Reversals in reading: are they abnormal?

In a study of 257 children in kindergarten through fourth grade, in a Michigan public school, 38% were identified and referred to a special class as having problems in reading and writing or reversing letters and words. The percentage of children having these problems decreased regularly with age; however, the proportion of children exhibiting reversals among those referred was fairly constant through the second grade, after which it became negligible. Analysis indicates that when children in the first several grades in public school learn to read from regular classroom instruction, letter and word reversals tend to disappear. For young children, reversals in reading appear to be normal errors associated with learning to read.