The Route Between Rapid Naming and Reading Progress

Slow naming of common symbols and poor phonemic awareness contribute somewhat independently to low reading skill. However, the route by which the processes associated with performance on tests of rapid naming affect reading are not well understood. A test of accurate recognition of letters in different types of letter strings when time to inspect the strings is limited (Quick Spell Test QST) was developed and administered to Grade 2 or Grade 3 children in 2 studies. Children assigned to no-deficit, single-deficit, and double-deficit groups on the basis of cutoff scores on tests of rapid naming and phonemic awareness differed on QST accuracy. Of special interest was the finding that, in Grade 3, rapid naming skill was the only predictor of report of letters in illegal nonword strings, and it interacted with phonemic awareness in predicting the report of letters in pseudoword strings. In Study 2, Grade 3 children were selected based on having a single deficit in either naming speed (naming speed deficit NSD group) or phonemic awareness (phonological deficit PD group). As in Study 1, NSD children were less accurate than PD children in reporting letters only in illegal strings on the QST. They were also more accurate but slower readers and had less knowledge of orthographic patterns. Results give some support for the hypothesis that the failure to sufficiently automatize letter recognition interferes with letter string processing and growth of orthographic knowledge.