The Onset of Reading Acquisition: Before and After School-start

There is a connection between children’s language development and their ability to learn to read and this relationship includes several aspects of language and holds both in a short-term and a longitudinal perspective. Early prediction and identification of reading problems is an essential condition for early remediation and prevention. The first precursors of reading acquisition can be found early during the preschool period, long before the onset of formal reading instruction. Individual differences during the very first stages of formal reading instruction are also highly predictive of future development. The importance of the strength of association between early predictors and outcome is discussed as well as problems related to causality. Several practical assessment methods are illustrated and discussed.