Visualizing the eight skills contributing to skilled reading

A very interesting representation of the multiple aspects or skills associated with reading. This illustration is from Approaching Difficulties in Literacy Development edited by Felicity Fletcher-Campbell.

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When children arrive in Kindergarten or First Grade at four or five years old, there is already a three year gap in reading capability and that gap widens the longer they are in school. In other words, there is a Matthew Effect in which the early proficient readers build an accelerating momentum as they read more and more. Cunningham and Stanovich have shown that this beneficial effect is true even when controlling for IQ. Regardless of IQ, the extent to which you practice enthusiastic reading at an earlier age forecasts differentially positive reading capabilities at an older age compared to non-enthusiastic readers.

From this diagram you can see there are eight strands which independently and interactively contribute to skilled reading. Very useful. Since all this occurs before school age, it has implications for new parents in terms of how they speak and read with their very young children.