Reading Before Speaking

Abstract

It is generally believed children are not ready to read until about 5 years and that speech production is a necessary and desirable basis for teaching methodology. In this study, a four-phase program—Alphabet Familiarization: Alphabet Identification; Word, Phrase, and Sentence Identification; and Text Reading—was administered to a subject, beginning at 6 months of age. Significant reading skills were acquired during the subject’s pre-speech period. By three and a half years the subject read short sentences fluently, and by 8 years, his speech and accuracy equaled eleventh graders. A mongoloid child who was administered the program at a later age (at 5 year) now reads 48 words and 5 phrases and sentences. It is concluded that most current notions on reading readiness and on the role of speech production in teaching methodology require reconsideration.