Selected perceptual norms and their relationship to reading in kindergarten and the primary grades

This study provides standardized procedures and norms for four perceptual-motor tests and their correlations with readiness/reading in grades K-2. Theoretical constructs and cognitive implications underlying these tasks are discussed. One hundred forty-four normal children in grades K-2 were tested with the Tachistoscope, Divided Form Board, Grooved Pegboard, and Auditory-Visual Integration Test (AVIT), using standardized procedures. Norms including means, standard deviations, ranges of scores, and percentiles were established for each test at each grade level. Except for the AVIT, the correlations between the perceptual tasks and readiness or reading were not only strong in kindergarten, but remained significant in grades 1 and 2. The data suggests that as reading becomes more dependent upon language skills, cognition gradually becomes more dominant. Beyond grade 2, it appears that perception remains a necessary but not a sufficient condition for learning.