Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology Advance Access originally published online on July 22, 2009
Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology 2009 24(6):555-563; doi:10.1093/arclin/acp044
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Rhythm Reproduction in Kindergarten, Reading Performance at Second Grade, and Developmental Dyslexia Theories
a Psychology and Cognitive Neurosciences, CNRS UMR 8189, University Paris Descartes, 71 Avenue Edouard Vaillant 92774, Boulogne-Billancourt, France
b Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Inserm U780, Villejuif, France
c CNRS UMR 7114, University Paris 10, Nanterre, France
* Corresponding author at: Tel: +33 155205814; fax: +33 155205985. E-mail address: georges.dellatolas{at}parisdescartes.fr (G. Dellatolas).
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Abstract |
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Temporal processing deficit could be associated with a specific difficulty in learning to read. In 1951, Stambak provided preliminary evidence that children with dyslexia performed less well than good readers in reproduction of 21 rhythmic patterns. Stambak's task was administered to 1,028 French children aged 5–6 years. The score distribution (from 0 to 21) was quasi-normal, with some children failing completely and other performing perfectly. In second grade, reading was assessed in 695 of these children. Kindergarten variables explained 26% of the variance of the reading score at second grade. The Stambak score was strongly and linearly related to reading performance in second grade, after partialling out performance on other tasks (oral repetition, attention, and visuo-spatial tasks) and socio-cultural level. Findings are discussed in relation to perceptual, cerebellar, intermodal, and attention-related theories of developmental dyslexia. It is concluded that simple rhythm reproduction tasks in kindergarten are predictive of later reading performance.
Keywords Rhythm reproduction; Reading acquisition; Dyslexia
Accepted: June 29, 2009