New research from the Harvard Graduate School of Education indicates that the foundations of reading abilities, and even potential struggles, may be laid much earlier than previously believed — possibly as early as infancy. This finding underscores the importance of early intervention, ideally before children even begin formal schooling.
For a long time, experts have recognized that significant reading development occurs before a child steps into kindergarten. However, a study led by Nadine Gaab, an associate professor of education, reveals that developmental paths in children who later experience reading disabilities start to diverge around 18 months of age. This is a significant shift from the previous assumption that these differences became apparent around age five or six.
Gaab noted, "Our findings suggest that some of these kids walk into their first day of kindergarten with their little backpacks and a less-optimal brain for learning to read, and that these differences in brain development start showing up in toddlerhood."
The research also delved into the broader mechanisms of brain learning, with a specific focus on how the brain acquires reading skills. Reading is a highly intricate process that depends on the early development of specific brain regions and the interplay of various foundational subskills, such as phonological processing and oral language.
Phonological processing, which has been identified as a strong predictor of decoding and word reading skills, begins developing at or even before birth. Gaab explained that this skill undergoes further refinement between infancy and the preschool years.
"Most people think reading starts once you start formal schooling, or when you start singing the ABCs," Gaab said. "Reading skills most likely start developing in utero because the fundamental milestone skill for learning to read, which oral language is part of, is the sound and language processing that takes place in the uterus."
Beyond MRI scans, the study incorporated psychometric assessments of the participating children. These evaluations included assessments of language and general cognitive abilities, along with examinations of their home language and literacy environments, to understand how these variables influence developmental trajectories.
Picture: Two-month-old Scarlett reading (ChildUp.com)
