Development of an Eco-Biodevelopmental Model of Emergent Literacy Before Kindergarten

Abstract

mergent literacy has been described as "a developmental continuum [involving] skills, knowledge and attitudes that are precursors to reading and writing." 1(p848) Reading difficulties stem from deficits in any of these domains and take root early, with many children beginning kindergarten unprepared to learn to read 2 (typical skill emergence is summarized in Figure 1). These children are disproportionately from households with low socioeconomic status (SES) and minority race and/or ethnicity. 3,4 In total, 65% of fourth-grade students in the US scored lower than proficient in reading in a 2019 assessment. 5 Low reading proficiency is associated with adverse outcomes that accelerate over time. These outcomes include behavior and conduct issues, withdrawal from school, and low vocational potential and poverty, with an estimated annual cost of more than $350 billion in the US and more than $1.2 trillion worldwide. 6 Dyslexia is defined as persistent difficulty learning to read accurately or fluently despite adequate exposure to written language and normal nonverbal intelligence, with a substantial genetic component and an estimated prevalence of 5% to 17%. 7 Other reading difficulties occur in the context of medical and environmental risk factors, including premature birth, 8 chronic medical conditions, 9 English as a second language, 10 excessive screen-based media exposure, 11,12 and an understimulating home literacy environment, which, while variable, can be defined as the resources, motivation, and/or stimulation required to learn to read. [13][14][15] Dyslexia is traditionally characterized as having a phonological basis, while environmentally based reading difficulties are IMPORTANCE Literacy has been described as an important social determinant of health. Its components emerge in infancy and are dependent on genetic, medical, and environmental factors. The American Academy of Pediatrics advocates a substantial role for pediatricians in literacy promotion, developmental surveillance, and school readiness to promote cognitive, relational, and brain development. Many children, especially those from minority and underserved households, enter kindergarten unprepared to learn to read and subsequently have difficulty in school.OBSERVATIONS Emergent literacy is a developmental process beginning in infancy. Component skills are supported by brain regions that must be adequately stimulated and integrated to form a functional reading network. Trajectories are associated with genetic, medical, and environmental factors, notably the home literacy environment, which is defined as resources, motivation, and stimulation that encourage the literacy development process. Eco-biodevelopmental models are advocated by the American Academy of Pediatrics, and these models offer insights into the neurobiological processes associated with environmental factors and the ways in which these processes may be addressed to improve outcomes. Emergent literacy is well suited for such a model, particularly because the mechanisms underlying...

Prevalence of Developmental Dyslexia in Primary School Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…Due to their frustration with reading, a great number of dyslexic children are also at increased risk of academic and social problems [ 4 ]. These children often have higher reading anxiety [ 5 , 6 , 7 ], lower positive well-being [ 8 ], and experience negative attitudes [ 6 , 9 ].…”

A Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment (CIA) Framework for Health Literacy Education (HLE) in Medical and Health Professions Schools

“…Oral language is a prerequisite before learning to read in early childhood (Hutton, DeWitt, Hoffman, Horowitz-Kraus, & Klass, 2021); oral language development can be maximized when children are exposed to adequate conversations and social interactions around books at home and in school (Sanders, Zacur, Haeckel, & Klass, 2004;Grolig, 2020;Chang, Taylor, Rastle, & Monaghan, 2020). Language capacity in humans evolved about 100,000 years ago with oral language capacity being innate from specific networks hardwired in the brain for the development of speech and language processing.…”

Exploratory Mixed-Methods Study of a Primary Care–Based Intervention Promoting Shared Reading During Infancy

“…4 Together, these enhance oral language skills, 12 attitudes toward reading, 13 caregiver-child relationships, 14 and early brain development. 15 Children from socially and economically disadvantaged households face outsized risks of language delays and reading difficulties. [16][17][18] These disparities begin to manifest in early childhood, with a 6-month gap in language development evident by age 2 years seen in children from economically disadvantaged backgrounds as compared with their more affluent peers.…”

“…4 Together, these enhance oral language skills, 12 attitudes toward reading, 13 caregiver-child relationships, 14 and early brain development. 15…”