Phonological Awareness and Reading Fluency in Children with and without Developmental Language Disorder in Second, Third, and Fourth Grade of Primary School

Abstract

Reading fluency requires metaphonological skills for efficient word reading. These skills are often diminished in children with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD). Despite this, insufficient attention has been given to their fluency, which is why this study examines the relationship between reading fluency and phonological awareness in 15 students with DLD and 15 with Typical Language Development (TLD) in second, third, and fourth grades of primary school. Using mixed repeated-measures ANOVAs and considering age as a covariate, the study examines group differences and whether phonological awareness influences variations in reading fluency. The test Instrumento de Diagnóstico para los Trastornos Específicos de Lenguaje en Edad Escolar (IDTEL) was employed to measure syllable addition, syllable inversion, and phoneme blending. Reading fluency (speed, accuracy, volume, intonation, pauses, segmentation, overall quality, and total fluency) was assessed using the Reading Fluency Scale in Spanish (Escala de Fluidez Lectora). Correlations were observed between phoneme blending and the accuracy, segmentation, and overall quality of reading. In children with TLD, correlations were found between syllable inversion, phoneme blending, and fluency. The main results of the mixed ANOVAs indicate a significant effect of diagnosis on both phonological awareness and reading fluency in children with DLD, and for both groups, an effect of phoneme blending ability on reading fluency.