Sources of developmental language and literacy difficulties

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Deficits in different aspects of early language impact on reading in different ways: while phonological deficits are a powerful predictor of later decoding and word-level reading skills, broader oral language skills form the substrate for reading comprehension. This two-dimensional model provides a useful framework for relating spoken and written language difficulties, but raises some interesting questions which Dr Emma Hayiou-Thomas will explore in this talk: what are the sources – in terms of the genetic and environmental etiology – of individual differences in phonological vs broader oral language skills? How does the etiology of these dimensions, and the relationship between them, change over time? Finally, are there other risk and protective factors beyond the language domain, that contribute to children’s reading outcomes?