Children with reading difficulties: A six year follow‐up from early primary school to secondary school

Abstract

This paper reports on the stability of learning difficulties from 7–8 to 13–14 years of age, and the factors associated with recovery vs. persistence, among children from the Australian Temperament Project, a community‐based longitudinal study. Children identified as having reading difficulties (RD) at 7–8 years were re‐assessed at 13–14 years of age using school achievement and intelligence tests. Almost half of the children with RDs at 7–8 years had reading difficulties at 13–14 years, almost two‐thirds had spelling difficulties and a majority had arithmetic difficulties. When achievement over all three areas was considered, more than 80 per cent of early RD children had a learning difficu..