Research on reading has tried, and failed, to account for wide disparities in reading skill even among children taught by the same method. Why do some children learn to read easily and quickly while others, in the same classroom and taught by the same teacher, don't learn to read at all? In "Language Development and Learning to Read", Diane McGuinness examines scientific research that might explain these disparities. She focuses on reading predictors, analyzing the effect individual differences in specific perceptual, linguistic, and cognitive skills may have on a child's ability to read. Because of the serious methodological problems she finds in the existing research on reading, many of the studies McGuinness cites come from other fields--developmental psychology, psycholinguistics, and the speech and hearing sciences--and provide a new perspective on which language functions matter most for reading and academic success. McGuinness first examines the phonological development theory--the theory that phonological awareness follows a developmental path from words to syllables to phonemes--which has dominated reading research for thirty years, and finds that research evidence from other disciplines does not support the theory. McGuinness then looks at longitudinal studies on the development of general language function, and finds a "tantalizing connection" between core language functions and reading success. Finally, she analyzes mainstream reading research, which links reading ability to specific language skills, and the often flawed methodology used in these studies. McGuinness's analysis shows the urgent need for a shift in our thinking about how to achieve reading success. Contents of this book include: (1) The Origin of the Theory of Phonological Development; (2) Development of Receptive Language in the First Year of Life; (3) Speech Perception After 3; (4) Links: Auditory Analysis, Speech Production, and Phonological Awareness; (5) Young Children's Analysis of Language; (6) What Is Phoneme Awareness and Does It Matter?; (7) The Development of Expressive Language; (8) The Impact of General Language Skills on Reading and Academic Success; (9) An Introduction to Reading Research: Some Pitfalls; (10) Auditory and Speech Perception and Reading; (11) Methodological Issues in Research on General Language and Reading; (12) Vocabulary and Reading; (13) Verbal Memory and Reading; (14) Syntax and Reading; (15) Naming Speed and Reading; (16) Slow Readers: How Slow Is Slow?; and (17) Summary: What Do We Know for Sure? The following are also included: (a) Appendix; (b) Glossary; (c) References; (d) Author Index; and (e) Subject Index.