Language and Literacy in a Developmental Perspective

Snow et al. have provided an unusually comprehensive, even-handed, and thoughtful review of research on early reading development. Here we expand on an important theme—the value of a developmental and transactional perspective. Using results from studies of verbally precocious children and children with language impairments, we illustrate the qualitatively changing nature of the task of learning to read, and its connection to oral language development. We also discuss the bidirectional influence of adults and children on each other. This perspective has implications for what, when, and how to teach reading.