PREDICTION OF READING DIFFICULTY FROM PARENTAL PRESCHOOL REPORT: A 3- YEAR FOLLOWUP

Abstract. The Minnesota Child Development Inventory (MCDI) was used to describe the developmental status of 59 children before the start of kindergarten. Three years later children were classified in one of four categories, based on the amount of supplemental reading instruction necessary during the three-year period. A number of variables from the MCDI were highly correlated with this continuum of difficulty in mastering reading, with parental report of the child's general development and knowledge of letters and numbers being most signifi-cant. Significant correlations with group achievement tests also were obtained. The findings should encourage the inclusion of parent reports by persons using or constructing preschool screening measures. With increased special education legislation, most recently PL 94-142, increased pressure has been placed on educators to provide screening programs to identify children likely to experience difficulty in mastering basic school tasks. Such pressures have been complicated by concurrent legislation in the health-screening area, with provisions for early and periodic screening, diagnosis, and treatment for physical and mental defects being made available to families from poverty or culturally disadvantaged backgrounds. Whereas there is little need to emphasize the importance of early diagnosis and the associated implications for early intervention or remediation or both, there is much contro-versy over primary goals and means for carrying out such screening and intervention programs (Bower, 1978). This controversy has led to the development of valid and reliable screening instruments that can be used economically to screen large numbers of children. With regard to the general area of reading, the risk population is sub-stantial, with 15 % of school-aged children estimated to experience difficulty in learning to read (National Advisory Committee o