Language deficits and specific reading retardation: cause or effect?

Abstract

The nature of the relationship between general language skills and reading disability was investigated in a large sample of children for whom language data were available at ages 3 and 11. A significant decline in the language skills of the reading‐disabled group between ages 3 and 11 was consistent with the view that general language deficits in this group may be partly the consequence of their reading difficulties. 1987 Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists