It's amazing that any of us have learned how to read, given the complexity of the process. Written language has existed for roughly 5,000 years, but it's not an innate skill. There is no “reading center” in the brain; the human brain is not designed to automatically understand the symbols that make up written words.
New research, however, shows that the skills needed for reading begin developing before a child is born, and that signs of reading challenges can emerge as early as 18 months old. As professor Nadine Gaab of the Harvard School of Education explains, "people don’t understand that children don’t start kindergarten with a clean slate." Learning to read is a long process with many milestones that unfold over many years, starting primarily with oral language.
The human brain evolved specifically for spoken language. While every culture uses spoken language, the transition from spoken to written language is a major challenge for the brain. According to Perri Klass, professor of pediatrics at New York University, "learning to read is a challenge for all children, and for some children, it’s a real struggle."
The study, "Longitudinal Trajectories of Brain Development from Infancy to School Age and Their Relationship with Literacy Development," is the first to track brain development from infancy to childhood and its connection to literacy skills. A key finding is that the developmental paths of children with and without reading disabilities begin to diverge around 18 months, much earlier than the previously assumed 5 or 6 years old.
Some brains are better equipped to build the neural pathways that lead to reading, while others may be less optimized, making it a greater struggle. This does not mean that the brains are faulty. As Professor Gaab states, "they’re built differently and they’re optimized for other things, because every brain is different."
This finding highlights the need for quality early pre-reading instruction, games, strong oral language input, and a nurturing home and school environment. These factors help build the connections in the brain that are essential for reading success. Some brains, it turns out, just need more of the good stuff.
Picture: Learning to read is a challenge for all children (Scarlett - ChildUp.com)
