Early identification of reading difficulties in first and second grade children

• Grant number: 11/20141-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): April 01, 2012
• Effective date (End): December 31, 2012
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Speech Therapy
• Principal Investigator: Ana Luiza Pereira Gomes Pinto Navas
• Grantee: Carla Cabezas Nicolau
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Médicas da Santa Casa de São Paulo (FCMSCSP). Fundação Arnaldo Vieira de Carvalho. São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Some signs of difficulty in language may be early identified, in preschool, such as poor vocabulary, inadequate use of grammar and deficits in phonological processing, which include phonological awareness, phonological memory, rapid naming and so forth (Navas, 2010). Nevertheless, it is important to note that not all children with early difficulties in learning to read and write will prove to have a reading disorder, since these difficulties may be a result of inadequate school instruction, organic or social reasons. Some studies affirm that once an early difficulty is identified, early intervention improves the prognosis for these children (Simmons et al, 2008). The goal of this study is to characterize the initial stage of learning to read in first and second grade children, at the beginning and at the end of the school year. (AU)