Prevalence and presentation of reading disorders in children with language disorder; evidence from a UK population study

Purpose. This study investigates the reading profiles of children with/without language disorder (LD). We consider the impact of different criteria on the prevalence of reading disorders (RD), co-occurrence with LD, and associations with children’s educational and behavioural profiles. Method.Data are from the Surrey Communication and Language in Education Study (SCALES) and sample weighting procedures are used to estimate population prevalence. Of the 7,625 children screened during their first year of formal schooling (age 4-5 years), a stratified subsample of children completed follow-up assessments of their language, cognitive and reading skills at age 5-6yrs (N=529) and 7-8yrs (N=499). Children were classified as having difficulties with decoding and/or reading comprehension or as having reading skills in line with age expectations. Results. Children with LD at school entry demonstrated poor preparedness for reading, persistent weakness in word reading, and were at higher risk of RDs compared to those without LD, with between 53-71% meeting criteria for RD compared to 9-18% of those without LD. Adopting a conservative -1.5SD cutoff, 13% of children met criteria for difficulties with decoding and/or reading comprehension in Year 3 which impacted educational attainment. Conclusions. Children with LD at school entry are at high risk of persistent RDs. Focusing on developing children’s oral language skills alongside direct phonics instruction to promote decoding will help set a firm foundation for literacy for all children. Providing tailored intervention may be required to support the on-going literacy development of children with LD.