Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 17, 2026

Universal Screening for Prevention of Reading, Writing, and Math Disabilities in Spanish
Published on: July 18, 2020
Phonological reading skills acquisition by children with mental retardation
Frances A Conners1, Celia J Rosenquist, Allison C Sligh
1Department of Psychology, The University of Alabama, Box 870348, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0348, USA. fconners@bama.ua.edu
Abstract:
Twenty children with mental retardation (MR), age 7-12, completed a phonological reading skills program over approximately 10 weeks. As a result of the instruction, they were better able to sound out learned and transfer words compared to a control group matched on age, IQ, nonword reading, language comprehension, and phonemic awareness. Final sounding out was predicted by beginning reading skill in both groups, by phonemic awareness and articulation speed in the control group only, and by general language ability in the instruction group only. Neither IQ nor verbal working memory correlated significantly with final sounding out ability in either group. It is suggested that the instruction succeeded in compensating for weaknesses in phonemic awareness and speech articulation, but favored those who had better language skills.
Related Concept Videos
Learning Disabilities
Dyslexia
Dyslexia is a...
Language Development
The critical period for language acquisition suggests that the ability to acquire language is at its peak early in life. As people age, this proficiency decreases. Language development begins very...
Language and Cognition
Information Processing Approach

