. A timely and important contribution to our understanding of literacy around the world, the book includes a new chapter covering the impact of digital technology on children's literacy development, and covers other issues including: (1) The importance of phonological sensitivity for learning to read and to write; (2) The first units, or building blocks, of literacy learning in different scripts such as Chinese, English, Korean Hangul, Hindi and Arabic; (3) The role of visual processing in reading and writing skills; (4) How the latest research can inform the teaching of reading and writing; (5) An overview of of dyslexia and dysgraphia, including recent neuroscientific research; (6) The developmental process of becoming biliterate; (7) What is special about writing for beginners and later for comprehensive writing; and (8) Basics of reading comprehension. Written by an eminent scholar in the field, it provides an overview of how children learn to read and write and is essential reading for students and scholars of Developmental Psychology, Educational Psychology, Psycholinguistics and Speech Therapy.