The Role of Language Deficiency in Reading Disability, Article Review Example

The process of acquiring reading skills is associated with significant impediments for most students in the elementary level of education although most of them may have a favorable background in terms of classroom experience as well as intellectual abilities. Although reading is considered to be a visual skill, malfunctioning of visual domain such as reversing some letters has not been successfully linked with reading disability (Virginia & Susan, 1988). The cases of visual domain malfunction that have caused reading difficulties are actually insignificant. At one stage of development in all students reversal of letters has been a common occurrence.

The contribution of IQ in reading problems has little evidence as well. The process of learning reading skills is a complex one and although it is anticipated to have a correlation with IQ, this has been proven to have little implications on reading problems.  The authors however suggest a critical connection between the deficient language processes to the reading disabilities with a reading disability among speech as well as language retarded pupils as well as a pattern of cognitive weaknesses as well as strengths (Virginia & Susan, 1988).

Reading is associated with important language requirements one of which is the skills in spoken and written language. Short term memory is also important for phonetic representation. Economy of words is also a crucial virtue in alphabetic systems which are further strengthened by the rules of grapheme-to- phoneme conversation. Possessing a conceptual framework in acknowledging the representation of letters is important n the realization of intrinsic worth of alphabet (Virginia & Susan, 1988).

Problems associated with processing of language also play a crucial role in language disability. Early difficulties in acquiring reading skills have been associated with some aspects of processing the spoken language in English, Japanese as well as Chinese. In English for example, such areas as short term memory, mental lexicon, understanding sentences and phonetic perception have been cited as critical. Short term memory has been associated with recalling lesser items among poor readers. Recall deficiency is common among poor readers. Impairment in memory contributes to the verbal memory processes. Phonological impairment and problems associated with listening comprehension also plays an important role in reading disability.

Problems associated with phonological awareness have also been cited as important contributors to reading difficulty. An explicit cognizance of phonemes is important in reading for the purpose of avoiding reading errors.  Correction of pronunciations must be achieved at beginner’s level and by poor readers. Skills in phonological awareness are important for subsequent achievement in reading. Training in awareness of metalinguistic in the acquisition of reading skills is also important for reading development. The segmentation skills of phoneme also enhance reading performance. The identification of at risk children in reading disability requires some tests in syllabus as well as phoneme awareness (Virginia & Susan, 1988).

The practical implications points at the merits of research which is a valuable guideline in the identification of the problems in reading disability as well as treatment. Identification of these problems is important in facilitating the relevant remedial measures. Language abilities coupled with phonological awareness are important areas of consideration in reading disability.

Majority of the problems that are associated with reading difficulty can be attributed to language which plays a crucial role in skilled reading. Reading disability at an early age is a cause of problems in metalinguistic awareness as well as language processing.

Reference

Virginia, A. M. & Susan, B., (1988). Language Deficiency and Reading Disability. Status Report on Speech Research. Haskins Laboratories.