Phonological awareness (PA) and rapid automatized naming (RAN) have been shown to be reliable predictors of reading achievement in many languages. However, it remains unclear whether RAN is independent of PA and how RAN and PA associate with different aspects of literacy skills in children with and without dyslexia. This study addressed these issues by examining Mandarin-speaking children with and without developmental dyslexia. Participants were 18 children with developmental dyslexia (DD group, mean age= 10; 2 [year; month]) and 20 children with typical development (TD group, mean age= 10; 2 [year; month]). Group differences in age and non-verbal intelligence were not significant. All children completed a batter of tests measuring word recognition, reading comprehension, writing, PA, and RAN. Statistical analysis indicated that the DD group scored significantly lower than the TD group in all tests assessing literacy skills as well as tests measuring PA and RAN (ps > .05). Correlation analysis showed a significant association between PA and RAN (r = -.54, p < .001). Hierarchical regression analyses further indicated distinct contributions of PA and RAN to various aspects of literacy skills: (a) both PA and RAN significantly explained variations in word recognition; (b) PA, but not RAN, significantly accounted for variations in reading comprehension; and finally, (c) RAN, but not PA, significantly contributed to variations in writing skills. Altogether, these results align more closely with the view of a unique contribution of RAN to literacy skills that is particularly associated with visual-orthographic processing.

Authors:
Hsin Jen Hsu, National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan

About the Presenter(s)
Dr HSIN JEN HSU is a University Assistant Professor/Lecturer at National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan in Taiwan

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