Cited by 100Reading and Literacy DevelopmentDevelopmental and Educational NeuropsychologyLanguage Development and Disorders

Poor Reading in French Elementary School: The Interplay of Cognitive, Behavioral, and Socioeconomic Factors

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Fluss, Joel, Ziegler, Johannes C., Warszawski, Josiane, Ducot, Béatrice, Richard, Geneviève, Billard, Catherine·2009·Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics

Abstract

BACKGROUND: : Reading impairment is the major learning disability in childhood. Most previous studies were done on English-speaking populations. Yet, it has been argued that the English writing system exacerbates phonological deficits because of its exceptionally high inconsistency between spelling and sound. Thus, cross-language studies are needed to explore the universal versus language-specific factors underlying reading impairment. The goal of the present research was to study biological, socioeconomic, cognitive, and behavioral factors underlying poor reading in French-speaking second grade children. METHODS: : A total of 1062 children from 20 different schools in the city of Paris participated in the study. After an initial test phase, children with a suspected impairment in reading acquisition were assessed individually. Subsequently, 100 poor readers and 50 controls were matched for sex, age, school, and neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES). They underwent comprehensive medical, cognitive, and behavioral assessment complemented by individual socioeconomic data. RESULTS: : The average prevalence of reading impairment was around 12% in our sample. It was highly influenced by neighborhood SES, varying from 3.3% in high SES to 24.2% in low SES areas. Among the individual SES variables, low maternal education significantly distinguished poor from typical readers. Multiple regression analyses showed that reading outcome was best predicted by phonological awareness skills and attention deficits. CONCLUSION: : The majority of poor readers come from low SES areas. As in the English literature, the most robust predictor for reading impairment is phonological awareness. In addition, behavioral problems, such as attention deficits, seem to aggravate reading deficits for children with weak phonological awareness skills.

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Crossref · 10.1097/dbp.0b013e3181a7ed6c

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  • The need for early within-school intervention is particularly strong in socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods, especially in France.

    “the need for early within-school intervention is particularly strong in this part of the population and this is particularly true in France (Fluss et al., 2008(Fluss et al., , 2009)).”

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Authors
Fluss, J., Ziegler, J. C., Warszawski, J., Ducot, B., Richard, G., & Billard, C.
Affiliations
  • Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
  • Inserm (FR)
  • Bicêtre Hospital (FR)
Corresponding author
Billard, Catherine
Venue
Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics
Published
2009-06
Volume
30
Issue
3
Pages
206-216
ISSN
0196-206X (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2062250354
Cited by
100
References
57
Citations by year
2025: 3 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 14 · 2020: 12 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 9 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 1 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 5 · 2013: 5 · 2012: 7
FWCI
8.78
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by
Locations
  • Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Archive ouverte UNIGE (University of Geneva) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • HAL (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Reading and Literacy Development
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology › Developmental and Educational Neuropsychology
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Language Development and Disorders
Keywords
reading disorders, struggling readers, French-speaking children, second grade, neighborhood socioeconomic status, maternal education, phonological awareness, attention deficits, behavioral problems, cross-linguistic comparison, learning disabilities, reading acquisition
MeSH terms
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity, Behavior, Child, Cognition, Dyslexia, Female, Humans, Language Tests, Male, Mothers, Neuropsychological Tests, Paris, Phonetics, Reading, Regression Analysis, Schools, Socioeconomic Factors, Prevalence

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