| Summary: | Expressive language delay is one of the most frequent concerns for parents and health
care providers, and it is also one of the most common reasons that young children are
referred for evaluation. In the present study, it was examined whether late-talkers with
and without familial risk for dyslexia have weaker reading fluency and
comprehension at school age (grades 2, 3, 8 and 9) than typically developing, agematched
children. The sample of the study was 200 Finnish-speaking children, who
were divided into 5 subgroups: 1) Risk Group with no Delay, 2) Risk Group with
Expressive Language Delay, 3) Risk Group with Expressive and Receptive Language
Delay, 4) Control Group with Expressive Language Delay, 5) Control Group with no
Delay. The children belonging to the family risk group have a family history of
dyslexia and as a result they are at risk for reading difficulties. The results showed
that late talkers had problems particularly in reading comprehension but problems
were persistent only if they had also receptive vocabulary problems. On the other
hand, family risk for dyslexia was linked to reading fluency problems but only if the
children had both expressive and receptive vocabulary problems. As a result, it seems
that expressive delay only is not informative enough considering school age reading
development and it seems that late talking could be a persistent risk factor for reading
development only if it is combined with receptive language delays.
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